Toriko – In Which Four Guys Want to Cook and Eat a Godzilla Sized Creature

Yes, we now have a Spirit Bomb. Made of appetite.

If there’s one thing Toriko knows how to do better than any other series, it’s how to create a sense of scale. I see other manga talk about big stuff, whether it be creatures, places, or just a massive world in general. But Toriko knows how to make things truly feel gigantic. It sends the characters against colossal ruins or monsters the size of the average city to make them overcome what feels like insurmountable hurdles.

This chapter took that to a whole new level. It’s one thing to face gigantic obstacles, but the difficult part is how you get across the protagonists not simply meeting them, but surpassing them. In their own way, they’ve become something grander than the creature that used to tower over them. So the question is how to convey that climactic moment with all the grandeur it deserves?

That’s how.

At first I admittedly disapproved of the series introducing anything that resembles ki attacks, but it’s restricted enough that it most likely won’t become a big deal anytime soon. Even in their powered up state, it takes special preparations to create one of these attacks and all four main characters are needed. It’s hard enough getting Zebra to cooperate as it is, so relying on that for victory is a bad idea. I do like how it shows everyone finally working together, but one of these attacks every couple of arcs is the most they should aim for.

I know I say this around the end of every arc, but Toriko keeps finding new ways to impress me. It shows how much it clearly loves the themes that embody the series when it can use them in so many effective ways. This devotion comes across in both the actions of the characters and in how those actions are depicted. I remember how early on, the art was so much sketchier and wilder, and while things should have felt more realistic as the art improved, they also reached the point where imagery like this can be used effectively. I still don’t know how the four kings can eat a creature that size, but I know Toriko can portray that well. It’s gotten enough practice over the years, after all.