During the mid 70's at around the age of 21 Toriyama knew he wanted to become a manga artist and he stated that he admired the anime Astro Boy and the movie One Hundred and One Dalmatians.

在70年代中期，大约21岁的时候，鸟山明就知道自己想成为一名漫画家，他表示自己很钦佩《铁臂阿童木》这部动画和电影《101忠狗》。