Kazuya Sakurada

Sakurada brought visual refinement to Dragon Ball's early episodes as both an ink and paint artist and special effects supervisor. His work spanned 22 inked and painted episodes covering the Tournament Saga, Red Ribbon Army Saga, and early Fortuneteller Baba Saga battles, and expanded to 37 episodes of special effects work maintaining visual consistency across the Emperor Pilaf through King Piccolo arcs. This dual contribution ensured the anime's color palette remained vibrant and effects like energy blasts and magical moments registered with proper visual impact. He also painted the theatrical release Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies.

Ink and paint artists form the invisible backbone of anime production, translating line art into finished color sequences that audiences see. Sakurada's work on the original Dragon Ball helped define the series' warm, dynamic visual look during its most iconic early seasons, when creature designs and martial arts choreography were reaching new heights of expressiveness.