Masayuki Aoki

Aoki provided key animation for seven episodes of the original Dragon Ball series, spanning three major sagas: the Emperor Pilaf Saga (episodes 1, 4, 9), the Tournament Saga (episodes 15, 22), and the Red Ribbon Army Saga (episodes 29, 36). His work on these episodes covers crucial narrative moments, from Goku's first meeting with Bulma through the first Martial Arts Tournament and the beginning of Goku's military opposition. Key animation creates the pivotal poses and character expressions that define a scene's emotional and action beats; Aoki's contributions were essential to establishing Dragon Ball's early visual identity.

Aoki's early work included in-between and key animation for Toriyama's other early series, Dr. Slump & Arale-chan, as well as theatrical films. His animation work on the original Dragon Ball during the series' formative years made him part of the foundational team that created the visual language audiences would recognize across the entire franchise.