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The story
A thread on 5ch named Akira Toriyama, Yasushi Akimoto, Osamu Tezuka, Rumiko Takahashi, and Eiichiro Oda as “manga artists who won’t sell their souls to pachinko.” But commenters immediately pounced on the fact that a supposed “top 3” list had five names on it, and pointed out that Akimoto isn’t even a manga artist — he’s only experienced pachinko adaptations as the original-story writer behind series like “Azuki-chan” — while the whole story about Toriyama refusing pachinko deals turned out to be an urban legend with no real source. The discussion then expanded into a broader debate: does getting turned into a pachinko machine prove a manga franchise is washed up, or can it extend a series’ popularity, as it seemingly did for Urusei Yatsura and Evangelion?
What people said
"Under the Cherry Blossoms" (a Maison Ikkoku machine bonus feature) was great, I used to play that one back in the day
Went to a pachinko parlor to kill time for the first time in about 10 years, found a Maison Ikkoku machine, gave it a spin, and immediately hit the jackpot — it just wouldn't stop paying out.
Haven't set foot in a pachinko parlor since.
But there's Azuki-chan
Having to bring in Lasalle Ishii or Shingo Katori (actors who've played Ryotsu in live-action) would be a hassle
Rumiko Takahashi is obviously bait for someone to call out
I'm more worried about people like you
Bet you're the type to switch between Wi-Fi and your mobile carrier's data
Well, as an original-story writer there's "Oh! My Konbu," though that's not the same as being a manga artist
I know Akimoto was the original-story writer for Azuki-chan
Ririka SOS
Turns out that story never actually happened — it's fiction
Well, even something like a billion yen from pachinko wouldn't be much compared to what he's probably already earning anyway
Maybe it wasn't Toriyama himself but his manager who turned it down?
It'd hurt the toy merchandising image
Kojikoji's in one
Yeah, there actually is a Kojikoji machine
Kojikoji-kun
They'll turn a series into pachinko even while it's still running
I've been waiting forever for Get Backers — hurry up and make it into a pachinko machine already
At this point getting a pachinko machine is just the default once something's a hit
Is there a Hajime no Ippo pachinko machine?
There's Dokaben
As a pachislot machine
The Gen-5 Dokaben pachislot machine (referring to Japan's 5th-generation slot-machine regulations)
Didn't think there was a pachinko machine based on a Shin Kibayashi story, but then there's Psychometrer Eiji
Surprising, given how many hits he's churned out
Once Newgin took over the license it turned to trash
Pachislot Urusei Yatsura 2 stayed faithful to the manga's character designs — honestly the best machine in every sense
Newgin's license is tied to the anime rights, which makes things complicated
Sammy and Okumura hold the manga rights
That's exactly why IPs with real future potential avoid it — getting pachinko'd would hurt their image
Takahashi's works, Evangelion, Madoka Magica — it's the exact opposite for them
If anything, pachinko extended their lifespan
It didn't extend anything
Takahashi machines were never actually popular
And Madoka Magica only ever had the one hit slot machine — the original
Background and points of debate
The pachinko and pachislot industry’s main revenue driver is “licensed machines” built on the rights to popular manga and anime, which also brings licensing fees to the original creators — though whether a creator grants permission often comes down to the image strategy for the work or its author. The story that Akira Toriyama refused pachinko adaptations is often repeated online, but no primary source quoting Toriyama himself has been confirmed, and commenters in the thread pointed out that “in reality there was no such story — it turned out to be fiction.” Yasushi Akimoto, meanwhile, isn’t a manga artist at all; he has only experienced pachinko adaptations as the original-story writer behind works like “Azuki-chan” and “Ririka SOS,” so the original lineup was questionable to begin with. The thread’s central disagreement is whether getting turned into a pachinko machine signals an IP is washed up, or whether it can extend a franchise’s life the way it reportedly did for Urusei Yatsura and Evangelion — though it’s worth noting that neither side backed their claims with concrete sales data, keeping the debate in the realm of impressions rather than facts.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Top 3 Manga Artists Who Won’t Sell Their Souls to Pachinko: “Akira Toriyama,” “Yasushi Akimoto,” “Osamu Tezuka,” “Rumiko Takahashi,” “Eiichiro Oda”.”
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