Dragon Ball Collection World Record Broken!
Japanese Dragon Ball fan Hitoshi Uchida has broken the Guinness World Record for the largest Dragon Ball collection, with over 10,000 items!
The previous Guinness World Record was established by Michael Nilsen in the United States in 2007, with 5,065 unique items.
Hitoshi Uchida lives in Tokyo where he has amassed a collection of 10,098 unique Dragon Ball items.
He even has a special ‘Son Goku Room’ filled with 4,000 items dedicated to the Dragon Ball hero.
This is a small sample of Hitoshi’s collection.
He has almost every figure for every character that’s been produced.
Including rare ones that are worth “Over $9,000!”
That’s no joke, because Hitoshi owns the ‘Goku Yardrat Variant Full Action Pose’ figure.
Hitoshi Uchida (R) and friends point to the rarest Dragon Ball figure on Earth, owned by Hitoshi, on the right side of the case.
This figure is so rare that some collectors considered it to be a myth.
I heard a rumor that Hitoshi was offered $100,000 for it at this year’s Kameha Con, but turned it down.
That is dedication!
Follow Hitoshi on Instagram to see more pictures of his amazing collection.
Meet Hitoshi Uchida
I spoke with Hitoshi Uchida via Facebook about his accomplishment.
How does Hitoshi feel about winning the record? He replied, “I feel so great today.”
And when asked if he had any message for international fans, he said:
“I’ve been able to connect with many foreigners through Dragon Ball. I’m really happy.”
Hitoshi has been featured in an interview on the Guinness World Records website.
In this interview Hitoshi says he has been collecting Dragon Ball figures and toys since he was a child, where he would travel two train stations over from his home in order to get Dragon Ball erasers from capsule machines. These machines deliver a random toy each time you put money in, so it takes a lot of effort to collect an entire set.
Why does Hitoshi love Dragon Ball so much? In Hitoshi’s interview with Guinness he says:
“Since I was a child, I was scared of ghosts, and I was scared of dying. And whenever I got scared, I imagined the voice of Son Goku as I was trying to go to sleep. Son Goku helped me cope with my fear.”
It was Hitoshi’s dream to meet the voice of Son Goku, Masako Nozawa. He says, “She’s helped me throughout my life and to this day I long to meet her—It’s my final goal in life. When I thought about how I could make that into a reality, I decided to aim for the record.”
As Hitoshi’s childhood collection started to grow, family members and friends began to show concern. He says, “People started to think I’m a bit strange!”
But to Hitoshi, Dragon Ball is more than just a show. It’s a philosophy.
“I think Dragon Ball teaches the audience about not giving up. Goku’s opponents are always stronger at first, but Goku goes beyond that. When you face an obstacle, you go over it. I also challenged myself that way so that I can become stronger.”
Hitoshi doesn’t collect Dragon Ball items just for the sake of having a large collection. He collects them because of what Dragon Ball means to him and how it has changed his life for the better.
Just as it has done for millions of other fans, Dragon Ball inspires Hitoshi to be a better person and to overcome challenges.
Some fans do this through their art, music, and filmmaking, or in my case, writing. Hitoshi does it through collecting.
And like Goku, he has proven himself to be the “World’s Strongest!”
Congratulations, Hitoshi!
Read about Hitoshi’s collection in the upcoming Guinness World Records 2020 book.
And follow Hitoshi on his Instagram to see more pics.
How does your collection compare?
Leave a comment to wish Hitoshi well on his dream of meeting Masako Nozawa, the voice of Goku!