Pola & Roid (ポラアンドロイド) is a manga by Akira Toriyama released on March 1981 in Weekly Shōnen Jump #17. It is also featured in Akira Toriyama's Manga Theater Vol. 1. This short story tells Roid's journey to become the greatest hero of the galaxy. King Nikochan and his assistant make cameo appearances in it, and the two main characters make a cameo in the Dr. Slump chapter "Penguin Village Dom-Dom-Dom!"

OverviewEdit

At the end of 1980, the Weekly Shōnen Jump readers were asked to name their favorite authors, and Akira Toriyama was named in the top ten for the time in his career. For the next step of the competion, in 1981, the magazine offered the top ten manga artists to make a 40 ~ 50 page story. Toriyama created Pola & Roid for the occasion, which won the "Readers' Award" after the Shōnen Jump readers voted and ranked it first. The author, him, won a trip to Switzerland. Pola & Roid is 43 pages, divided into 15 chapters, and completely drawn in felt pen.

StoryEdit

Pola is an avenger who fights Emperor Gagambo, who spreads terror on planet Kongaragatta. Roid is the pilot of an interplanetary taxi. One day, a woman calls Roid to planet Kongaratta. Roid is glad to leave the artificial planet he was on, Yakandagaya, because it is inhabited only by monsters and robots, no cute girl. He rushes to Kongaratta, thinking a beautiful woman awaits. It happens that the woman was in fact a teenager, Pola, who is accompanied by a robot. Pola had difficulties traveling through the desert with her luggage, thus she called the interplanetary taxi. Roid is tired of space and wants to return to Earth, but Pola bribes his companionship with the promise of money (she stole a passerby to pay the taxi). Thus begins their thrilling adventures against the forces of evil.

Soon, Roid's ship is destroyed by one of Gaganbo's men. Pola, her robot, and he must walk. The next day, Gagambo launches an attack on them. Roid easily defeats the evil emperor as in fact, all the inhabitant of Kongaragatta are rather weak, even huge dragons, and also because nobody on the planet tried to fight against Gagambo. Roid then retrieves a ship at Gaganbo's headquarters where two gorillas who were help captive by Lord Gagambo ask him to return them to Earth, which would also allow Roid to get there. The poor Roid does not happen to get rid of the sticky Pola, who comes with them to Earth as she fell in love with Roid and wants to marry him soon.

While approaching Earth, the heroes are attacked by King Nikochan and his servant. As Roid read Dr. Slump, he has the idea to disguise Pola as Arale Norimaki. The young woman scares them off, but a mishandling makes the heroes time travel to Earth in prehistoric times. It is later revealed that the two gorillas they brought to Earth will later be known as Adam and Eve.

TriviaEdit

• The title of this manga, Pola & Roid, is a reference to the famous firm of snapshots.
• A giant crab similar to the one that spares Pola and Roid appears in Dragon Ball Z filler. The crab spares Pola and Roid providing they win at Rock-Paper-Scissors against him. The trap is that it has a hidden clip in the shape of a sheet that he uses to win against those who do stone hoping to beat his scissors claws. Roid avoids the trap, as he does scissors.

GalleryEdit

Roid smokes Roid runs Roid Pola runs Pola Pola's robot Lord Gagambo Gagambo's men A robot Pata Pata A giant crab The Nikos Adam and Eve Add a photo to this galleryAdd a photo to this gallery