Akira Toriyama, the celebrated creator of the iconic "Dragon Ball" series, has died at the age of 68. The manga author succumbed to an acute subdural hematoma on March 1, leaving behind a legacy that transcends generations.
Bird Studio, the creative sanctuary Toriyama founded in 1983, announced the somber news in a statement.
“It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm,” the studio wrote in a statement. “Also, he would have many more things to achieve.”
It continued: “He has left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years.”
Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1955, Toriyama rejected formal education. In his early days, he designed posters at an advertising agency for three years after high school.
His foray into manga started at 23, leading to his first published work, Wonder Island, in 1978 in Weekly Shōnen Jump. He created the successful comedy manga "Dr Slump" in the early 1980s before creating "Dragon Ball" in 1984, Toriyama's most monumental work, catapulting him to international fame and establishing a franchise that continues to thrive.
"Dragon Ball Z", the cartoon came in the 1990s, and Toriyama was also part of the design team for the very successful "Dragon Quest" games.
"Dragon Ball" features a boy named Son Goku who collects magical balls containing dragons to help him and his allies in a fight to protect the planet from enemies.
In later years, Toriyama returned to the Dragon Ball franchise, working on several film adaptations including as an early consultant on 2012’s Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and a screenwriter on 2018’s Dragon Ball Super: Broly and 2022’s Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
Toriyama had a small funeral with family and asked fans not to send flowers or other offerings. In an interview with a Japanese newspaper in 2013, Toriyama had described himself as a "difficult" person.
He had married fellow manga artist Yoshimi Katō in 1983 and subsequently had two children. He kept his personal life mostly private – and often used a cyborg avatar called Robotoriyama to represent himself.
Fans and admirers paid their tributes and respect to Toriyama in social media posts mostly featuring Goku.
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