Akira Toriyama, the Japanese manga artist who created the popular and influential Dragon Ball series, died of a brain problem last week, at the age of 68, according to his production studio this Friday (8).
The artist died of an acute subdural hematoma, a form of brain bleeding, according to a statement.
Toriyama was the mind behind the martial arts animated franchise featuring Son Goku, a boy from outer space with superhuman strength and a monkey's tail who embarks on a quest for the seven dragon balls.
The Dragon Ball universe remains one of Japan's most successful global hits, captivating the hearts of many manga-loving teenagers and adults around the world since its debut in the 1980s.
Toriyama's death was announced on Friday by the official Dragon Ball website in a statement shared by Bird Studio and Capsule Corporation Tokyo.
“We deeply regret that he still has several works in the creation phase with great enthusiasm,” he said.
“He would have a lot more to achieve. However, he left many manga titles and artworks to this world,” he added, thanking fans for their support on Toriyama's behalf.
The Instagram fan page dedicated to Toriyama reposted the statement.
See this photo on Instagram
History
Born on April 5, 1955 in Kiyosu City, Aichi Prefecture, Toriyama began drawing manga at age 23.
He made his debut as a cartoonist in 1978, submitting a short story to the manga fan magazine Weekly Shonen Jump.
His “Dragon Ball” series was published in the same magazine in 1984 and was the center of a creative career that spanned more than four decades.
The franchise is based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West and has since been adapted into anime and the 2009 Hollywood action film “Dragon Ball Evolution.”
As Son Goku sets out to find the seven Dragon Balls, he fights villains along the way and protects Earth. As he grows older, the plot shifts to his descendants and friends.
Dragon balls, when collected, can summon Shen Long, a divine dragon who can grant any wish. Son often ended up spending wishes on his friends or restoring a heavily destroyed Earth in the series centered on courage, friendship, and kinship.
Prominent Japanese author and game designer Yuji Horii, a longtime friend of Toriyama, said they worked together on the popular game Dragon Quest.
“I can’t believe he’s gone,” he wrote on Platform X.
Eiichiro Oda, creator of the “One Piece” manga series, said the thought of never seeing his friend Toriyama again “fills me with sadness.”
Toriyama “took testimony from the time when reading manga would make you stupid and created an era where adults and children alike read and enjoy manga. He showed us the dream that manga can do things like this and that we can go out into the world,” Oda said on the Shonen Jump website.
Many fans also paid tribute to the manga heavyweight online.
“Dragon Ball was my book for life. It taught me that I could overcome any difficulty if I worked on it with joy and pleasure,” wrote a fan on X.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
