Legendary mangaka and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has passed away. He was 68 years old.
The official Dragon Ball website has confirmed that Toriyama passed away last Friday, March 1 due to acute subdural hematoma. “It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm. Also, he would have many more things to achieve,” the statement from Toriyama’s Bird Studio reads.
“However, 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. We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come,” it continues. “We inform you this sad news, with gratefulness for your kindness during his lifetime.”
Bird Studio also informed Toriyama’s fans that the manga artist’s funeral “was held with his family and very few relatives. Following his wishes for tranquility, we respectfully inform you that we would not accept flowers, condolences gifts, visiting, offerings and others. Also, we ask you to refrain from conducting interviews with his family.”
The statement concludes, “Future plan for commemorate gathering is not decided, we will let you know when it’s confirmed. We deeply thank you for your understanding and support as always.”
Akira Toriyama’s manga legacy
Toriyama was born in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan on April 5, 1955. He was fascinated by art from a young age, citing Disney’s One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy (1952–1968) as some of his earliest inspirations. Upon graduating from high school, Toriyama got a job designing posters for an advertising agency. He quit that job at the age of 23, at which point he began his journey within the manga industry. His earlier successes included Tomato the Cutesy Gumshoe and Dr. Slump.
Toriyama eventually struck gold with Dragon Ball, which launched in 1984. The manga originally ran through 1995 and became an international phenomenon — spawning a number of follow-ups, anime series, feature films, video games, and more. Today, Dragon Ball is considered the single-most popular manga and anime franchise of all time.
Some of Toriyama’s other manga works include Hetappi Manga Kenkyūjo, Go! Go! Ackman, Cowa!, Kajika, and Sand Land — the latter of which is getting its own anime adaptation this month and a video game adaptation in April.
SuperHeroHype sends condolences to Toriyama’s friends and family.
