Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama dies at 68

(Tokyo) Mangaka Akira Toriyama, creator of world-famous series Dragon Ball And Dr Slumpdied at the age of 68 from a subdural hematoma, his publishing house and studio announced Friday.

“We are sincerely saddened to inform you that manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on 1^er March of an acute subdural hematoma. He was 68 years old,” announced Bird Studio, an entity founded by the mangaka, in a press release published on X.

“We at Shueisha and the editorial department are deeply saddened by the sudden news of his passing,” read a statement from the publisher. “We would like to pay tribute to his great achievements, express our gratitude and offer him our sincere condolences.”

Born in Nagoya (central Japan) in 1955, Akira Toriyama was primarily known for manga Dragon Ball, created in 1984 and chronicling the life and adventures of martial arts prodigy Son Goku since his childhood. It was loosely based on the 16th century Chinese novel The Journey to the West.

The manga has sold more than 260 million copies worldwide according to the specialist site Mangazenkan. It has generated numerous adaptations for television, cinema or video games and has had numerous sequels such as Dragon Ball Z or more recently Dragon Ball Super.

“For me, Dragon Ball is like a miracle,” Mr. Toriyama said in an interview with the daily newspaper Asahi in 2013. “He helped someone like me, who has a twisted and difficult personality, to do a decent job and be accepted by society.”

“Pleasing the boys of Japan”

However, he assured in this interview that he had “no idea” of the reason for the global success of this work.

The work, which contributed to the popularity of manga and Japanese animation abroad and particularly in France, where the cartoon adaptation was broadcast on television from 1988, did not, however, was without its share of controversy in the 1980s and 90s, with some denouncing – as with other Japanese works – the violence, nudity or the penchant of certain characters for women’s panties.

“I just hope that readers will have fun reading my work,” Toriyama told Asahiadding that he had “never worried about sending a message through” his mangas.

“When I drew the series (Dragon Ball), all I wanted was to please the boys of Japan,” he said.

Akira Toriyama was also the author of many other manga series, including Dr Slumppublished between 1980 and 1984 in the weekly Shounen Jumparound a little android girl with formidable strength created by a scientist.

In 2013, the mangaka received the Special Prize of the 40th for all of his work.^e Angoulême International Comics Festival, and was named Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in 2019 by the French Ministry of Culture.

He had also created characters for several video games like the series Dragon Quest or the role-playing game of the 1990s Chrono Trigger.

“He has always been my guide”

Eiichiro Oda, creator of the manga One Piece, regretted in a press release the “too early” death of Akira Toriyama, which leaves “a great void”. “To think that I will never see him again… I am overcome with sadness,” Mr. Oda added.

“I grew up with his mangas,” said Masashi Kishimoto, the author of Naruto. “And suddenly, when I was a student, Dragon Ball, which had been a part of my life for so many years, ended and I felt a huge sense of loss.”

But “when I followed in his footsteps to become a manga artist, that feeling disappeared […] By following the master (Toriyama), I was able to find new pleasure. He has always been my guide,” he added.

Toriyama was “a role model” for many cartoonists, said specialist journalist Tadashi Sudo. The mangaka “knew exactly what everyone wants to read: adventure and character development”.

“Many people – creators not only in Japan, but also abroad – saw his works as the pinnacle of what entertainment should be,” said Mr. Sudo.