Famed Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama, whose works have inspired entire genres, has passed away at the age of 68. The author’s family posted about his passing on March 1, via the Dragon Ball website, due to a medical condition called subdural hematoma.
Per Dragon Ball Official Site:
“Dear Friends and Partners,
We are deeply saddened to inform you that Manga creator Akira Toriyama passes away on March 1st due to acute subdural hematoma. He was in age of 68.
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.
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.
We inform you this sad news, with gratefulness for your kindness during his lifetime.”
Akira Toriyama’s impact on Anime and Manga is immense and contributors from around the world are giving praise to him. One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda shared his admiration and how Toriyama provided so much support to the community.
Eiichiro Oda's statement on Akira Toriyama's tragic passing pic.twitter.com/0cImqdBvug
— One Piece US (@OnePieceAnimeUS) March 8, 2024
Journalist and author Lauren Orsini spoke with NPR about the author and further emphasized his impact on the Anime and Manga industries.
From NPR:
“If Dragon Ball hadn’t existed, we might not have some of the other major anime that there are,” Orsini said, referring to creations like Naruto and One Piece. “We certainly wouldn’t have had America’s largest distributor at the time, Funimation. The entire fandom landscape would look different.”
One of Akira Toriyama’s last projects is Sand Land which is a a new action RPG coming to PC and consoles on April 25. It features his iconic art style with a new story and set of characters.