Akira Toriyama, Creator Of Dragon Ball, Dies Aged 68
Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has died aged 68.
Akira Toriyama, an uber-popular Japanese manga artist, who created the genre-defining franchise 'Dragon Ball' in the 1980s, has died due to an acute subdural hematoma. He was aged 68. The news of Akira's passing was confirmed by the official 'Dragon Ball' website, which posted a statement honouring the creator. “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 read.
For the unversed, the statement was released by Bird Studio, and it also included a disclaimer that it has been machine-translated.
“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," the statement read further.
The manga artist is now survived by his wife, Yoshimi Katō, and their two children.
Talking about Akira Toriyama, he found success in the manga industry with the creation of the 'Dr Slump' series in the 1970s.
However, he rose to stardom with 'Dragon Ball', which was a continuation of his kung fu movie-influenced 'Dragon Boy' one-shot.
Over the years, 'Dragon Ball' has become one of the best-selling manga series ever. The show is also credited for popularising the medium of manga across the globe.
Akira Toriyama also returned to 'Dragon Ball' in the 2010s as he received a screenplay edit on the film 'Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods'.
His other credits include character designs for video game classics like 'Chrono Trigger' and 'Dragon Quest'.
