World Mourns The Passing of ‘Dragon Ball’ Creator Akira Toriyama At 68

On March 8, Bird Studio announced the news that their founder and Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama, had died a week before on March 1 from an acute subdural hematoma at the age of 68 years old. The passing of the Mangaka has the world commemorating his memory with thousands of fans in Argentina going to the famous Obelisco de Buenos Aires to mourn his death as well as the Governments of China and El Salvador making public statements regarding his passing.

Born on April 5, 1955, Toriyama is best known for creating manga series Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball both of which had seen worldwide acclaim. He also assisted with designing characters for games like Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. His work both in manga and games has brought inspiration to many artists and game developers with some stating that the industries would not have been the same without his influence.

On X, the news regarding the artist’s passing had surpassed the trending topics of President Joe Biden‘s State of the Union Address last Friday. French President Emmanuel Macron shared an autographed drawing he had received from Toriyama prior to his passing.

The Mangaka’s legacy will continue on as later this year the new installment of the Dragon Ball anime, Dragon Ball Daima, will include character designs and a story from Toriyama. As well as the release of his manga Sand Land (2000), released on Disney+ and Hulu on March 20 will include a new story arc written by its creator.

For his achievements in life, Toriyama had received both the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1981, one of the oldest and most prestigious awards to receive for manga, as well as being recognized by the French government for his cultural influence with him receiving an Ordre des Arts et des Lettres with him being declared as a Chevalier.