Staff writer: steven hunyady

Image courtesy of @TNT on Youtube.

March 8 news broke the internet that Akira Toriyama, esteemed artist and creator of the Dragon Ball manga series, had passed away at the age of 68 years old just a week before. Toriyama was known for his work that had major influence on modern Japanese  media. He was a well-known advisor and collaborator for the television anime adaptation of Dragon Ball. Toriyama had also served as a character designer for Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, and various other video games.   

Toriyama works were influenced by the contemporary manga of his time, as well as Disney’s “101 Dalmatians” which sparked his interest in drawing and animation. He got his start in the industry by his submissions to a weekly shonen magazine, eventually being inspired to create a manga based on the kung-fu films that he had an interest in at the time. Eventually, this lead Toriyama to create Dragon Ball, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1984. Issues and compilations containing the series quickly became best sellers with millions of copies sold worldwide. The manga eventually led to the original anime adaptation, airing Feb. 26, 1986, and his legacy quickly became history short after. 

Akira Toriyama passed away from subdural hematoma on March 1st. His passing was announced on March 8. 

May he rest in peace and continue to inspire people to be better and create great works of art and fiction worldwide forevermore.