Akira Toriyama was a Japanese artist and character designer best known for his manga, “Dragon Ball,” and its associated anime spinoffs, and for his character designs on such video games as “Chrono Trigger,” “Dragon Quest,” and “Blue Dragon.”
- Died: March 1, 2024 (Who else died on March 1?)
- Details of death: Died of acute subdural hematoma at the age of 68.
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Akira Toriyama’s legacy
Manga and anime were changed forever when Toriyama took pen to paper. Born in Nagoya, Japan, Toriyama was inspired to pursue art by the groundbreaking manga “Astro Boy.” In 1978, he landed his first published manga, “Wonder Island,” in “Weekly Shōnen Jump,” and in 1980 he scored his first hit with “Dr. Slump,” which followed the adventures of the girl robot Arale and her creator, the titular Dr. Slump.
Of all Toriyama’s successes, none were as big as his 1984 creation, “Dragon Ball.” Springing from his two-part “Dragon Boy” story, it was a high-energy, action-packed saga inspired by the 16th-century Chinese classic “Journey to the West.” Spanning 11 years, 519 chapters, and 42 published volumes, the series was adapted into two popular animated series: “Dragon Ball,” and the titanic “Dragon Ball Z,” which is one of the most popular anime series of all time and lasted for nearly 300 episodes. Both the manga and the anime series have been spun off into countless sequels and adaptations.
Creating “Dragon Ball” made Toriyama famous around the world. His work was published in dozens of countries and led to him designing characters for video games. He created characters for the “Dragon Quest” series, the acclaimed “Chrono Trigger,” “Blue Dragon,” and many others. He published several art books, dozens of other manga, and proved to be one of the most influential pop culture figures in recent decades. Worldwide, the original “Dragon Ball” manga has sold more than 300 million copies.
On Dragon Ball’s art style:
“With a fictional world… a world that’s not here and can be like anywhere, it’s easier to draw since I can just draw whatever I want. Drawing the real world requires a ton of reference material, right? And it sucks if you draw something wrong. Even just drawing a car, you need to research it first, and it’s so tiresome, I just hate it. So that’s how I’ve done things all along, and that’s how Dragon Ball ended up with its own peculiar version of the world.”—from the 2016 Dragon Ball 30th Anniversary “Super History Book”
Tributes to Akira Toriyama
Full obituary: The New York Times
