The creator of Japan’s hugely popular and influential “Dragon Ball” comics and anime cartoons, Akira Toriyama, has died aged 68, his production team said Friday.
First serialized in 1984, “Dragon Ball” is one of the best-sellingmanga franchises of all time and has spawned countless anime series, films and video games.
Toriyama died on March 1 because of a blood clot on the brain, a statement posted to the official “Dragon Ball” account on X (formerly Twitter) said.
“It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation,” said the statement attributed to Toriyama’s Bird Studio, which praised the artist’s “great enthusiasm.”
“He would have many more things to achieve. However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world,” the statement added.
“We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”
“Dragon Ball” features a boy named Son Goku who collects magical ballscontaining dragons to help him and his allies in a fight to protect the Earth from evil enemies.
Toriyama was already famous for his comedy manga “Dr Slump” in the early 1980s when he created “Dragon Ball,” which he said was inspired by Chinese-style kung fu movies.
The 1990s brought the beloved cartoon “Dragon Ball Z,” and Toriyama was also part of the design team for the massively successful “Dragon Quest” games.
Publishing house Shueisha, whose weekly “Shonen Jump” magazine serialized the “Dragon Ball” comics, said it was “greatly saddened by the sudden news of his death.”
Born in Japan’s central Aichi region in 1955, Toriyama studied design at an industrial high school, according to Animage Plus, part of the anime magazine Animage.
He worked for three years at an advertising agency in the city of Nagoya before making his debut as a professional manga artist in his early 20s.
In an interview with Japan’s Asahi newspaper in 2013, Toriyama described himself as a “difficult” person.
“‘Dragon Ball’ is like a miracle, given how it helped someone like me who has a twisted, difficult personality do a decent job and get accepted by society,” he said.
He told the newspaper he had “no idea” why “Dragon Ball” had become such a huge hit worldwide, saying his comics were “dedicated to entertainment.”
“I just hope that readers will have a fun time reading my works,” he said, adding he had “never been preoccupied with getting a message across through my manga.”
“When I was drawing the series, all I ever wanted to achieve was to please boys in Japan,” he said. With AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline ‘Dragon Ball’ creator Akira Toriyama dies aged 68