Akira Toriyama-Creator of  Dragon Ball has tragically passed away. On March 1, 2024, at the age of 68, he died due to an acute subdural hematoma. Reportedly his family has already held a funeral service for him.

Born in 1955, Toriyama wanted to be an artist at a young age, being inspired by works such as the Disney film 101 Dalmatians. In his 20’s he had joined the company Shonen Jump after entering an art contest hosted by the magazine in 1985, and created his first hit manga series, Dr. Slump at the age of 25. After the manga had hit its four year run, Toriyama began to work on the series Dragon Ball.

Toriyama created the series not knowing how big of a phenomenon it would be across the world. The story follows Goku, an alien who was a part of the saiyan race. He had landed on earth growing up wanting to become the best martial artist in the world. The story and characters inspired many to be the best at what they wanted to do whether it was martial arts, becoming stronger, being a better person, or taking up drawing after being inspired by the works of Toriyama himself.

After news of his passing had broke, many went to their social media to pay respects. Philadelphia Eagles corner-back Darius Slay was a fan of the Dragon Ball anime series and after the news broke he responded on X, “RIP to a Legend.” Yuri Horii, creator of role-playing game franchise “Dragon Quest” ,that Toriyama was a character designer for, said on X,”I am still in overwhelming disbelief at the news of Toriyama’s sudden death, in the the 37 years since he has designed characters, monsters, and created countless more charming characters. The history of Dragon Quest goes hand in hand with Toriyama character designs.”

Many tributes were published on the Shonen Jump website from the creators of series such as My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, and even older running series like Naruto and One Piece.

“It’s too soon. The void left behind is too large,” said Eiichiro Oda creator of One Piece. Oda said Toriyama triggered a shift in perspective of reading in Japan. Where stories from manga were considered foolish and for young children, Toriyama changed minds so that adults and children both could enjoy manga and the stories it told.

While Akira Toriyama is gone, the legacy and inspiration he left behind for the future will never be forgotten. Rest in piece Akira Toriyama.