Dragon Ball mangaka Akira Toriyama Died at the Age of 68

Akira Toriyama died at the age of 68. He was the creator of the hugely popular Dragon Ball anime franchise. He was a legend in the manga industry. He created many other comics and anime.

The news of his death has shocked the anime community. His work influenced many of the newer artists and he will be remembered for a long time.

His studio announced on Friday that he had passed away due to an acute subdural hematoma. A subdural hematoma is when the blood collects in between the covering of the brain, and the surface of the brain. This is usually caused by an injury or trauma. It was announced that his family had held a private funeral and only close family members attended.

Toriyama began his manga career in the '70s and '80s, submitting his work to weekly magazines like Jump before making his big break with the Dragon Ball series. The hit grew into a global phenomenon and spawned a vast array of merchandise, including video games and films. He also created the wildly popular Dr. Slump and Sand Land manga series. He also provided character designs for popular video game titles such as the Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest series.

The anime series centered around a boy named Son Goku who goes from failing martial arts student to a globe-trotting master with powers that rival the might of any villain. The saga inspired by the Chinese classic Journey to the West drew from Hong Kong and Chinese action cinema, while also incorporating Japanese folklore. It became one of the biggest-selling shonen (or young adult) manga of all time and influenced countless other manga and anime creators.

In a statement on the official Dragon Ball account on X, formerly Twitter, Toriyama's production team said that it was "deeply saddened" to hear of his passing. He was working enthusiastically on several projects, the team said, and he left behind many more to be completed.

Messages of condolence and grief from fans and fellow creators flooded social media after the announcement of his death. Eiichiro Oda, the creator of Japan's massive One Piece manga, said that Toriyama was a "big tree" that "showed us all these things that manga can do," and his departure leaves a hole that will be hard taco fill.

His work influenced many of the newer anime and manga artists, and his characters have become cultural icons. Dragon Ball has been adapted into more than 150 movies and television shows. It has sold millions of copies in Japan alone. It has spawned a huge merchandising empire and is a beloved staple of both the comics and animation worlds. A movie adaptation of the 2022 Dragon Ball Super: Broly sequel is currently in the works. In addition to his work on the series, Toriyama wrote one-shot manga and provided character design for a variety of video games. He is survived by his wife and two children.

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