Akira Toriyama, the creator of the world famous Dragon Ball, died at the age of 68, in the city of Kiyosu, Japan.
According to a statement shared by the Dragon Ball account on Twitter, the artist’s death occurred on March 1, but it was not until this Thursday, March 7 that the information was made public.
Information ; Dear Friends and Partners pic.twitter.com/aHlx8CGA2M
— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) March 8, 2024
The information indicates that Toriyama died due to a subdural hematoma, that is, the accumulation of blood in the brain and its outer covering. These bruises generally occur after a blow to the head, however, no further details were shared about this.
“Dear friends and colleagues, we are deeply saddened to inform you that manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1 due to an acute subdural hematoma. He was 68 years old,” begins the official statement, which was viewed more than 10 million times on Twitter during its first hour alone.
The statement indicated that the author’s death took everyone by surprise, and that he was still in the midst of creating new works.
“We deeply regret that he still had several works in full creation with great enthusiasm. Plus, I would have a lot more things to accomplish. However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, she has been able to continue her creative activities for over 45 years. We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation will continue to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”
The Dragon Ball account indicated that the information about his death had been kept secret to respect the last wishes of Toriyama, who had expressed that he wanted to have a peaceful funeral. For this reason, the author was fired only by his family and his closest friends.
Additionally, they asked their followers not to send flowers or leave offerings in the offices where the artist worked, and to respect the privacy of his family members.
“The funeral was held with his family and very few relatives, following his wishes for peace of mind. We respectfully inform everyone that we will not accept flowers, sympathy gifts, visits, offerings and others. Likewise, we ask that you refrain from conducting interviews with your family.”
“The future plan for a memorial gathering is not decided yet; We will notify you when it is confirmed. We deeply appreciate your understanding and support as always,” concludes the statement, which is dated March 8 due to time differences with Japan.
Without a doubt, the artist will be remembered as one of the most important figures in anime and manga culture, the name given to illustrations in Japan.
RIP Akira Toriyama
May Kamisama take care of us pic.twitter.com/120z18nklH— Franco Escamilla (@franco_esca) March 8, 2024
While Toriyama began working in 1978, his best-known work, Dragon Ball, began to be published from 1984 to 1995. The success of this work led to an animated adaptation that was broadcast in 81 different countries.
His work as the creator of Dragon Ball, as well as its sequels Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, brought him world fame, as his works transcended generations and left the Asian country to reach all corners of the planet, something that, according to several interviews done years ago, he never expected when he started his career.
We will always remember Toriyama for creating one of the most important mangas in history, and of course a character as iconic as Son Goku who marked our childhood. ♡
RIP Akira Toriyama. pic.twitter.com/X9ZhOEzlZF— ⊗𝓔𝓵 𝓢𝓹𝓲𝓭𝓮𝔂 🍃 (@Spidey_Friendly) March 8, 2024
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