The creator of the popular “Dragon Ball” comics and cartoons, the Japanese Akira Toriyama, died at the age of 68, his publisher and production studio announced on Friday.
“We are deeply saddened to report that manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1 due to an acute subdural hematoma,” the “Dragon Ball” franchise posted on its official account on the social network X.
The statement, attributed to Toriyama’s Bird Studio production company, explains that the designer died while he was still “several jobs in the middle of the creation process with great enthusiasm.”
“However, he has left many manga titles and works of art in this world (…) We hope that the unique world created by Akira Toriyama will continue to be loved by everyone for a long time,” he added.
The study points out that the creator’s funeral already took place in the presence of his family and very few close friends and asked his followers not to send flowers or condolence gifts.
“Dragon Ball” is one of the most successful and influential manga comics of all time. According to the specialized website Mangazenkan, it sold at least 260 million copies worldwide.
The story, loosely inspired by a 16th century Chinese novel, began publication in 1984 and has since been extended to numerous anime series, films and video games.
Its initial protagonist is Son Goku, a warrior expert in martial arts who travels the world in search of magic balls that, when gathered, summon a dragon with powers.
With allies like Krillin, Vegeta, Piccolo, Ten Shin Han or his son Gohan, they will fight against monsters like Frieza or Cell that threaten the future of the Earth.
Born in 1955 in Nagoya, central Japan, Toriyama is also the author of the comic “Dr. Slump”, also converted into a television series.
His publisher Shueisha said in a statement that they were “deeply saddened by the sudden news of his death.”
Eiichiro Oda, creator of another great Japanese manga franchise like “One Piece,” said in a statement that Toriyama died “too early” and that he left “too high a bar.”
“To think that I will never see him again (…) I am overcome with sadness,” said Oda.
A subdural hematoma is a serious condition in which blood accumulates between the skull and the surface of the brain.
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