R.I.P. Akira Toriyama · 4:30pm March 8th
Shocking and unexpected news has reached the ears of fans of manga and anime worldwide. Akira Toriyama, the creator of the iconic "Dragon Ball" manga that spawned several sequels and anime series, died March 1 at the age of 68.
Toriyama first began drawing and writing manga in the 1970's, with his first work "Dr. Slump" being serialized in Japan between 1980 and 1984. But of course, his big break came in 1984 when he first published "Dragon Ball", the tale of an orphaned boy named Son Goku that drew on inspiration from the novel Journey to the West. The manga became a big success, spawning the iconic sequel series "Dragon Ball Z", and leading to several anime adaptations by Toei animation that would take the world by storm in the late 1990's/early 2000's.
Toriyama had recently returned to the franchise with his involvement in "Dragon Ball Super" and its successor "Dragon Ball Super Heroes". He admitted to having trouble reading manga, even his own creations. He is survived by a wife and children. His sudden death leaves a large gap, as he was apparently still in the midst of several yet to be completed works.
Farewell, Akira, and thank you for all you created. You will be missed.
I remember getting up early as a kid around 5 or 6 in the morning to watch DragonBall Z on my local station(I lived on a small flyspeck island in Florida at the time.) I was so amazed by DragonBall. That show got me into anime, a love that last to this day. R.I.P Akira Toriyama
Hopefully Akira's hanging out with King Kai.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Toriyama, thanks for everything.
I remember watching Dragonball Z on Toonami in afternoon while at my great aunt's house. That's what got me into the show and anime in general.
God Speed Mr. Toriyama, and thank you for all of your contributions to the world of animation.
Thanks for the respectful message. :-C _ _ _ _ _ _
Perhaps, sometime this year, you could do a side-story to your Batmare and Super-Dragon team-up story featuring Ember as Super-Dragoness that not only honors Supergirl's 65th birthday, but also Dragonball's 40th anniversary AND acts as a respectful nod to Akira Toriyama's memory.
RIP