Seth Larson
Member
I feel like I've been stabbed right in the childhood because one of the legends who shaped my younger days is now gone. Akira Toriyama, the man behind anime and manga like Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Blue Dragon, and Dr. Slump, has passed away at the age of 68. He died inside his studio, doing what he loved. Dragon Ball is one of the most influential anime today, probably the reason why most shonen anime have very flashy fight scenes and even influenced Western animation in some ways. It has become so legendary that even people who have never read a Dragon Ball manga or watched a Dragon Ball anime know who Son Goku is. When Toriyama is still Alive, He is not full time writing anymore. He just give ideas to his apprentice Toyotaro. Hopefully Toyotaro can continue the legacy.
Seeing his works influence people from other cultures shows how universal Dragon Ball is. In 1984, he launched the Dragon Ball manga series, which became a billion-dollar property used for video games, anime, and movies. Aside from Dragon Ball, he is also known for creating anime like Blue Dragon and Dr. Slump. In the world of video games, he designed characters for Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and Tobal No. 1. Toriyama had a unique art style that is recognizably his own. While most anime suffer from the "same face syndrome," Toriyama's character designs are unmistakably his. Apart from Toyotaro, his apprentice currently writing the Dragon Ball manga, you won't find any artist drawing like him. The cause of his death was a blood clot in his brain, occurring in the office of Big Bird Studio. The studio office thanked his fans for supporting his works for almost 45 years, and it's truly difficult to lose such a one-of-a-kind genius like him. There is only one Akira Toriyama and he is a once in a lifetime mangaka.
Seeing his works influence people from other cultures shows how universal Dragon Ball is. In 1984, he launched the Dragon Ball manga series, which became a billion-dollar property used for video games, anime, and movies. Aside from Dragon Ball, he is also known for creating anime like Blue Dragon and Dr. Slump. In the world of video games, he designed characters for Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and Tobal No. 1. Toriyama had a unique art style that is recognizably his own. While most anime suffer from the "same face syndrome," Toriyama's character designs are unmistakably his. Apart from Toyotaro, his apprentice currently writing the Dragon Ball manga, you won't find any artist drawing like him. The cause of his death was a blood clot in his brain, occurring in the office of Big Bird Studio. The studio office thanked his fans for supporting his works for almost 45 years, and it's truly difficult to lose such a one-of-a-kind genius like him. There is only one Akira Toriyama and he is a once in a lifetime mangaka.
