Akira Toriyama, the manga artist, died on March 1st at the age of 68 from a severe brain injury called, acute subdural hematoma. His death was announced on March 8 though, leaving many fans saddened by the loss.
Toriyama was born in Japan in 1955, and became a manga artist at 23 years-old. Toriyama was the creator and artist of many things, like the Dr. Slump franchise he made and he was one of the designers for Dragon Quest games, but is mostly known for his creation of the Dragon Ball franchise which was to me one of the best things that ever existed. Toriyama didn’t just make a show– he made childhoods. He didn’t just make characters he made inspirations.
Toriyama inspired so many others, like Eiichiro Oda ( the creator of One Piece), Masashi Kishmoto( creator of Naruto), and many others. It’s crazy how many people Toriyama reached with his work.
Toriyama made one of the most known characters in the world, Son Goku. Goku has been an inspiration to many, showing to never give up. He’s so popular he has been in the Thanksgiving Macy’s parade since 2018. Many people have already paid their tributes to Toriyama, like his successor Toyotarou, actor Jackie Chan, Masashi Kishmoto, Eiichiro Oda, the French President Emmauel Macron, creator of Bleach Tite Kubo, The Japanese voice actor for Goku and Vegeta ,Masako Nozawa and Ryo Horikawa; Mexican cartels as well, and many others.
So what happens now with Dragon Ball? Though it hasn’t been confirmed, Toyotarou might take over Toriyama’s legacy and be writing the rest of Dragon Ball. The new show Dragon Ball Daima might be the last thing we see of Toriyama.
