(Akira Toriyama/Bird Studios/Shueisha)
Written by Hayley Samulski, Staff Writer
Renowned Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama has died at age 68. Representatives from his studio released a statement Friday, March 8th confirming the creator passed away on March 1st. The official cause of death has been listed as an acute subdural hematoma (a type of traumatic brain injury). No information has been released on how or when this occurred.
Bird Studio wrote “He has left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years.” They continued stating “We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”
Toriyama’s Early Career
Akira Toriyama began drawing at a young age, entering the manga industry at the age of 23. Despite his work receiving poor reception from his editor and readers, Toriyama continued to create manga.
In 1979, Toriyama created Dr. Slump, which was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1980 to 1984. Dr. Slump went on to launch Toriyama’s career, earning him the Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen or shōjo manga series of the year. Dr. Slump’s popularity had an immense influence on entertainment in the 80s. According to an interview in 1996 with the creator, Arale inspired Mario’s movements in Mario 64.
Despite its immense popularity and success, Toriyama wanted to end Dr. Slump about 6 months after he created it. His publisher, Shueisha, agreed only if he would create another series for them to run. Toriyama went on to create several one-shot stories until his editor Kazuhiko Torishima convinced him to create a new manga inspired by martial arts.
In 1983, Dragon Boy was published and later re-titled to Dragon Ball in 1984. This would be Toriyama’s most successful work to date becoming one of the best-selling manga series of all time!
Dragon Ball and Toriyama’s Legacy
Serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine from 1984 to 1995 Dragon Ball sold over 150 million copies. Dragon Ball follows the adventures of a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku who with the help of his friend Bulma searches for the seven mystical Dragon Balls. The series went on to become a multimedia franchise spawning 6 anime adaptations, 24 theatrical films, and multiple video games.
By the 1990s the Dragon Ball franchise became internationally recognized especially in Western Media. First airing in 1996 on Cartoon Network’s programming block Toonami, Dragon Ball Z was introduced to millions of U.S. viewers.
Dragon Ball is credited as the foundation of most modern manga and anime. Many popular mangaka (Japanese manga artists) cite Dragon Ball as the inspiration for their works including Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), and Tite Kubo (Bleach).
Akira Toriyama is regarded as one of the most influential creators in the history of manga. The impact of his death was felt in Japan and around the world. Fans and fellow mangakas alike took to social media to express their grief. Even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China held a press conference officially mourning Toriyama’s passing.
Looking at the future for Dragon Ball it is safe to say that Toyotarou will take over the mantle. Toyotarou has been working and illustrating alongside Toriyama for over a decade. Toriyama himself named Toyotarou as his chosen successor. When it comes to the legacy Toriyama left behind Tite Kubo, creator of Bleach summed it up perfectly in his statement “ ..as long as the work exists, the author is not dead.”
Hayley Samulski
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