Akira Toriyama, Legendary Creator Of Dragon Ball, Has Died At 68
It's not often that an artist defines a whole genre and/or medium, but the mangaka Akira Toriyama — creator of "Dragon Ball" — was one of those. Tragically, he's now left us; the official "Dragon Ball" Twitter account has confirmed that Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 68 due to an acute subdural hematoma. His family and loved ones have reportedly held a funeral service.
Born in 1955, Toriyama wanted to be an artist from a young age, inspired by works such as the Disney film "101 Dalmatians." He came into Weekly Shōnen Jump's good graces during his 20s after entering an art contest hosted by the magazine and, in 1980 at age 25, created his first hit manga: "Dr. Slump." After that series wrapped its four-year run, he started on "Dragon Ball."
Toriyama created "Dragon Ball" without any idea of the phenomenon it would become. The epic story of a monkey-tailed boy named Goku who aspires to be a great martial artist and find the wish-granting Dragon Balls, "Dragon Ball" is the definitive shōnen (young boys) battle manga. Even more famous is the follow-up, "Dragon Ball Z," where the supporting cast grows larger while the now adult Goku is revealed to be an alien — a Saiyan — from a destroyed world (think Superman).
The impact of Dragon Ball
The anime version of "Dragon Ball," broadcast in the 1990s and disseminated across the world, played a huge role in the international anime boom. Sean Schemmel, the most famous English dub Goku, is just as beloved as the original Japanese voice, Masako Nozawa. Toriyama's creations are especially beloved in Latin America, thanks to the Spanish dub of "Dragon Ball" that started airing in 1996.
While I'm a shameless weeb, I'm actually not much of a "Dragon Ball" fan; I know who most of the major characters are, but I've only read/watched pieces of the series. However, you don't need to be a fan of "Dragon Ball" to be grateful for Toriyama's influence; the characters he created evolved into archetypes. Goku is the model for every shōnen hero, just as his fellow Saiyan Vegeta is for those heroes' dark-haired rivals (think Sasuke in "Naruto"). "Going Super-Saiyan," Goku's trademark power-up, is a phrase spread far and wide by memes and YouTube edits into a convenient shorthand.
Most manga come with an ending, but "Dragon Ball" enjoys longevity rivaling American superhero comics. 2022 saw the release of the series' latest film, "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" (personally written/supervised by Toriyama). Without Akira Toriyama, the manga (and anime) landscape would be unrecognizable, and worse off, from what it is today.
May he rest in peace.