The sudden passing of 'Dragon Ball' creator Akira Toriyama at 68

‘Dragon Ball’ is no doubt one of the most iconic Japanese comic series for many, and it was a shock to many when the official X account of the Dragon Ball franchise announced the death of its creator, Akira Toriyama, on March 8, reported Channel News Asia.

Other than being known as the creator of ‘Dragon Ball’, Akira Toriyama was a manga (Japanese comic) artist and character designer who has worked on video games such as ‘Dragon Quest’, ‘Chrono Trigger’, and ‘Blue Dragon’.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

Born on April 5, 1955, in Aichi, Nagoya, Japan, Akira Toriyama was reported to have been inspired to draw at a young age after being awed by a viewing of Disney’s ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’, reports Viz Media.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

Despite being initially inspired by western illustrations such as ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’, Viz Media reports that Akira Toriyama eventually set himself up to become a manga artist after being dazzled by the manga collection of a classmate’s brother.

Pafu Magazine also reports that another major inspiration that led Akira Toriyama to become a manga artist was none other than the godfather of manga and anime (Japanese animation) and creator of ‘Astro Boy’, Osamu Tezuka!

Image: Kobunsha

Akira Toriyama decided to focus on creative design and begin working immediately after graduating from high school. This went against his parents' wishes, but things worked out in the end when he got a job at an advertising agency, reports Viz Media.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

Unfortunately, life in advertising was not for Akira Toriyama, as he would quit his job after three years.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

Kanzenshuu reports that being a manga artist was not a planned decision for Akira Toriyama, as he was desperate at that point in time, jobless, and only signed up for a manga competition on a whim.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

Akira Toriyama would eventually submit his first work in a ‘Weekly Shonen Jump’ contest, where he got into contact with Kazuhiko Torishima, who would later become his editor.

ITmedia reported that Akira Toriyama’s first manga submission for the ‘Weekly Shonen Jump' contest initially did not make the cut as it was a parody rather than an original work.

The same report from ITmedia notes that Kazuhiko Torishima continued to encourage Akira Toriyama to continue working on manga, which resulted in his first actual manga work, ‘Wonder Island’.

Image: Weekly Shonen Jump

Akira Toriyama’s ‘Wonder Island’ was not much of a standout, and neither was its sequel, ‘Wonder Island 2’. Viz Media reports that the manga artist had wanted to quit the industry due to this setback but held on by focusing on drawing instead.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

Holding on paid off for Akira Toriyama in the end, as Kazuhiko Torishima’s chance suggestion that he create a manga with a female character as its lead inspired the manga artist to come up with ‘Dr. Slump'. The series became his first big hit!

Image: Weekly Shonen Jump

Shueisha reports that since finishing up with ‘Dr. Slump’, Akira Toriyama did not release another full manga series until he was again inspired by Kazuhiko Torishima’s suggestion to create a martial arts type manga and came up with the short manga ‘Dragon Boy’.

Image: Weekly Shonen Jump

The same Shueisha reports continued that ‘Dragon Boy’ was so well received that it prompted Akira Toriyama to serialise it into what we know of as ‘Dragon Ball’ today.

Image: Fuji TV

‘Dragon Ball’ was so well received that Anime News Network reported that it remains one of the best-selling manga series of all time, not just in Japan but worldwide! Needless to say, we have all felt the impact of ‘Dragon Ball’s’ cultural popularity globally due to its immense popularity.

Image: Fuji TV

However, the popularity of ‘Dragon Ball’ was a double-edged sword for Akira Toriyama, as the popularity of the series meant that Weekly Shonen Jump would not easily allow him to retire from creating the series, reported Shueisha.

Image: Fuji TV

Sportskeeda and Shueisha both report that only after eleven years in 1995 would ‘Dragon Ball’ finally conclude as a series, as Akira Toriyama had expressed strong and unmovable interest in “tak(ing) some new steps in life”.

Further, Sportskeeda reported that the loss of his pen holder was a great influence on why the series would not continue, as without it, Akira Toriyama lost the push to continue on with drawing the series.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

Even though he had stopped work on the main series, Akira Toriyama remained involved in the creation of subsequent spin-off media, such as for the 2012 film ‘Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods’, reports Anime News Network.

Image: Toei Animation

Despite the series having ended in a more than two-decade period, ‘Dragon Ball’ remains as culturally recognisable and popular today. Hence, it was tragic news for anime and manga fans when Nikkei Asia reported on March 8 that Akira Toriyama had passed.

Nikkei Asia continued that Akira Toriyama died on March 1 due to an acute subdural hematoma, a condition where a clot of blood develops on the brain. Only close family members attended his funeral, which was very private and most likely the reason why his studio only officially reported his death days later.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

According to the BBC, Akira Toriyama left behind several unfinished ideas and projects before his death. Unfortunately, he will never finish them due to his passing.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram

With his passing, Akira Toriyama leaves behind one of Japan’s biggest cultural legacies with his work on ‘Dr. Slump’, ‘Dragon Ball’, among others. His death was also greatly mourned, not just by fans but also by fellow trailblazers in the world of manga, such as ‘One Piece’ creator Eiichiro Oda, Nikkei Asia reports.

Image: akira.toriyama / Instagram