Akira Toriyama, the creator of the popular Dragon Ball manga and anime franchises, has died at 68. Bird Studio, the company Toriyama founded in the early '80s, announced the news on March 8, 2024.
According to Bird Studio's statement, Akira Toriyama died on March 1, 2024, due to acute subdural hematoma, i.e., blood cots that develop between the brain's surface and its outer covering.
The company lamented that Toriyama "still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm" and "would have many more things to achieve" but expressed comfort in the fact that the artist had "left many manga titles and works of art to this world."
Since he began his career in the '70s, Toriyama created multiple mangas that would go on to gain recognition worldwide, including Manga Theater and Dr. Slump, the latter featuring fan-favorite character Arale Norimaki.
However, Toriyama is best known for creating the shōnen Dragon Ball in the early '80s, which went on to become one of the best-selling manga series of all time in Japan and abroad. Dragon Ball was later adapted by Toei Animation into one of the world's most popular animes via Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, with various subsequent spinoffs also reaching the mainstream.
"Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, [Akira Toriyama] has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years," Bird Studio's statement reads. "We hope that Akira Toriyama's unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come. We inform you [of] this sad news with gratefulness for your kindness during his lifetime."
Bird Studio's statement also shared that a private funeral service for the legendary mangaka had already taken place, attended by family and relatives only. The studio added it wouldn't "accept flowers, condolences, gifts, visiting, offerings, and others" and asked to "refrain from conducting interviews with his family" to honor Toriyama's wishes.
As a response, fans of Toriyama's oeuvre are taking to social media to share tributes for the artist, where his name is currently trending, thanking him for being a "childhood hero" and for his contributions to the world of manga and anime. Celebrities such as Jackie Chan are also mourning the mangaka's passing.
