Japanese manga series Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama passed away due to acute subdural hematoma — bleeding around the brain — on March 1 at the age of 68, confirmed the franchise in a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday.
“We are deeply saddened to inform you that manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March Ist due to acute subdural hematoma. He was in age of 68,” read the statement.
The post that honours Toriyama’s legacy and his 45-year-long career also expresses deep regret for his unfinished works.
“It's our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm, Also, he would have many more things to achieve. However, 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,” wrote the studio.
“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 this sad news, with gratefulness for your kindness during his lifetime,” the makers of Dragon Ball said, adding that Toriyama's family have already carried out a private funeral service.
Debuting in 1984, Toriyama’s Dragon Ball comic series chronicled the journey of Son Goku as he sought magical dragon balls to protect Earth from alien humanoids known as Saiyans.
Prior to Dragon Ball’s debut, Toriyama achieved early success in the manga industry with the creation of the popular Dr. Slump series in the late 1970s, earning a Shogakukan Manga Award in 1981.
But it was the Dragon Ball series that proved to be his groundbreaking work. It grew to become one of the highest-selling manga series ever and played a pivotal role in popularising manga globally.
Dragon Ball has spawned an anime television metaseries, short films, theme park attractions and video games. Toriyama was himself involved in a number of cinematic adaptations of the manga series including Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods (2013) and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022).
Toriyama’s other credits include character designs for video game classics such as Chrono Trigger and the Dragon Quest series.
