Japanese manga author Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on popular titles such as Dragon Ball and Dr Slump, has died at the age of 68, his publisher has announced.
He died of an acute subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain, on March 1, his company Bird Studio said in a statement on Friday.
Announcing the news with “deep regret,” the statement said, “He had many things to achieve,” but he “left many manga titles and works of art to this world.”
Akira Toriyama in 1988. Photo: Yomiuri Shimbun via AP
A memorial display for Akira Toriyama at a library in Tokyo. Photo: AP
“We hope that Akira Toriyama's unique creative world will remain loved by everyone for a long time to come,” she added.
His family and very few friends attended his funeral, the statement said, adding that he was working on other projects when he died.
Dragon Ball first appeared in the Weekly Shonen Jump comic magazine in 1984 and has subsequently been adapted into films, video games, and television series, which have been distributed in over 80 countries.
It has sold 260 million copies worldwide, according to the studio.
The story revolves around a boy named Son Goku, who possesses a monkey tail and immense strength, and his quest to collect magical dragon balls to defend Earth against aliens called Saiyans.
For many fans, Son Goku's journey from a child stumbling through martial arts training to a high-flying hero who can fire electric bolts from his hands reminds them of their struggles against self-doubt when they reached adulthood, the BBC said. .
A Dragon Ball Z booth seen during New York Comic Con in 2023. Pic: AP
“We will never forget Akira Toriyama for the gift he left on this earth. I can't imagine a world without Dragon Ball,” one fan wrote on Dragon Ball's official website.
Toriyama, who began contributing to Shonen Jump in 1978, also designed characters and monsters for the popular role-playing game series Dragon Quest.
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His “Dr. Slump” series beginning in 1980 was a huge success, making him a best-selling young comic artist.
Akira Toriyama in 1982. Archive photo
He won manga and art awards at home and abroad Japanincluding Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from France in 2019.
Encyclopedia.com said that Toriyama was born in Nagoya, central Japan, in 1955. He was married and had a son and a daughter.
