Akira Toriyama, the creator of the legendary manga, anime and franchise Dragon Ball, tragically passed away on March 1st due to an acute subdural hematoma.
Toriyama defined manga as we know it today, and he is considered by many the God of shonen manga. He was respected and admired by his peers and fans worldwide, and he truly defined my childhood.
From watching Dragon Ball Z on cable right after coming back from school and playing Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai with my friends on LAN on my PSP, to watching new Dragon Ball Super episodes as soon as they would come out in Japan and then re-watching them later in the day just because the initial airing didn’t have English subtitles, Toriyama’s work has given me countless fond memories for which I will forever be indebted.
Information ; Dear Friends and Partnershttps://t.co/85dXseckzJ pic.twitter.com/aHlx8CGA2M
— DRAGON BALL OFFICIAL (@DB_official_en) March 8, 2024
Toriyama’s most famous work was Dragon Ball, which debuted in 1984 and continues to date. With respect to the manga’s anime adaption, the story unfolds over several series. It kicks off with Dragon Ball, followed by Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, in that order. There’s also Dragon Ball GT, which is largely considered a side story. Whether it is canon or not is still widely debated.
The anime adaptation first debuted in 1986 and culminated (at least for now) with Dragon Ball Super in 2018. Toriyama was also known to be actively working on Dragon Ball Daima, a new series that was revealed at New York Comic Con 2023, and was set to air later this year. In the gaming world his work is also found in Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest and Blue Dragon.
Although Toriyama is gone, his work was, is and will remain timeless. If you’re like me and would like to re-watch the full Dragon Ball storyline, or if you’re a new fan just getting your feet wet, Crunchyroll has you covered.
Toriyama also worked on Dr. Slump, Cowa!, Kajika, Sand Land, and more.
Thank you, and rest in peace.
Image credit: @DB_official_en
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