Akira Toriyama(Dragon Ball, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger) has passed away

[Megas 27,068]

This was just posted on the official Dragon Ball Twitter

https://x.com/DB_official_en/status/1765935471971213816?s=20

I'm having trouble processing this. Dragon Ball was a big part of my childhood growing and eventually became one of my favorite shows of all time. Not to mention it wound up having a huge influence on animation and manga as a whole being the inspiration for the likes of Naruto and One-Piece. Not to mention his artstyle being so unique and memorable. That's not even getting to some of the legendary video games he had a huge part in like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger

Rest In Peace in Other World, thanks for everything

[ZiggWheelsManning 7,371]

A valuable legend of many Anime sadly lost  

[Iforgotmybrain 3,516]

I just saw this. I can’t believe it. Dragon Ball has always been such a huge part of my life, I grew up with him and his art, he’s inspired so many other things I’ve gone on to enjoy too… Just came out of nowhere, this feels like when Chester Bennington passed away… Rest in peace…

[Starlight Serenade 559]

WOAH. I am having trouble processing this as well. I had a strange dream a little while back where Toriyama passed away and Dragon Ball went in a completely different direction, so this is very surprising to me. Akira Toriyama and his works have been a huge part of my life since I was a toddler and I know to most people I know. He influenced the Shonen genre and changed the meaning during the peak of Dragon Ball. Whenever there were releases especially towards the end of the Dragon Ball Super anime, countries around the world were hosting the final episodes in local cities and thousands of people got together to watch. I'm very sad to hear this news especially with Dragon Ball Daima releasing later in the year(heck it might become a series of special episodes or something now). I'm sure Toriyama was looking forward to Daima's release as well. I wonder what happens to the future of the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole as there were many projects in the works. I wish well for his family and friends during this time. I'm just shocked.

Edited March 8 by StarlightNyars

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

I was shocked when I first learned of this, but I've not been crying my eyes out or anything. In fact, I'm not really all that upset which is surprising given how I often react to such things. Maybe it's because of the fact that Toriyama was rather private about his personal life. In any case, the anime/manga world has lost one who influenced countless others.

[Rafa Stary 683]

This completely destroyed me and it still is, I'm just not being able to process this sudden information, it's just......well, all I can say is, thank you for everything, rest in peace, legend.

[Misty Shadow 7,085]

This is indescribably saddening, I feel like I'm reliving the day when the news broke of Kazuki Takahashi's passing. We also lost the creator of Suikoden this year, and now we've lost the creator of Dragon Ball, someone who also had a part in some iconic classic games. I'm fully up to speed on the Dragon Ball manga, I've been reading it since I was fifteen. I also like the Dragon Quest games, I've played and completed the first five. I didn't even know of his part in Chrono Trigger, something I've always intended to play. He's definitely going to be remembered as a legendary mangaka the most, it's extremely difficult for me to imagine what the world of manga and anime by extension would be like without him. I hope the people working on Dragon Ball Super will do their best to carry on his legacy, this man deserves the honor.

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Dragon Ball Z was an entire generation's first anime.

 

Either that, or Pokemon.

 

RIP.

[Otaku-sempai 151]

This is the first that I've learned about Akira Toriyama's passing. Rest in peace, Toriyama-sama. 

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Does his death still not feel real to anyone else?

[Ganondorf8 11,118]

8 hours ago, CastletonSnob said:

Dragon Ball Z was an entire generation's first anime.

Either that, or Pokemon.

RIP.

Sailor Moon predated both so this would've been a first anime to a lot of people.

[Denim&Venöm 16,522]

Dude changed the world. 

I did watch DBZ during that first run on Toonami. While I wasn't the most die hard of DBZ fans, watching Toriyama's work was a fun past time. Without him, the floodgates of anime wouldn't have opened to the west. It's safe to say that he was the most important man to animation since Walt Disney and the most important comic artist since  Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Akira Toriyama has changed so many lives. And I can't imagine the pain so many are going through right now with his lost. You all have my condolences. 

Rest In Power, Toriyama-san. 

Domo arigatou gozaimasu. 

[Tao 6,736]

So I had to take a moment to grasp with what happened.... I also lost a member of my family today so I had two punches to my gut today.   Yet without anime and also Mr. Toriyama I would not be here.....

 

• Anime and DBZ gave me a reason to talk and make friends
• Rushing home to watch it DBZ on Toomnami from 5-6 with Sailor Moon and then talking with a few friends on the phone or in simple chat rooms gives me an outlet to find my voice...
• DBZ gave me the urge to write fanfic and even put it online after hours of and years of reading it and laying down the stones of my own love of writing....
• Watching Goku overcome every fight, dig deep,  bleed, and keep to his true self kept me going in at times as a teen in dark places....
• Watching Goku going super Saiyan for the first time, I remember just sitting on the edge of my bed, unable to turn away as the lighting flashed on the scene, Goku in full fury, his teeth grinding, and the scream and look of pure fury when he changed that first time,  that moment captured me......and how many of us still wish we could do that now as adults....
• I owe my life to anime/manga even now as a adult,  its my turn too minus books and elfquest and games.....but anime made me who I am,  how I control myself, and have my honor...
• You say I'm arrogant. I say, damn right. That's pride. Pride in the Saiyan I am." 
• Vegeta

 

[Sasoriman 128]

Huh. First Funimation is about to shut down (for those that don't know, penguinz0 made a good video about it), and now one of anime's most legendary artists is dead. 

Talk about making your mark. This guy's work not only changed the face of anime in the west, but inspired whole video game franchises and more.

I'll never forget coming home from school in the 4th grade to watch DBZ on Toonami, those were the days.

RIP

Edited March 9 by Sasoriman

[Samurai Equine 45,930]

When I heard the news, I went to bed sad.  And I feel weird feeling sad for someone I never met; let alone someone famous. But this guy had a huge impact on my life and many others.

I grew up watching Toonami back in the day, when DBZ had its first initial dub before Funimation retired that and started making better dubs.
Like many young people who grew up watching this show, I pretended to do ki blasts and pretended to be saiyan myself. I found it silly when my peers described it as just a show about fighting. They weren't wrong, but there was still more to it then that. While I wasn't happy about GT, I was happy to grow up along side the franchise. Before I knew it, Dragon Ball Super was a thing, not to mention the movies that have come out in recent years. And in the background, I knew about other things Toriyama-sensei did that I never fully leaped into. Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, Blue Dragon, etc.

Times change, tastes change, people change. Heck, I hardly watch anime anymore. I'm more of a tokusatsu fan. And yet, I'll never forget anime being there for me during my teen and young adult years.
And I dare say that plenty of people will not forget the works of this man either.
There are many things in Japanese pop culture that have taken inspiration from him. Many of the great action shounen manga artists of today followed in his footsteps. You never know when an anime or cartoon will reference something that happened in Dragon Ball. Other countries loved that franchise more than I could have ever imagined.

But perhaps the biggest accomplishment is how famous and how infamous the Dragon Ball franchise has become internationally.
There are people who have no idea what the word "anime" means. There are people who will never watch or consume a single piece of Japanese media. And yet many of those people might recognize the words "Dragon Ball" or "Goku". For many of these people, Dragon Ball was THE face of anime. And in an ultimate twist of irony, people often think of Dragon Ball when they think of Japanese culture. (The irony is that it's based on a Chinese folktale, but with scifi and lots of other wild elements thrown in.)
This may be a weird way to put it, but if there really was an anime version of Mount Rushmore, Goku would be one of the heads on that mountain. I have my own opinion on who the other four heads should be, and maybe the Japanese would have a different opinion, but maybe all countries would agree that Goku belongs on that metaphorical mountain.

I know there will be fans who are sad because we were waiting on so much, and now we don't know what will happen next. Dragon Ball Daima was announced. Everyone was waiting and hoping for another season of Dragon Ball Super. Perhaps the other franchises he made could get new life. Anything that gets released now will be considered his final works. The man was 68 and still VERY much excited to keep working and make more, only a little over half his life was spent, which is why I say the world wasn't ready for his passing. If he was in his 80's, 90's, or older... If he was all ready slowing down, this wouldn't be as sad. Stepping back, I knew that even I would outlive him, but I didn't think he'd go this soon. Not a single person could have predicted this. To be honest, part of me kept hoping that this was all a hoax or a big misunderstanding; but it's not.

There is not any magical way of wishing him back to life. All we can do is celebrate his accomplishments and be happy for the memories he left us with. His legacy is immortal, and there are plenty of other creators in Japan who wish they could strike the same level of success he managed to cultivate. He did things his own way. He had fun doing what he did. He refused to let others try to reshape his personal vision. He gave us laughs, cheers, thrills, and maybe a few inspiring lessons to learn from...

 Shizuka ni nemure. Thank you, Toriyama-sensei. 

[Antiyonder 321]

Occasional DB fan, but while not part of my childhood, definitely the first four Dragon Quest games when still localized as Dragon Warrior.  Also saw the anime localized under the same name (original name Dragon Quest Abel Yuusha) during it's short-lived dub.

Chrono Trigger is cool too.  Got it on the DS.

[Megas 27,068]

Derpibooru's featured image

[Fluttershutter 2,120]

Oh wow. I was actually just reading about him in something about legendary mangaka.

[Cash In 21,517]

I am...shocked. Still hard to believe that he's gone.

Rest in peace, Toriyama-san.

[Denim&Venöm 16,522]

You know you've made a difference when even the BBC covers you.

 

[Astralshy 23,576]

I'm also shocked and sad. He died far too early.

Rest in peace