Jackie Chan Bids Final Goodbye To Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama

Akira Toriyama, the creator of the best-selling Dragon Ball and other popular anime who influenced Japanese comics, died aged 68. The manga artist passed away on March 1 of a blood clot in his brain, Bird Studio said in a statement. Days after his death, action star Jackie Chan posted a farewell message for Toriyama on his social media handle. 

Jackie Chan condoles Akira Toriyama’s death

Jackie wrote on the Chinese microblogging platform Sina Weibo, “Akira Toriyama-sensei, thank you for creating so many classic works, they will last forever. Farewell.” 

Messages of condolences and grief from fellow creators and fans filled social media. Eiichiro Oda, creator of the blockbuster manga One Piece, said Toriyama’s presence was like a “big tree” to younger artists.

“He showed us all these things manga can do, a dream of going to another world,” Oda said in a statement. His death leaves “a hole too big to fill,” Oda added. Bird Studio thanked fans for more than 40 years of support. “We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”

What more do we know about Akira Toriyama?

Born in Aichi prefecture in central Japan in 1955, Toriyama made his manga debut in 1978 with the adventure comic Wonder Island, published in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. His Dr. Slump series, which started in 1980, was his first major hit.

It made him a celebrity, but Toriyama avoided the spotlight. In 1982, he told Japanese public broadcast NHK: “I just want to keep writing manga.” Dragon Ball, the story of a boy named Son Goku and his quest for seven magical balls that can make wishes come true, has sold 260 million copies altogether, according to the studio.

Toriyama also designed characters for the video game series Dragon Quest. He received awards in the manga industry and beyond, including France’s Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters.

(with inputs from AP)