In incredibly sad news coming out of Japan today, the official Dragon Ball social media account reveals that legendary manga creator and character artist Akira Toriyama has passed away at the age of 68. He died March 1, 2024 from acute subdural hematoma.
Toriyama was an icon of the manga and anime industry. He was best known as the creator of the Dragon Ball series after achieving success with dr. Slump. He absolutely had huge impact on the video game industry – not only with countless Dragon Ball games, but also by creating famous characters in Square Enix’s Dragon Quest series and other games such as Chrono Trigger and Blue Dragon.
According to the official statement, Toriyama had several other works that he was currently creating. This includes the upcoming anime Dragon Ball Daima. Bandai Namco video game adaptation of the manga Sandy land also out next month.
A farewell has already been held with his family and relatives, and plans for a commemorative gathering are still being considered. Here is the full statement shared by the official Dragon Ball account:
Dear friends and partners, we are deeply saddened to inform you that Manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st from an acute subdural hematoma. He was 68 years old.
We deeply regret that he still had several works in the middle of creating with great enthusiasm. Also, he would have a lot more to achieve.
However, he left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he was able to continue his creative activities for more than 45 years. We hope that the unique world of Akriya Toriyama’s creation will continue to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.
We bring you this sad news, with gratitude for your kindness during his life.
The funeral was held with his family and very few relatives. Following his wishes for peace, we respectfully inform you that we do not accept flowers, condolence gifts, visits, offerings and more. Also, please refrain from talking to his family.
The future plan for the commemorative gathering has not been determined, we will let you know when it is confirmed. Thank you very much for your understanding and support as always.
March 8, 2024
Bird Studio, Capsule Corporation Tokyo
On behalf of the entire team and community here at Nintendo Life, our thoughts go out to Toriyama’s family and friends at this difficult time.
