The world found out about it earlier this month Death of the legendary mangaka Akira Toriyamathe creator behind it Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, And Sandland. In the gaming world, he is best known as a prolific artist behind games like Chrono trigger and that Dragon Quest seriesas well as the Xbox-exclusive role-playing game Blue Dragon. In recognition of the latter and Toriyama himself, Microsoft has released a dynamic Xbox wallpaper Blue Dragon with works by the late artist.
Blue Dragon was released for the Xbox 360 in 2006 as part of Microsoft’s push to get more of it good reputation in Japan. Manufactured in conjunction with Final Fantasy‘s creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and his studio Mistwalker, Blue Dragon released a small series, including two sequels for the Nintendo DS and an accompanying anime. The series is set in an original world created by Sakaguchi and the story revolves around a series of characters who are able to summon “shadows” to aid them in battle.
The new dynamic Xbox background features Shu, the main character of the Blue Dragon Series and his shadow, the blue dragon, heroically overlooking a cliff. The same image was also featured on the game’s packaging. It’s a simple and elegant tribute to the legend and represents one of the last major ventures he made in the gaming industry before him pass earlier this year.
I’m not going to lie, I had a little tears in my eyes. It was wonderful to realize the profound impact Toriyama had on the world around me, and seeing his work celebrated in the days after the news broke lifted my spirits tremendously. Dealing with his death has become a little easier considering how much he left us, and I can’t wait to share that background once I get home. As one of the people who watched and loved the anime long before I realized it was based on a game, and as someone who plays on his Xbox more than any other system these days, this little gesture goes a long way for me great importance.
Elsewhere, Toriyama’s influence on the world is still felt. I was just there PAX East where the upcoming Sandland Game was demonstrated in a tank that was ripped straight from the game, and that current anime adaptation just launched onto the market with great success. And of course his legendary contributions too Chrono trigger And Dragon Quest will be felt by generations to come, especially those to come Dragon Quest XIIwhich will likely mark Toriyama’s final work on games when it releases.
