A Tribute to Akira Toriyama (1955-2024)

On the early morning of March 8, 2024, the anime, manga, and video game community was rocked by the news of the passing of Akira Toriyama. Toriyama-sensei, the creator of the world famous Dragon Ball series, passed away on March 1 at the age of 68. 

I personally feel that another part of my childhood was taken from me. For myself and many who grew up in the 90s, Dragon Ball was that title that introduced us to the world of anime (along with Sailor Moon). The story of Goku, the saiyan who not only fought to save his home and his loved ones from dangers all over the universe but also showed that strength can come from compassion. Look at his friendships and rivalries with Piccolo and Vegeta: They were once his enemies but they later became members of his trusted Z-crew. Goku is one of the most admired characters in anime and manga, and he has been since 1984 when Dragon Ball was first published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Goku is a hero admired by everyone, transcending generations young and old.

And we have Toriyama-sensei to thank for that.

Not only was Toriyama-sensei the creator of the highly popular and influential Dragon Ball series, he is the creator of the Dr. Slump manga as well as the part of the design team of the Chrono Trigger video game, which I was obsessed with when I was a teenager.

I need to be honest: I have had a love-hate relationship with Dragon Ball, mostly because of the filler episodes of the anime and the character Mr. Popo (whose design resembles the stereotypical minstrel look), but I cannot deny how engrossed I would be every time the anime came on. The battles, the comedy, the Super Saiyan level ups. I mean, who else jumped out of their seats when Goku first became a Super Saiyan during his battle with Frieza? And better yet, when Goku’s son Gohan leveled up to Super Saiyan II to defeat Cell, with his father’s spirit guiding him!

And then came Super Saiyan Ultra Instinct. The last Dragon Ball movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, made me fall in love all over again (check out my review on my personal blog here).

All this came from the mind of Akira Toriyama.

This is a tremendous loss to our community all over the world. To close this tribute, I asked a couple friends who are fans of Toriyama’s work to share their thoughts on his life and legacy.

“[Akira Toriyama] showed us that the strongest bond and power ups over the years are friendship, and that even monsters deserve a redemption arc. – Edgar

“Akira Toriyama was a giant without trying to be, nor beating his own drum. Dragon Ball got me through so many rough patches in my young life. His creations have always been unique and have the ability to be several things at once: silly, intense, exciting, hilarious… A lot of people miss the point of the entire scope of Dragon Ball. I’ve seen it called a male power fantasy, a Superman analogue, etc. Toriyama-sensei’s creations’ true power and message is the purity and power of the relationships we have with each other. It’s about giving that chance to people nobody else normally would and giving them a chance at love. 90% of Goku’s friends were rivals or enemies at some point and that’s inspiring.” – Johnny

“One of my earliest memories is actually as a baby/newborn— before Dragon Ball was on Toonami it was syndicated, and I remember watching the Golden Shenron at the end credits when it would come on late at night, and I found it really comforting. It wasn’t until even years later as an adult that I realized it was from Dragon Ball. My favorite childhood games are Dragon Warrior III and Chrono Trigger, all of which Toriyama had a hand in, so although I didn’t know that they were all done by the same artist growing up, the impact was very, very profound on me.” – Priscilla

Thank you for sharing your talents with the world, Toriyama-sensei. We will miss you greatly.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels, Manga, Opinion, Young Adult