With over 45 years in the industry, Akira Toriyama is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in manga of all time. It is with a sad heart that we announce the legendary manga artist passed away on March 1, 2024, due to acute subdural hematoma. This is caused when blood gathers between the skull and the brain and can be caused by a head injury. Toriyama was 68 at the time of his passing.
Official Statement and Akira Toriyama’s Legacy Moving Forward
The official news of Toriyama’s passing was announced earlier today by his own manga company, Bird Studio. The announcement stated that a small funeral service was held with his immediate family and a few relatives. The family is currently asking that fans respect their privacy and not send any gifts, flowers, or offerings of any kind. They also wish to refuse any statements or interviews during this grieving time.
In regards to Toriyama’s works in progress, Bird Studio simply stated “it’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm. Also, he would have many more things to achieve.” Toriyama was contributing story outlines and some character designs to the ongoing Dragon Ball Super, which began serialization in V Jump in 2015.
The Legendary Career of Akira Toriyama
Born in Nagoya in 1955, Toriyama cited his initial inspiration for becoming a manga artist as Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy. He discovered the manga at a friend’s house when he was in elementary school.
His first major success came in 1980 with Dr. Slump, a story following a super strong robot girl named Arale. Dr. Slump would run in Weekly Shonen Jump for four years and went on to sell over 35 million copies worldwide.
In 1984, he began work on Dragon Ball, a tale following the life of a young boy named Son Goku, which would go on to be one of the best selling manga series of all time.
Toriyama is also known for his work as a game character designer for the Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger series, as well as Blue Dragon.
