Fans around the world celebrated Goku Day in May, and continue to show their Saiyan pride during the 40th anniversary of Dragon Ball. They’re also gearing up for Dragon Ball Daima, which is set to release later in 2024. But, sadly, the beloved franchise’s creator — Akira Toriyama — won’t be around for the newest series.
Toriyama, the Japanese manga artist and mastermind behind countless memories from the action-packed universe, died earlier in 2024. Bird Studios, his production company, shared the news of Toriyama’s death on the official Dragon Ball website. According to the statement, Toriyama passed away on March 1, 2024. He died from “acute subdural hematoma” — a blood clot in the brain.
Toriyama was born in Japan on April 5, 1995, and died around a month after his 68th birthday. Judging by his studio’s statement, Toriyama’s death was sudden.
“It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm,” the statement reads. “Also, he would have many more things to achieve.”
Toriyama is best known for his globally impactful manga and anime Dragon Ball. He was the creator of several of the show’s iterations, including the widely successful Dragon Ball Z, as well as Dragon Ball Super and, of course, Dragon Ball.
A quick note: Dragon Ball GT was an anime based on Toriyama’s universe and characters. But, it was not adapted from his manga.
Late last year, the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2024 announced that Toriyama would be honored with its Lifetime Achievement Award. The event took place the week after Toriyama’s passing. But, Toriyama shared his thoughts in December about receiving the award (translation via SupaChronicles).
As mentioned earlier, Dragon Ball Daima is scheduled to drop in 2024. Originally, Toriyama said that he wasn’t involved in the anime-only show. But, frequent advice to Toei Animation turned into Toriyama fully jumping into the newest Dragon Ball series.
I was not only involved in the overall storyline, but also in the worldview, character design, mechas, and other aspects. I hope you will enjoy watching the series, which I believe is not only intense and action-packed, but also full of plenty of substance.
On receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award, Toriyama thanked his fans but alluded to potential issues with his health. “I would like to thank everyone who has supported me so far!” Toriyama said. “I am not sure how much more I can do, as I am not very confident about my health, probably due to my lifestyle when I was younger, but I will try my best to create more interesting pieces of work, so please continue to support me!”
Toriyama’s death was answered by mourning from Asia to North America, from Europe to Latin America, and everywhere else in between. Tributes were shared by the anime and manga world, as well as Dragon Ball’s voice actors and fans alike. Toriyama is viewed as a true pioneer of the manga world and an influence on countless creators, including Naruto’s Masashi Kishimoto, Bleach’s Tite Kubo, and One Piece’s Eiichiro Oda. The Dragon Ball franchise is perhaps the most popular anime ever, and that’s because of Toriyama’s masterful and legacy-leaving talent.