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Acclaimed and influential Japanese manga writer and artist Akira Toriyama has passed away from ‘an acute subdural hematoma’, at age 68, according to a statement on his website.

He died on Friday, 1 March 2024, but his death was announced a week later on Friday, 8 March 2024, as reported by NBC News.

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A private funeral service was held with only his family and a few relatives attending.

Toriyama was the creator of the globally best-selling manga ‘Dragon Ball’, which debuted in 1984, which depicted the story of Son Goku and his quest to collect seven mystic dragon balls, to ‘protect Earth from alien humanoids called Saiyans’.

The series continued well into 2023, according to his website.

The manga was adapted into an anime series in 1989, and has gone on to become ‘one of the most globally recognized pieces of Japanese media’.

Since its publication, Dragon Ball has sold 260 million copies altogether, according to Bird Studio, his production company.

He had worked for 45 years in the industry since 1978, leaving some of his work unfinished at the time of his passing.

Tributes dedicated to Toriyama poured out on various social media platforms, from both fans and fellow manga creators.

Among the tributes were Eiichiro Oda, creator of the ‘One Piece’ manga, and Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the ‘Naruto’manga, paying their respects to Toriyama, according to The LA Times.

‘It’s too soon,’ said  Oda. ‘The hole he has left is much too big.’

Kishimoto was reported as saying that Toriyama was ‘a savior and the god of manga’, referring to how Kishimoto was ‘able to get through rough times growing up’ because there were new chapters of ‘Dragon Ball’ he could look forward to reading.

 

 

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Picture: X / @ScreenTalk

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