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TOKYO – Akira Toriyama, one of the most influential and best-selling manga authors of all time, has died, his studio said Friday.
He was 68 years old.
Toriyama died on March 1 from a blood clot in the brain, his production company Bird Studio said in a statement Friday. He held a funeral with only his family and some relatives, he said.
The Japanese author is best known as the creator of the popular Dragon Ball manga series, which has fans around the world and spawned a series of well-known anime, video games, and films.
The manga series first debuted in 1984 and depicts the story of a boy named Son Goku who goes on a quest to collect magical dragon balls to protect the Earth from alien humanoids called Saiyans.
In 1989, it was adapted into an anime and soon became one of the most recognized pieces of Japanese media worldwide. It has sold 260 million copies in total, according to its study.
Toriyama worked for 45 years and still had unfinished work at the time of his death.
“We deeply regret that he still had several works in full creation with great enthusiasm,” he said. “I would have had a lot more to accomplish. However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world.”
He was a source of inspiration for many renowned Japanese comic artists, such as Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of the popular ‘Naruto’ series, and Eiichiro Oda, the creator of one of the oldest anime, ‘One Piece’.
“We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation will continue to be loved by everyone for a long time,” his studio said.
Many in Japan and around the world paid tribute to Toriyama on Friday.
At a news conference, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said the government was “deeply saddened by the news” and offered his condolences to the late author’s family.
Toriyama “served as an opportunity for Japanese content to be widely recognized around the world, leading to an increase in inbound tourism,” he said. “I think Mr. Toriyama’s work has played an extremely important role in demonstrating Japan’s soft power.”
Famous Japanese actors Yuki Kaji and Toshio Furukawa also expressed their gratitude in posts on X.
Toriyama’s death also sparked tributes on neighboring China’s Weibo social media platform, with 40 million views and thousands of discussions related to the topic. His Dragon Ball was inspired by the Chinese literature “Journey to the West”, which attracted numerous Chinese fans.
China’s Foreign Ministry said the country wanted to “express our deepest condolences on the death of Mr. Akira Toriyama and our sincere condolences to his family.”
“Toriyama was a famous cartoonist and his works were well received in China. We hope and believe that there will be more knowledgeable people in Japan who will actively devote themselves to Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges and the cause of friendship between the two countries.”, said Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Arata Yamamoto reported from Tokyo and Andee Capellan from Hong Kong.