Akira Toriyama: ‘Thank you for brightening my childhood’

The death of the man behind one of the best-selling and most influential Japanese comics of all time has sparked an outpouring of grief around the world.

Akira Toriyama, who was 68, was best known for Dragon Ball, the hit manga that spawned an anime series and a spin-off film.

But the influence of his distinctive character designs and storytelling techniques extends beyond the pages and frames of his best-known work.

He worked on classic video games like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger, and other artists, writers, and musicians have been inspired by him.

And for some fans who grew up with Toriyama’s work, his impact has been life-changing.

“I can categorically tell you that I wouldn’t be the man I am today if it weren’t for Dragon Ball Z,” says rapper Shao Dow.

Speaking to BBC Newsbeat from the Japan Expo in France, where he is currently presenting, Shao says that watching the story of Son Goku on television as a child was like nothing he had ever seen before.

“The closest we got was maybe Turtles or Transformers or ThunderCats,” he says.

“For a kid, a teenager, that would have spoken to me on such a different level, to the point where I ended up going to China to learn Kung-Fu.”

Shao says watching Goku’s journey from aspiring martial arts master to full-fledged hero inspired him and it was the character’s signature special move, a mystical energy attack, that propelled him to travel thousands of miles.

“I just wanted to learn how to do a Kamehameha from the show,” Shao says.

“So I thought the quickest way to do it would be to learn Kung-Fu. I decided I wanted to go live in China and train in Kung-Fu and while I was there I started writing lyrics and that’s how I became a rapper. “.

Dragon Ball has been translated into dozens of different languages ​​and Nick Layland, assistant manager at comics store Worlds Apart in Birmingham, tells Newsbeat that Toriyama’s recognition is global.

“You can ask people in continental Europe, the UK, the US and outside of East Asia. It’s known everywhere, simply because it’s such an iconic show,” he says.

“What Toriyama created was openly accessible to so many different ages and people.”

Nick said he learned of Toriyama’s death from a friend in Japan.

“I was literally sitting in bed and just not moving,” he says.

“I was really breathless. I was absolutely devastated. I don’t know exactly how to describe it, really. I just stayed in bed and didn’t want to move.”

“I don’t think you can overstate what a huge inspiration he’s been to any creative person now.”

And at the anime convention Shao is attending, he says the news has hit his fellow fans hard.

“We will miss Akira Toriyama, he is a generational talent and has inspired many, very much, and it is a shame,” he says.

“Both online and in person, the outpouring of love and stories of inspiration simply demonstrates how much this creator and man has done through his storytelling and his art.

“Many people have said their lives have been changed forever because of the programs he has created. So, understandably, it’s a very sad day.”

And comic book store manager Nick paid his own tribute to the man who left an imprint on millions of people around the world.

“I think the most important thing I would ever want to say is just thank you,” he says.

“Thanks to Toriyama for brightening my childhood when I discovered Dragon Ball for the first time.

“So far, where I’ve had a bit of a rubbish day, I can sit down, pick up one of his books and just immerse myself in his world.

“Everything he’s done is really wonderful.”