Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama dies aged 68

The beloved manga artist and creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, has unfortunately passed away at the age of 68.

Akira Toriyama is credited for stories and art for a number of manga and anime projects, including Dragon Ball and its follow-ups. Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, as well as stories like Dr Slump and Sand Land. He also provided character designs for several video games, like the beloved Square Enix RPG Chrono Trigger, as well as Dragon Quest and Blue Dragon.

The official Dragon Ball Twitter account shared the news of the artist’s unfortunate passing, sharing the cause was acute subdural hematoma.

The post held tribute to the creator, saying “he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people round the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years. We hope that Akira Toriyama's unique world of creation continue to be loved by everyone for a long time to come."

It also said he had “several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm,” though it’s unclear what this could be referring to.

Toriyama’s passing also comes just before the 40th anniversary of Dragon Ball, the celebrations for which kick off next month featuring what could possibly be the last work he did for the series, the spin-off show Dragon Ball Daima. A video game about Sand Land will also be released next month.

Toriyama’s work on manga and anime began when he was just 23, and his influence can be across the entire industry, especially his creation Dragon Ball. The action series is still a huge IP to this very day, and inspired other shows with a similar focus on fighting and martial arts like One Piece and Naruto.

Akira Toriyama was a paragon of creativity, and his work and personality will be dearly missed throughout the industry, as well as by his dedicated anime and manga fanbase.