Akira Toriyama Dies, Dragon Ball Creator Was 68

Akira Yoriyama, the creator of the Dragon Ball franchise, has passed away at the age of 68. Though he died March 1st of bleeding to the brain (or acute subdural hematoma), his passing was only just announced, with the family asking for privacy. An official statement was released from Bird Studio and reads as follows:

“Dear Friends and Partners,

“We are deeply saddened to inform you that manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st due to acute subdural hematoma. He was at the age of 68.

“It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm. Also, he would have many more things to achieve. However, he had left many manga titles and works of art to this world. Thanks to the support of so many people around 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 continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.

“We inform you of this sad news, with gratefulness for your kindness during his lifetime. A funeral service was held with his family and very few relatives. Following his wishes for tranquility, we respectfully inform you that we would not accept flowers, condolences gifts, visiting, offerings, and others. Also, we ask you to refrain from conducting interviews with his family.

“Future plans for a commemorative gathering is not decided, we will let you know when it’s confirmed. We deeply thank you for your understanding and support as always.”

Related: Dragon Ball Z: Akira Toriyama’s Take on Tyranny and Genocide Through Frieza

Akira Toriyama Came Full Circle Before His Death

Toriyama first gained notice in the early 1980s with his Shonen Jump manga, Dr. Slump, a funny and imaginatively designed story of a robot girl living in the surreal Penguin Village. The manga was adapted into a successful anime series which ran for 243 episodes. But of course, it was his next major project, the manga Dragon Ball, which would make Toriyama a timeless icon.

Dragon Ball and its Super Saiyan saga began in 1984, with the original manga lasting until 1995, though it still continues to this day in some form. Toriyama’s original Dragon Ball lasted for 519 chapters and was developed into the anime series Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Between the manga, anime, movies, merchandise, video games, toys, trading cards, and other aspects of the media empire, Dragon Ball has become one of the most successful franchises of all time.

It must also be said that Toriyama did incredible work as a character designer for classic video games from Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger to the Blue Dragon series, Jump Force, and Fantasian. In recent years, Toriyama became more involved in the Dragon Ball franchise then he had been in years. He worked on the story and character designs of the manga Dragon Ball Super before working on two extremely popular films, Dragon Ball Super: Broly and Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. He will be missed.