Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, dies at the age of 68

The world of anime and manga will never be the same again. Akira Toriyama, creator of Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Sand Land, and more, passed away on March 1st at the age of 68.

A statement from the official Dragon Ball account announced the mangaka’s death after complications from an acute subdural hematoma. Reportedly, the funeral has already been held with his family and very few relatives.

“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 in 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.

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 conduction 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.”

Dragon Ball, his greatest legacy

At this point, the only thing left to remember is the mangaka’s work. As mentioned in his farewell letter, Toriyama was still working on some projects, and one of his titles, Sand Land, is just a few weeks away from being released as both an anime series and a video game. However, we have to be honest and mention that Dragon Ball will always live on in our hearts.

The world of video games has not been left behind, as Toriyama left his mark in a very special way. His designs were a key piece in the RPG world, with such important franchises in Japan as Dragon Quest or one of the most important titles of the industry, Chrono Trigger.

May he rest in peace… and thanks.