Son Goku from Dragon Ball Z

Farewell, Akira Toriyama

Akira Toriyama, creator of the Dragon Ball series, passed away at 68 years old. Anime fans from all walks of life all around the world are mourning the sudden loss of Toriyama.

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Other renowned manga artists, such as Masashi Kishimoto, author of Naruto, and Oda Eiichiro, author of One Piece, have expressed their grief over Toriyama’s passing. Both Kishimoto and Eiichiro viewed Toriyama as an inspiration and are deeply saddened. In his statement, Eiichiro hoped that heaven would be “as joyous as he [Toriyama] envisioned.”

The late mangaka created one of the most beloved and strongest characters known to anime, Son Goku. But his impact on the anime industry is immeasurable. According to a statement by Bird Studio, Toriyama died on March 1, 2024, of an acute subdural hematoma, which can happen when blood collects between the dura mater and the brain, often the result of a traumatic head injury.

Toriyama’s Last Project

Although he passed before his last work could be streamed, Akira Toriyama left the world with Dragon Ball Daima, which is set to release in the fall of 2024. Toriyama himself was heavily involved in the production of this upcoming series.

He may be gone, but Akira Toriyama will live on through his beloved characters and the memories of his fans. We can’t thank this legend enough for his decades of hard work.

(featured image: Bird Studio)


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Vanessa Esguerra
Vanessa Esguerra (She/They) has been a Contributing Writer for The Mary Sue since 2023. After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy, she (happily) rejected law school in 2021 and has been a full-time content writer since. Vanessa is currently taking her Master's degree in Japanese Studies in hopes of deepening her understanding of the country's media culture in relation to pop culture, women, and queer people like herself. She speaks three languages but still manages to get lost in the subways of Tokyo with her clunky Japanese. Fueled by iced coffee brewed from local cafés in Metro Manila, she also regularly covers anime and video games while queuing for her next match in League of Legends.