The wildly popular animated series, ‘Dragon Ball,’ has boasted a multitude of fans the world over ever since its release in 1984. The sad news came today, the 8th of March, that the series creator, Japanese Akira Toriyama, had passed away on the 1st of March. He passed away as a result of a brain condition. Only his family and a handful of close friends were in attendance at his funeral.
The news was released via Dragon Ball’s official website and social media channels. Part of the statement read: “It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm.”
‘Dragon Ball’ “features a boy named Son Goku who increases his powers by collecting magical balls containing dragons to help him and his allies in a fight to protect the Earth from evil enemies.” The comic series also evolved into a TV series and films.
He was reported as the third-richest Manga artist in the world. Fandom Wire reported, “Before dying, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball manga sold 300 million copies, with a net worth of $50 million.”
Akira Toriyama was born in Japan in 1955 and started drawing manga when he was 23.
Below are some fans’ reactions following the passing of the famous ‘Dragon Ball’ creator:
