Akira Toriyama, creator of the beloved manga and anime Dragon Ball, has died, his production studio said in a statement Friday. He was 68 years old.
The artist behind Dragon Ball, a long-running media franchise that popularized Japanese manga abroad, passed away on March 1 from an acute subdural hematoma, according to the statement.
First appearing in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1984, Dragon Ball follows protagonist Son Goku’s martial arts training and quest to find the seven titular orbs and summon a wish-granting dragon. It remains one of the most successful media franchises of all time, with the manga selling more than 260 million copies worldwide and spawning several anime series, video games and a live-action movie.
His creations, which span more than 45 years, include Dr. Slump, Sand Land and the character designs for the Dragon Quest video games.
News of Toriyama’s death triggered an outpouring of condolences from other artists, many of whom grew up reading his work.
Toriyama showed the world that “manga can be enjoyed by both children and adults,” wrote One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, while Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto said Toriyama’s stories inspired him to become a manga artist. “I wanted to make manga like yours! I wanted to be like you!” he said.
Shares in Toei Animation Co., which produces the animated Dragon Ball films, fell as much as 4.4%.
