Japanese manga comic creator Akira Toriyama, best known for his Dragon Ball series that spawned widely popular films, video games and TV shows, died on March 1 from a blood clot in his brain, his production studio said on Friday. He was 68.
“It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm,” the studio said in a statement posted on the official Dragon Ball website. “We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”
Dragon Ball, a martial arts fantasy series that follows the protagonist Son Goku’s search for seven orbs known as dragon balls that summon a wish-granting dragon, was inspired by a 16th century Chinese novel and has a widespread following in China.
It was first serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump comic magazine in 1984 and was later adapted into movies, video games and TV series distributed in more than 80 countries.
News of Toriyama’s death was a top trending topic on social media platform Weibo, with 450 million views.
“Let’s collect all seven Dragon Balls and then resurrect Mr. Akira Toriyama!” one user wrote on Weibo.
Toriyama was also known as a character and monster designer of the blockbuster role-playing game series Dragon Quest.
Many fans and Japan’s top government spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashi, paid tribute to Toriyama and the global influence of his work.
“We will never forget Akira Toriyama for the gift he left on this earth. I can’t imagine a world without Dragon Ball,” a fan wrote in section below the post.
Hayashi told reporters on Friday that Toriyama had played “extremely important role in demonstrating Japan’s soft power.”
“Mr. Toriyama’s work has led to the widespread recognition of Japan’s content around the world,” he added.
The Dragon Ball website said a small, private funeral for Toriyama had already taken place.
