‘Dragon Ball’

Creator Akira Toriyama dies aged 68

which he said was inspired by Chinesestyle kung fu movies.

The 1990s brought the beloved cartoon “Dragon Ball Z”, and Toriyama was also part of the design team for the massively successful “Dragon Quest” games. Not all the spin-offs have been a hit, however, with the live-action 2009 movie “Dragonball Evolution” flopping at the box office and attracting withering reviews.

Publishing house Shueisha, whose weekly “Shonen Jump” magazine serialized the “Dragon Ball” comics, said it was “greatly saddened by the sudden news of his death.”

“His manga have been read and loved all over the world, transcending borders,” it said. himself as a “difficult” person.

“‘Dragon Ball’ is like a miracle, given how it helped someone like me who has a twisted, difficult personality do a decent job and get accepted by society,” he said.

He told the newspaper he had “no idea” why “Dragon Ball” had become such a huge hit worldwide. “When I was drawing the series, all I ever wanted to achieve was to please boys in Japan,” he said.

The news of Toriyama’s death immediately made headlines in Japan, with many fans expressing their grief.

Rua Kimura, 20, said she was inspired by the growth and evolution of the story and characters in “Dragon Ball.”

“Since I was a child, I’ve sometimes felt weak or haven’t been good at interacting with others, so watching ‘Dragon Ball’ made me want to try harder,” she said.

Fans paid tribute with art posted under the statement on X, including of Son Goku ascending to the sky with angel wings and a halo. “Thank you for making my childhood awesome,” one wrote.

Anime journalist Tadashi Sudo told AFP that for many manga artists, Toriyama was “a role model.”

“Toriyama knew exactly what everybody wants to read -- adventure and the growth of characters,” he said of Toriyama’s oeuvre. “Many people -- not only creators in Japan, but those abroad -saw in his works the culmination of what entertainment should be like”.