“We are very sad to inform you that manga artist Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st. he was 68 years old“. A message broadcast on the official Dragon Ball website on Friday, March 8. This message still seems very unrealistic to many fans of the series… Akira Toriyama, who has been omnipresent in our lives since the 1980s, has also left behind a huge legacy. Despite his absolute discretion, I got the impression that he was a friend to each of us.
Dragon Ball is definitely…
Born on April 5, 1955, Akira Toriyama began drawing from a very young age, but contrary to popular belief, he did not achieve immediate success. In 1981, he won the best shonen manga award for Dr Slump, not Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball was created in the mid-1980s, an epic saga spanning 42 volumes from 1984 to 1995.
The series was a huge success and would go on to democratize comics worldwide. It can be found not only in the Dragon Ball series, but also in animation, as well as video games, collectible cards, movies, merchandise, and more. With the influence of a certain Club Dorothée in the 80s and 90s (the first episode aired on March 2, 1988), the French Dragon Ball madness cannot be missed.
Idols of multiple generations
If the original series was produced between 1984 and 1995, Dragon Ball would have experienced several “lives.” In fact, the series evolves into Dragon Ball Z, not forgetting the Dragon Ball GT series (1996), divided into four narrative arcs. In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the license, Dragon Ball Z Kai appeared on our screens, not forgetting Dragon Ball Super in 2015.
This includes numerous regular feature films from 1986 (The Legend of Shenron), as well as 1996’s Rogue Ribbon Army, Broly the Super Warrior (1993), Battle of Gods (2013), and even Super Hero (2022). In total, Dragon Ball has over 20 movies/TV movies.
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The long-running Dragon Ball series has allowed Akira Toriyama to inspire generations of fans, and many children today share the same passion for the series as their parents did 30 years ago.
Video game enthusiast (and creator)
A brilliant designer, Akira Toriyama is not only famous for the Dragon Ball series, but also for his involvement in the world of video games. Beginning in 1986, the mangaka participated in the production of the first episodes of the Dragon Quest series. It adds the famous Chrono Trigger, but also Tobal or the RPG (released on Xbox 360) Blue Dragon.
however ! If you love video games, (re)play the timeless Chrono Trigger 🥰
Contains actual tracks by Yuji Horii, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Akira Toriyama, Yasunori Mitsuda, and Nobuo Uematsu ❤️#retrogaming #Super Nintendo #ChronoTrigger #RPG #CRT #nintendo pic.twitter.com/H2EokbHVFt
— Stephane Ficca (@StephaneFicca) January 12, 2023
Even better, in 1993, Akira Toriyama would release a new manga called Go Go Ackman. The latter features Ackman, a young demon (who looks like Trunks) whose mission is to kill people and sell their souls to the devil. Beginning in 1994, Go Go Ackman was released in a video game trilogy on Super Nintendo (Japan).
Of course, the Dragon Ball universe has also been the subject of numerous video games. We remember Dragon Ball on the NES, as well as fighting games released on Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Mega Drive or SEGA Saturn, among others.
Purchase of the day! ☺️
I guess I can go back to look for the Dragon Balls! 😋#Dragon Ball #nintendo #retrogaming pic.twitter.com/Vs0ivwYeKn— Stephane Ficca (@StephaneFicca) December 23, 2019
In the early 2000s, the saga found new life with Budokai, Tenkaichi, not forgetting various games for Nintendo Wii, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PSP. Fighting games remain the most prevalent games along with Xenoverse, but there’s also the excellent (and extreme) Dragon Ball FighterZ, which just released PS5 and Xbox Series X versions.
Dragon Ball is okay. But that’s not all…
Indeed, if Akira Toriyama is an inseparable figure from the Dragon Ball series in people’s minds, the man is also the source of other major works. We are especially indebted to Dr Slump (1980 to 1984), but also to Go, Go Ackman, not forgetting Cowa, Kajika and Sand Land.
Various “short stories” are also added here. All of this allows you to rediscover Akira Toriyama’s deeply personal and instantly recognizable style. The mangaka took great pleasure in incorporating her real-life characters (her family, friends, colleagues, etc.) into her works.
For many (older) kids, Dragon Ball is still “heart cartoon“. Undoubtedly credited with influencing the ‘manga’ genre outside of Japan 40 years ago, Akira Toriyama’s timeless work will no doubt continue to live on long after his recent death.
“thank you! goodbye“Akira Toriyama.
