Author of 'Dragon Ball,' Akira Toriyama, passes away at age 68

Publisher Shueisha said that Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama, who created series like "Dragon Ball" and "Dr. Slump," passed away on March 1 following an acute subdural hemorrhage. He was sixty-eight.

Close relatives had already attended funeral services that had already been held.

Born in 1955 in Nagoya, Japan, Toriyama made his debut in the comic book industry at the beginning of the 1980s with Dr. Slump, a story about a young robot named Arale and her scientific creator.

However, Dragon Ball was his best-known creation.  "Dragon Ball" stands as one of the most popular and significant manga series ever published.

After making its debut in the weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1984, Dragon Ball was translated and released all over the world. Dragon Ball expanded into anime, feature films, TV shows, video games, and merchandise featuring its characters.

In order to aid himself and his allies in their battle to defend the Earth from evil enemies, the story revolves around a boy named Son Goku, who gains superhuman abilities by gathering magical balls containing dragons.

The abrupt announcement of his passing deeply saddened the publishing house Shueisha, according to a statement.

"Too soon" and "too big shoes to fill" was how the creator of Japan's popular "One Piece" manga series, Eiichiro Oda, put it in a statement.

With the announcement of "Dragon Ball Daima," a new anime, in October 2023, the franchise is still going strong. This September, the series will be released.

Additionally, Toriyama created the character designs for Square Enix Holdings' hugely successful Dragon Quest role-playing game series.