Miriam Herrera
Akira Toriyama, the manga creator of Dragon Ball, has tragicalyl passed away and has thrown many of the anime and manga community into a state of shock. Akira Toriyama’s first published work, Wonder Island, was what started him down the road of manga. From there, many more manga were created due to Toriyama’s stubbornness in wanting to see his manga succeed. With this, it was then that Dr. Slump was created after finding encouragement from his other manga, Tomato the Cutesy Gumshoe.
Toriyama’s road with Shonen Jump has been filled with pages upon pages of his work, giving him wondrous moments like winning the Shogakukan Manga Award for best shonen or sh?jo manga series of the year. Dr. Slump’s popularity was so big, that it was picked up for an anime adaption the same year he won the Manga of the Year award. Dr. Slump ran for 18 amazing years which finally came to an end in 1999. By this time, Dragon Ball was making its rounds through the manga circuit, and this is where we all are. The story of Goku, a manga that started as a gag. That turned into much more, that sped through the world internationally and brought everyone into manga stores and books stores to get their hands on the next volume.
Toriyama’s world that he created within the pages of his Manga brought those together to laugh and cry. To argue about who can beat Goku in a fight, to show that moving forward and creating something that he wanted out of stubbornness and success is just amazing to see. Dragon Ball had taken the anime world and left it in a chokehold as it developed and ran through the world as we know it. Even now with the latest movie in 2022, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, continued Toriyama’s involvement with his work.
We started here, in one way, we have all seen Akira Toriyama’s work, whether we knew it was him or we didn’t until later down the road. We have seen the characters that he has pushed forward, and the moments that he has created for them. We mourn the loss of a legend, a person has made most, if not all, of our childhoods. Many famous manga artists have cited Toriyama as influence in their work, including Eiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto, Hiro Mashima, and Tite Kub. Many of us would not be here if not for the influence and manga’s of Toriyama.
This loss weighs heavily in the community and many others, to see such a legendary part of us. But he leaves a legacy behind, his work will speak for him for many years to come. Anime’s that are still moving forward with his name attached to them. We will always remember him for what he brought us, what he made, and what he continues to show us. The lives of his characters will speak for him and show us a path of amazing stories that will live on.
We will miss you, Akira Toriyama.