Gone, but never forgotten! The legend who brought us the explosive world of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, left a giant crater-sized void in the manga universe earlier this year on March 1st, 2024. While his passing may leave us feeling like we just powered down after a blast, his legacy as a story-telling martial arts master lives on!
Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st, 2024 due to an acute issue in the brain. His loss has left the manga and anime community around the world in a state of shock and sadness. His most famous work as a manga artist, Dragon Ball Z, was & is a craze among youngsters around the world. Many anime – manga enthusiasts & Japanese language learners felt a part of their childhood closing up after this incident.
He started off as a gag manga artist (Mainly manga focussed on jokes) and designed themes for several video games such as “The Dragon Quest Series”. He found unexpected success with Dragon Ball Z, which was inspired by Jackie Chan’s comedic fighting style. This initial run propelled him into creating Dragon Ball Z, where the stakes escalated with epic battles, transformations, and a global fan phenomenon.
Toriyama sensei’s characterization of Goku, the Phenomenon:
- The primary protagonist of the series, Goku, is such a lasting character in the heads of avid & average fans. Goku was a well-built, strong looking character. Inspired by Goku’s tireless training, children across the globe embraced a more active lifestyle under the thought of developing capabilities of a Saiyan.
- Goku defied the typical hero stereotype. He is a goofy, food-loving Saiyan driven by the thrill of the fight rather than saving the world. This light-heartedness of the character immediately attracted kids.
Inspirations from Toriyama sensei’s journey:
- Careers aren’t ready-made, they get built over time: Toriyama, although had the passion for manga & creative fields from childhood, started his career in an advertising firm. Soon. he honed his skills and made a switch to the manga industry in Japan. Advertising isn’t directly realted to manga. However, a mega star who has had a fabulous streak in the world of anime, started in something unrelated to anime.
- Persistence pays off: Toriyama contributed several designs to short and large manga series. He was a gag artist at heart. He designed several themes for blockbuster video games. Little did he know what was coming his way. However, he held on to his arsenal and kept honing his sword. His persistence paid off at the right time.
- Inaction is different from patience: Although he didn’t see stupendous success in the early days of his career as a Manga-ka, he never quit this domain. His calling was for Manga & he believed in it 150%! . His continuous efforts in the right direction merged with luck at the right time and brought him immense glory. He remained patient for years together consistently working on his craft. He never sat idle blaming destiny for his low returns in the initial days.
- Never be afraid of growth: Even within Dragon Ball Z, Toriyama wasn’t afraid to evolve his characters and story. From Goku’s transformations to Vegeta’s redemption arc, he demonstrated a willingness to push boundaries and surprise his audience. He embraced change all the time.
A very organizational discovery was that, several students of Sakuraa Nihongo Resource Centre were deeply saddened by his death. Words by some students include:
“The Dragon Ball series is one of the most influencial and best known pieces of work that has come out from the japanese animation industry. It has been the cornerstone of hundreds of millions of people’s childhoods around the world. Not only has it taught, inspired and entertained a generation, it has portrayed itself as an epitome of entertainment. Long-story short, It is the promoter of the popularity of the entire shonen manga and anime worldwide today. In a nutshell, words fail to encompass the sheer impact it has had on the world and is in my opinion one of the best examples of soft power that put japan at the head of the world’s cultural influence”
“I was 9 when I first saw dragon ball Z. It premiered on “toonami”, on Cartoon Network. When my friends got home from school, watching this was the first thing we’d do. Post the episode, we used to train to be like the main character Goku. I owe being able to use 20kg dumb bells today, to my getting started thanks to this series.”
The impact and memories that Dragon Ball Z and its creator has managed to create will stay on for generations to come. As an artist, Toriyama was immensely persistent and adaptive. This is relevant to every field of life that one is in today. Such attitudes create history!
Last but not the least, “Some bodies are buried, but their souls are sown“. Akira Toriyama sensei is one such soul!
どうもありがとうございました！
