Akira Toriyama created beloved characters Goku, Arale-chan; Death mourned by fellow Mangaka Eiichiro Oda, ‘Dragon Quest’ game designer

For more than four decades, mangaka Akira Toriyama, who died on March 1 at the age of 68, created characters familiar to people of all generations – such as “Dragon Ball” protagonist Goku and Arale-chan from “Dr. Slump” – and the veteran creator’s sudden death was mourned by people who had been inspired by him or had worked with him.

“Dragon Ball,” which appeared in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump from 1984 to 1995, is the story of Goku growing up and fighting powerful enemies, such as the Great Demon King Piccolo and Frieza, who appear one after the other.

Many children imitated Goku’s signature martial arts techniques, such as the Kamehameha energy attack and the Genki-dama spirit bomb.

The manga has been adapted into anime and games and is becoming popular not only in Japan but also around the world. To commemorate the manga’s 40th anniversary this year, the release date for a new anime, “Dragon Ball Daima,” was announced for this fall.

“Dr. Slump” was also featured in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1980 to 1984. Main character Arale is a girlish android with large glasses, and her expressions like “N-cha!” and “Kiiiiin” became popular. The characters in the manga were loved by a wide range of generations.

Eiichiro Oda, mangaka of the popular series ‘One Piece’, published in the same magazine, commented: ‘It’s too early [to die]. The hole you left is too big. You are one of the people who took the baton in an era when reading manga would make you stupid, created an era where both adults and children enjoyed reading manga and showed us a dream that manga could do such things and become global could be.

Yuji Horii, a game designer for the popular series “Dragon Quest” for which Toriyama did the character design, said: “I still can’t believe the sudden news of his death. He drew countless fascinating characters for us, and the history of Dragon Quest is filled with Toriyama’s designs.”

Commentary from Goku voice actress

Upon hearing of Toriyama’s death, voice actress Masako Nozawa, who plays Goku, the main character of the “Dragon Ball” series, released a response.

“Mr. Toriyama always said to me, ‘Please take care of Goku.’ By remembering his words, I can pull myself together and promise to stay by Goku’s side until the end of my life, Sensei, please watch over us from the sky.’

Macron posts message

French President Emmanuel Macron was among those who mourned the loss of the mangaka.

Macron posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday that read: “To Akira Toriyama and the millions of fans who grew up with him.”

The message was accompanied by a photo of Toriyama’s work depicting “Dragon Ball” characters and signed “To President Macron, Akira Toriyama.”

The Japanese artist received the Special Prize in Commemoration of the 40th Angouleme International Comics Festival in France in 2013.

Hometown, fans mourn

Following the news of Toriyama’s death, a memorial corner was set up in the municipal library in his hometown of Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture.

The library, which owns 97 copies of Toriyama’s works, dedicated a special section to the creator on Saturday morning.

“I felt the urge to read his works again,” said a 44-year-old woman from the city, who visited the library with her four-year-old son. “I want to read them with my son when he’s older.”

“We are very grateful to Mr. Toriyama,” said Tadashi Ishida, 63, director of the library. “We will continue to find ways for even more people to enjoy his works.”

Related articles