The official Dragon Ball social media account announced that Akira Toriyama died. The announcement comes days after the event, as it happened on March 1, 2024.
Toriyama died at the age of 68. The official announcement noted the cause was due to an acute subdural hematoma.
Toriyama was best known for the creation of the Dragon Ball franchise in 1984 and has seen multiple continuations in the form of Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Super. Among his other popular works included Dr. Slump which began serialization in 1980 and became huge success for publisher Shueisha, and Sand Land in 2000. Toriyama also served as the character designer for the Dragon Quest video game series, helping to shape its iconic visual style that has spanned dozens of releases over the last 38 years. He was also the character designer on Chrono Trigger and Blue Dragon.
Akira Toriyama was working on many different projects before he died, including the Sand Land video game adaption, the Dragon Ball Daima anime which is set to air in 2024, and other unannounced projects. The official Dragon Ball social media account announced that funeral services were held with his family and close relatives in private. To follow Toriyama’s wishes for “tranquility” prior to his passing, it has been requested that there be no flowers, gifts, visits, offerings, or other forms of condolences sent in honor of him. The official social medial account also asked that no interviews be conduced with his family.
The official social media account also stated that plans for a commemorative gathering for Akira Toriyama have not yet been made, but will be announced at a later date once confirmed.
