As of: March 8, 2024, 10:50 p.m
By: Nadja Zinsmeister
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Akira Toriyama was the world-famous creator of the childhood dream “Dragon Ball.”
Now his studio has announced his unexpected death.
Tokyo/Hamburg – He sparked childhood dreams around the world and created imaginative comic worlds – now his death has been announced.
The Japanese comic artist and creator of the successful manga series “Dragon Ball”, Akira Toriyama, has died.
Toriyama died on March 1 at the age of 68, his studio and the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Jump announced on Friday.
“Dragon Ball Z” artist Akira Toriyama died of complications from a brain hematoma
According to official information, Toriyama suffered an acute subdural hematoma and ultimately died as a result.
A subdural hematoma is a bleeding between the hard meninges and the brain.
In Germany, the first publishers reacted with dismay.
“We mourn the loss of one of the most popular and greatest creators in comic history,” said program manager Kai-Steffen Schwarz from Carlsen Verlag on Friday.
He called Toriyama one of the most popular and influential mangaka in the world.
“In Germany, the publication of his series 'Dragon Ball' in 1997 triggered the manga boom that continues to this day,” says Schwarz.
This black and white photo from May 1982 shows the Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama.
© JIJI Press / AFP
Toriyama, who was born in Aichi Prefecture on Japan's largest island of Honshu, was 68 years old.
Some of his works were still in the middle of the production process, Bird Studio said in a statement.
“And he would have accomplished many more things.”
Manga artist Toriyama dies - a brief insight into his life's work
The famous manga “Dragon Ball” was a worldwide success after its release.
According to Carlsen Verlag, the series has sold over 300 million copies of the comic, including over 8 million copies in German-speaking countries alone.
In Germany it is considered the most successful manga series to date.
In 2004, Toriyama was the first Japanese manga star guest at the Leipzig Book Fair at the invitation of Carlsen Verlag.
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A Dragon Ball Z booth during New York Comic Con at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in October 2023. © Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
The manga series was originally published in Weekly Shonen Jump between 1984 and 1995 and is the basis for three anime series.
Toriyama's other well-known manga series include “Dr.
Slump” and “Sandland”.
In his work, the illustrator was inspired by action films.
In his heyday, he sometimes worked 23 hours a day, he said while visiting the Leipzig Book Fair in 2004.
He draws according to his mood and is actually a “very, very lazy person,” he said.
He prefers to draw alone and for children.
(nz/dpa)