Japanese author Akira Toriyama, the "father" of the world's best-selling Dragon Ball manga series, has passed away at the age of 69.
 |
| Japanese author Akira Toriyama, the 'father' of the Dragon Ball series. (Source: Gfinity) |
On March 8th, Nikkei Asia quoted a representative from Shueisha, the publisher that manages the rights to Dragon Ball , as saying that the artist passed away on March 1st.
In a statement on social media platform X, a representative from Toriyama's company, Bird Studio, said that the renowned author passed away due to a brain hemorrhage, and expressed regret at his sudden death while he was still involved in many creative projects.
The statement emphasized: "Mr. Toriyama has left the world with many manga series and works of art. We hope that Akira Toriyama's unique world will be loved by everyone for a long time to come."
Mr. Toriyama was born in 1955 in Aichi Prefecture. He studied design at a junior high school and worked for an advertising company in Nagoya for three years before becoming a professional manga artist in his early twenties.
He first gained recognition for his manga series Dr. Slump (1980-1984). This work earned him the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1981.
In 1984, he released the Dragon Ball series, which became a sensation, selling over 500 million copies worldwide, including 35 million in the Japanese market.
The author once revealed that the Dragon Ball series was inspired by Chinese kung fu films, particularly the setting of the novel Journey to the West .
Dragon Ball tells the story of Son Goku's coming-of-age journey, through his apprenticeship in martial arts and his exploration of the world in search of the Dragon Balls, which grant wishes from the sacred dragon. He meets many friends and together they fight against hostile forces plotting to steal the Dragon Balls and become the ruler of the world.
The Dragon Ball series was later adapted into both an animated series and a live-action version.
In Vietnam, Kim Dong Publishing House has acquired the publishing rights for this comic series, and it has been widely read by children.
Source
![[Photo] National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man working with the National Assembly Committees](https://vphoto.vietnam.vn/thumb/1200x675/vietnam/resource/IMAGE/2026/02/24/1771915679930_bnd-7209-2157-jpg.webp)
Comment (0)