One of the most valued talents in the manga and animation worlds had recently passed away and it has shocked everyone. The creator of the Dragon Ball series, Akira Toriyama, passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 68 due to an acute subdural hematoma. Capsule Corporation Tokyo and Bird Studio, his manga and design production studio, verified his passing on Friday.
Dragon Ball has had an immeasurable impact on not only Japanese entertainment but also global mainstream culture. A flood of tributes from Toriyama’s fellow manga writers were published on the internet, paying homage to Toriyama and the influence that his creative works had on the lives of others.
The manga creator who had a major influence on the anime and manga industries was honored by numerous well-known manga creators, including Eiichiro Oda and Masashi Kishimoto. Along with that, the creator of Bleach, Tite Kubo also offered a heartfelt Eulogy that not only pays homage to Toriyama but also immortalizes him.
Tite Kubo Pays His Respect to Akira Toriyama
The Bleach creator shared a heartfelt Eulogy honoring the legacy of Akira Toriyama which was later shared by @DBZimran on X(Formerly Twitter). Kubo not only talked about the impact Dragon Ball and Toriyama had on the creator but also shared how he felt about death in general.
Kubo stated:
“Personally, I don’t feel any loneliness or pain. I’m not saying there aren’t any at all, but there aren’t as many as I thought. It’s the death of someone I’ve read since I was a child, someone who works in the same magazine as me, and someone I’m deeply influenced by, so it feels different than when I deal with death in general, but that’s why I feel like it doesn’t exist.”
Tite Kubo stated that although he does not feel any loneliness or pain in general, the death of the creator who has deeply influenced him since he was a child feels different. He stated that Toriyama’s death has a different impact on him than any other death, which is why he feels like it does not exist.
Tite Kubo Immortalized Akira Toriyama
Talking about Toriyama’s death, the Bleach creator also explained how he believed that creating something helps an individual expand his life and make it more impactful. This is why he believed that as long as the work exists, the creator does not die.
Kubo stated:
“I’ve never really talked about this to anyone, but I’ve always believed that creating things means expanding your sensibilities and expanding your life. This is because I believe that as long as the work exists, the author is not dead. And I believe that being able to properly get used to this feeling is proof of the magnitude of the work’s existence that remains in my heart.”
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He further explained that remembering someone by his work forever and honoring his legacy will need some getting used to. Kubo’s message was one of the most emotional and impactful tributes to Toriyama and it brought tears to the eyes of Dragon Ball and Bleach fans.
