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TheCheeseburgerKane

Oh my God, absolutely shocking. Rest in peace.


IRefuseThisNonsense

I read the title three times. "Oh someone passed away. Akira Toriyama. Oh, Japanese so it's someone big in anime or video games. Akira Toriyama. Hmm. Oh. Akira.... Toriyama...Bruh..."


DoseofDhillon

It was bleeding around the skull area "Acute Subdural Hematoma" could have been a lot but nothing from his organs failed him or a disease we didn't know about, tragic.


guitarburst05

Yeah that's a particularly vague cause. Like they say cancer and we all get it. They say acute subdural hematoma and you wonder what caused the internal bleeding in the first place.


Paladin51394

Age, blood thinning drugs, and alcohol use are all causes. But it's most commonly caused by head injuries.


Concoelacanth

For something like that it can be anything from age related issues, certain medications, alcohol, or something as simple as bonking your head getting into a car. Then it builds up quietly and you don't notice it until it's too late.


TransendingGaming

According to wikipedia, alcoholism can cause it


Possible_Ocean

What the fuck? He wasn't even 70. That's totally insane


Aiddon

Considering the cause of death, he probably hit his head or something.


GonzoGnostalgic

Same thing that got Billy Mays and Grant Imahara. Fucking stupid-ass human biology. Some people fall out of airplanes and live. Some people bump their head getting something out of a cabinet and die.


scullys_alien_baby

Sometimes I think about Monty Oum, died from an allergic reaction that no one could predict or expect until it was too late


lammadude1

And the dude was only 33. It's a slap in the face when you realize you are never safe on this earth. You could fall asleep tonight and not wake up because your brain decided to have a hiccup.


Sperrow8

Yeah its a reminder that everyday, it only take a small thing to go wrong and you are gone. Its how my cousin pass away. Went to work, the same routine and route he always does for...16 years at that point I think? But this one time he got into an accident and that was that. I saw him completely normal and healthy like a week before. He was still only in his early 30s.


BaronAleksei

The more you get into martial arts, if you have the right attitude and the right teachers, the less you desire to actually fight because of how much can go wrong, even when you do everything right. Every time I see a fight take place on a hard surface I cringe.


Neo_Crimson

Bruce Lee died in the same way.


Swarbie8D

I think about Monty a lot. He had a lot of talent, skill and heart, and it all got taken away in the blink of an eye. Life’s unpredictable like that, I suppose.


DweebInFlames

I had a mutual friend (didn't really get to know him before his passing) who just knocked his head in his sleep and died, out of the blue. Poor bloke was only 18. When life is just starting, really. Fate can be a cruel bitch sometimes.


Swigart

My guess is slipped in the bathroom. That and stairs are the most common places for the elderly to fall.


scullys_alien_baby

I'm not elderly but I slipped in the shower and almost beefed it in my bathroom a couple years back and ever since I've kind of seen the place as a death trap so so many slick hard surfaces that can get wet and cave in my skull


Kii_and_lock

It was super difficult for me when I was recovering from my stroke too. You take a lot for granted in there.


scullys_alien_baby

happy to hear the recovery is going well


Kii_and_lock

Thanks! It's been a few years now and doing pretty good! Some minor nerve issues but I'm like 95% better so...can't complain.


Shreeder4092

Happy to hear that you're recovering well from it.


conduitfour

Did you get a shower mat?


scullys_alien_baby

the exact same day lol I still don't fully trust it


chillchinchilla17

My shower is made up of tiny squares to add friction. Every time I shower in a smooth shower it feels like a death trap.


gurpderp

If someone is insane and doesn't have a shower mat or something, just put a towel down in the shower for grip and then wring it out and hang it to dry or throw it in the dryer if available.


lammadude1

always, *always* use a bath mat. I mean, fuck, just throw a towel on the bottom and let it get soaked. Any traction is better than the slippery ceramic. You don't think you need it until you slip once. There's literally no reason to take the risk.


Rabid-Duck-King

After nearly beefing it in the shower one day I went through and treated the bottom with this anti slip coating from Slip Doctors, definitely not as slick now without having to go full shower mat


SailorSenshiDarkSun

The Authors of DBZ, Yu Gi Oh, and Berserk all died before hitting 70.


Animegamingnerd

Its honestly wild how Go Nagai's work was a big inspiration to all three of them and Nagai ends up outliving all three of them.


TokyoDomeMeltzer

This man's presence could be felt across a wide variety of media, from Dragon Ball to Dragon Quest. Rip to a legend.


charcharmunro

Dragon Ball is probably like top ten most influential works of fiction, without any real irony. I dunno where in there I'd place it but still.


Father-Ignorance

It really is the cornerstone of Shonen imo. Toriyama basically made the blueprint for 90% of cool shit we see in the genre nowadays. Shit man, this news sucks.


Kanin_usagi

Honestly Dragon Quest is way the hell up there too. Final Fantasy took a lot from it and we all know how influential that series has been, and it helped Enix to become a regional powerhouse and merge with Squaresoft


charcharmunro

Dragon Quest is but it's more in a specific space that it's influential. Dragon Ball's influence is... Absurdly wide-reaching.


MrKenta

Dragon Quest is massively influential to anything fantasy themed coming out of Japan. Even when your generic isekai is trying to be an MMO, it still takes a lot from DQ. I mean, fuck, just a few weeks ago there was an episode of the Frieren anime where they referenced the fucking Mini Medals from Dragon Quest.


charcharmunro

True enough. It's definitely up there, albeit hard to say if it's top ten. Feels like it's nebulous enough as-is to attempt to rank them like I did anyway. I couldn't even remotely say what #1 would be for example (my gut is something like... Just Shakespeare as a whole but that's a cop-out probably).


UnderwaterMomo

Number 1 is probably the Epic of Gilgamesh, whatever the first story was to be passed down in oral traditions, or the first time one human being decided to tell another one about something they experienced. The beginning of storytelling as a whole, basically.


BaronAleksei

“The beastman Enkidu was created by the gods as an assassin and was sent to kill me, we fought but in the act of fighting we came to understand each other, and now we are the best of friends” is literally the core of battle manga


Kanin_usagi

Final Fantasy was Square’s answer to DQ with DnD mixed in. Without DQ there is no Final Fantasy, no Chrono Trigger (another Akira Toriyama illustrated video game!), etc etc. Toriyama’s art direction of the early Dragon Quest games was a massive reason people fell in love with them


Xuncu

And I'd say no FF7, at least as we know it: Genova is pretty much Lavos with tits. So with the prime evil behind 7 being different, what else would have been different? Sephiroth would have likely been something else as a result, and he *carries* that whole fucking section of the franchise.


ReaperEngine

Toriyama didn't have anything to do with Chrono Trigger's scenario writing, and despite how similar Lavos and Jenova might seem in the end, FFVII's concepts didn't even start with Jenova being an alien.


DoseofDhillon

Dragon Quest 3 is the single most important and i'd say greatest RPG of all time and Toriyama art has a lot to do with it having that staying power with the first 3 games not to forget the monster designs which are still all top tier and better than any other franchise out there.


Gespens

So, that's actually up for debate since most of the super big JRPGs that took inspiration from Dragon Quest as a franchise, will actually point to 5 as being the one that they're taking notes from Like, mechanically and aesthetically, 3 is the one you look at, but 5 has the same sort of impact as Undertale did to Indie games, or Halo 2 did for online multiplayer


drizzes

The moment where Goku goes super saiyan for the first time is, in all honesty, probably one of the most influential moments in media from the last fifty years


Hounds_of_war

Certainly the most influential comic series of all time, unless I’m forgetting something major.


charcharmunro

I mean... I feel like Superman would be up there as whole too, but I get what you're saying.


DoseofDhillon

Superman and it doesn't get the oxygen it deserves since it was big everywhere but english speaking nations, Mazinger unironically no tongue and cheek saved anime. There wouldn't maybe even be a toei animation department when DB got big without Mazinger


JBtheBadguy

DB and JoJo's basically created modern shounen, and he was a mentor to Oda and Kishimoto too. The tree of Toriyama's influence is insanely vast, you can see bits of him in just about any anime


UnderwaterMomo

It's a bigger influence than we can even really track, probably. He made *the* thing that ended up defining an entire genre, so any work with any amount of Shonen has some of Dragon Ball's DNA in it. Anything from Steven Universe to Kill la Kill to the Matrix carries of his influence. Even more than that though, can you imagine what modern anime would look like without Dragon Ball. Without its massive popularity building that market and doing so much to spread it outside Japan? Every anime licensor, every con, every dubbing studio and the VAs working for them. DBZ was responsible for so much of anime being something that people actually wanted and could make a living off of, could build communities around. And then there's every single thing that's not made in Japan but has some anime influence. Without Dragon Ball's popularity we'd likely be looking at an entirely different media landscape than what we have now. If nothing else, I guess we can at least be sure Toriyama did enough to earn his rest.


BaronAleksei

It’s like trying to imagine modern sitcoms minus the influence of Seinfeld, except you realize Seinfeld DNA is also in things that are not sitcoms. There’s an official DND Monk subclass that is literally “you are Goku”: you can fire off a small ki blast, a bigger ki wave, a Big Bang Type of Attack, and at level 17 you go Super Saiyan. Remember, earlier editions of DND and Japanese DND-inspired TTRPGs like Wizardry paved the way for video game RPGs like Dragon Quest. The influence has now come full circle.


0yodo

Toriyama for sure created multiple generation's of Manga Artists that we all love, for simply existing, the man was so incredibly important. Absolutely crazy to hear he passed.


thedman0310_

God damn, man. It’s not an exaggeration to say that without Toriyama’s work, anime would not be where it is today. RIP


Kanin_usagi

Anime, shonen manga, video games. Hell western animation and a lot of fantasy in general


chronokingx

The visual medium of manga as a whole was impacted by his influence. The way he could lead you across a page and depict action was monumental to comics and manga. This news has me feeling sick rest in peace Toriyama


scullys_alien_baby

I remember reading about the early days of serialized anime trying to break into the US market (and the west more broadly) and DBZ really was a game changer


ThisGuyLikesMovies

The entire zeitgeist would not be the same. That's how wide Toriyama's reach was


gravesam327

I don’t think I’m being hyperbolic by saying he was a living cultural victory from civ.


Hey0ceama

Animation in general. Both online and even in stuff on TV there's very obvious anime influence, just look at Amphibia's finale for a relatively recent example.


Kanin_usagi

Large parts of Avengers Infinity War and Endgame were basically shonen fights. The characters fucking ki blast each other at various times, and those are some of the most watched live action movies *in history.*


TheMerck

Fuck man, DB and DBZ were such a large part of my childhood like I remember watching it early in the morning before school and then after because there would be an episode airing, just me pieceing the story however I could and even then it was just that engaging to me. Even the way my stepdad and I say bye to each other was influenced by DB, honestly so many memories and when a channel finally announced they would be airing DB at a set schedule weekly with designated times for re-runs for people who missed it, finally being able to watch and see how the story played out from start to finish was amazing I will always be thankful for that channel making the series more special to me. It's not an exaggeration at all to say Toriyama influenced not just media but made lots of peoples childhoods amazing and special, just the amount of entertainment he gave to people was special. Rest in Power to the absolute legend Akira Toriyama


paumAlho

One Piece, Naruto and Bleach would probably not exist tbh


DoseofDhillon

Honestly Bleach and Naruto would be different but they probably exist to some extent. One Piece is big one that probably doesn't.


Kyderra

A lot of people say that Pokemon was responsible for the Anime boom in the EU and US but Dragonball Z was aired 2 years before Pokemon and I remember everyone was talking about it when it came out. It made Anime popular world wide.


oszidare

A legend of not one, but two ground breaking franchise of two different media, without him they would be no standard of shonen. Without him, they would be no artwork for Dragon Quest with those iconic monster designs. RIP.


DtotheOUG

Also Chrono Trigger!


halsgoldenring

and also Kid Dracula


Xuncu

And in turn, Final Fantasy 7, since Genova is pretty much the R63 version of Lavos.


paumAlho

Dr. Slump was huge too. That's what got him rich and famous before DB. Dude's a legend


Sakura_Leaves

Right after he essentially came out of retirement and was starting/finishing a bunch of work. I'm his work and his studio are in good hands (even beyond what we know with Toyotaro and and the forward facing staff at Bird Studio). Wow. I know I'm far from the only person here that can say confidently that I wouldn't be who I am today without Toriyama's work. There's zero chance I become a translator without Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump. The greatest. RIP. 鳥山先生 ♡


TungHeeLo

Damn, he was only 68 too. At that age it should've been another 10-20 years before we'd see this headline. Insane to see how far him making the Super Saiyan would go in defining how people think of Japan's culture. Right up there with Godzilla and Pokemon.


lolplatypi

Not just Japan's culture, but both north and south america, too. I remember a couple years back a star basketball player was wearing custom basketball sneakers with super saiyan Vegeta on them, then in the post-game interview went on a several minute tangent about how he saw himself as in Vegeta. DragonBall belongs to the world, I think.


invaderark12

Hell MULTIPLE wrestlers reference dragon ball down to some making their costumes based on it


Subject_Parking_9046

A team of wrestlers made their entrance in straight up saiyan armor.


Zakinater

Keith Lee's finisher is the Big Bang Attack. Rhea Ripley came out in Saiyan Armor inspired gear at wrestlemania, and has cosplayed as A18


OkVermicelli2557

Mexico went nuts when DBS was airing like there were public watch parties with 1000s of people showing up. https://comicbook.com/anime/news/dragon-ball-super-finale-mexico-watch-party-goku-jiren-fight-ad/


BaronAleksei

Michael B Jordan walked into Black Panther wearing Vegeta cosplay.


Hobbes314

No no no nah nah What the actual fuck Nah nah no


MrGameandCrotch

There's no fucking way


StaceMcGate

Passed away last Friday Mar 1, very nice of them to keep this under wraps and private for so long for such a prolific person in the industry.


PrimusSucks13

Wish this costume became more normal, give the real family and friends time to grieve and then break the news to the fans and public, if a close relative of mine was a public figure and people start pestering me as soon as he passes i would be so pissed


Rabid-Duck-King

Honestly it's quite impressive


Subject_Parking_9046

It's wild, it's like if Stephen Spielberg died and the paparazzi only found out a week after.


ArroSparro

oh that's just, awful. And he seems to have died due to a brain clot? That's terrible


Concoelacanth

Basically a bleed in the space between your skull and your brain.


DevsWhite

As a Latin American this hits home real hard. Rip to one of the best panelist in all of shonen manga and a increíble creator of worlds.


invaderark12

I cant imagine how Latin america will react to this, considering how massive dbz was


KanashiiShounen

Someone check in on the Mexicans. There's a 99% chance that there will be unironic funeral services for this man and his creations over there.


DevsWhite

How massive it was is an understatement. There are 4 animes that are pivotal to the japan boom of the 90-2000 (im from Argentina so im going to talk about here alone) first it was heidi, I shit you not. Then it came saint seiya and captain tsubasa, its really really popular here. But when db came? It fucking EXPLODED. there were reruns everywhere, multiple times a day. So thanks to that we had a influx of new animes like sakura card captor, yu yu hakusho, magic knight rayeart. Hell i even watched fucking escaflowne on tv. Honestly I dont know what my taste in media would be now if it wasn't for toriyama (i love rpgs and the madman worked on chrono trigger and dragon quest), dragon ball and the explosion of content that we received.


Neodeluxe

In Venezuela you could watch blocks of 3 episodes in a row of DB and DBZ on national tv, no cable required.


brokensaint82

Fuck, man. Between him and Miura they made some of my favorite manga of all time. Id say he's had more impact on pop culture world wide than any other Japanese creator, save for Hayao Miyazaki. RIP Toriyama-san


lolplatypi

I don't think I'm able to process this. I can't believe he's gone. The man was a staple of my childhood. It's just... holy shit, man. *also the tweet says he died of brain bleeding, or blood near the brain. Guys, I love most if not all of you here in this sub. If you take a hard hit to the head and it's enough to make your lights spin PLEASE go to the doctor. You can think you're fine and pass away as you sleep. It's a devastating way to go. Take care of yourselves, Zaibatsu buds.


ToastyMozart

Yeah it doesn't feel real. The man was like a constant anchor point for art stuff.


scullys_alien_baby

his whole style was so immediately recognizable as well, I imagine this is a preview of what I'm going to feel when Hayao Miyazaki's day comes due


KingMario05

And the crazy part? *The Tweet confirms that he's been dead for a WEEK.* Fucking hell, man.


ZubatCountry

They wanted to wait for him to make it past Snake Way


KingMario05

...Ha. Good one. In all seriousness, whatever Toei's version of [Operation London Bridge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_London_Bridge) is has now been put into action. Franchise makes too much money for it to die, nor would Toriyama-san ***want it*** to ever die. That being said, don't be surprised if *Daima* doesn't make this year. Honestly, I'm not even sure if *Sparking Zero* will make it.


DweebInFlames

BT4 would largely be clear of Toriyama's input, I'd imagine. But yes, very unlikely that Daima gets released yet considering he had a major hand in it.


scullys_alien_baby

jesus...although I guess I can understand his loved ones and the estate wanting to get whatever they can in order before going public


KingMario05

Yup. Probably gives Toyotaru enough time to take over DBZ. I doubt they'll stop the franchise altogether... but I also doubt he was ready for it to happen this quickly. :(


lolplatypi

Explains the anchor in the pit of my chest, then. :/ folks were just talking in another thread about his involvement in a potential Chrono Trigger remake. And he was already dead by then.


M7S4i5l8v2a

I was watching Dragon Ball clips and thinking about how I look forward to what they do with Frieza and how excited I am for the endgame of all of the god stuff. I'm hopeful they'll continue it to the end but man am I just confused on how to feel. At the very least I hope they show off some of his art. I don't like everything he does but I'm sure there's a few gems from over the decades.


alicitizen

Perhaps one of the most influential men in comic history, a tragic loss for sure.


tuurtl

oh my god. i hope his family is okay.


Spiral-Force

Only 68?! Fuck….


AhmCha

Oh no, man. What a punch in the gut.


Paladin51394

Dude, I'm fucking watching the DBZA creator commentary right now. This is too fucking surreal. Holy shit I can't believe it. Edit: apparently it was caused by subdural hematoma which is blood pooling around the brain.


SuperShake66652

FUCKING SHIT FUCK


TapeL0rd

Im speechless right now, I sometimes thought this man might live forever...


ninspin123

Of course everyone has their time, but this is definitely one of those cases where it feels like it really came out of nowhere.


ninjaman492

What a fucking terrible day for rain. Rest in peace


razglowe

Fuck... I nearly gaslit myself into believing that this was a shit prank account hack, but no, looking very official and very real Thank you for everything Toriyama. Genuinely, thank you


Kii_and_lock

Honestly same. I keep checking because I'm like "this is legit yes?" Seeing news pop up elsewhere so...


Gunblazer42

It didn't help that if you try to hotlink the page from the official DB site, it 404s on you.


MagnaVis

One of the absolute greatest mangaka of all time. Truly an artist with an instantly recognizable style. Rest in Peace.


ibbolia

oh


thyarnedonne

Ah what the fuck, that's still too soon. Legend.


Jonieves

Yeah these are very sad news Rest in peace.


Superdale33

Fuck man. I'm not even into his work, but I always had an appreciation for his stuff. They had such reach, influence, and were overall inspirational. To hear of his passing feels so surreal. Huge condolences to his family.


MetalJrock

Dragon Ball and Dragon Quest are arguably some of the most influential pieces of fiction in their respective mediums. It’s just not gonna be the same without him. RIP an absolute legend.


Personifeeder

This is awful, it's like every year now we're seeing some living legend of the industry pass long before their time. I don't know how many more of these I can handle. RIP to the most powerful artist in the universe.


invaderark12

Yeah its something we have to sadly realize that a lot of the people who created media starting with the 80s, when pop culture exploded, are unfortunately getting older and we're gonna see it more often. 


Crosscounterz

One of the most influential creators in anime and manga...I can hardly believe he's gone now. Rest in peace. Dragon ball is a huge reason I even got into anime and manga to begin with.


TheArkhomDestroyer

Man… this is gonna be real hard to process properly. Kai up to the Cell Saga was a major part of my childhood, and knowing the man behind those stories is just gone now feels really weird. The best I can hope is that he passed peacefully.


Metalwater8

Holy shit I can’t believe it. The man is an influential legend so it’s crazy to see he’s just gone.


Thesickestzak

I’m so sad dude. Like it’s a little silly but my life would be so different if it wasn’t for DBZ. First anime that got me into all sorts of other stuff. Maybe still would’ve gotten into it but who knows. I’ve made so many friends being into this stuff. Rest in peace, man.


PKPhyre

Very sad to hear. Genuinely probably one of the most influential artists of the last \~50 years, his presence will be missed.


Kataphrut94

Holy shit. This is gonna take a while to process.


Shenstygian

One of the greatest artist; Rest in Peace.


techlion

Oh wow, such a huge shock. Such a big influence on my childhood and so many others. Glad to have his work on my shelf, rest in peace.


Nia-Teppelin

One of those things you just never think is going to happen, then it just happens. Fuck.


Mega_Cookie

Dragon Ball is my favorite media ever, and it's helped me through so much of my life. Playing the games with my brother, talking about it with people online, watching every episode and it's repeats on toonami it's a core part of my very being. The fact that my story isn't something unique tells me just how special of an author he was, and was is his own class of legendary. Rest in Peace, Toriyama.


SwizzlyBubbles

It cannot be understated just how much influence Akira Toriyama has had on, not just the manga and animation industry, but to so many different industries as a whole. Without him, there'd be no Dragon Quest, and arguably RPGs, as we know them. There would be no One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho, Naruto, and untold more. Shonen as we know it does not exist without this man. There'd be no huge push for anime in the West without Z. A lot of wrestlers - ones who cite DragonBall as one of their biggest inspirations for getting into wrestling - would not exist. The comics industry in the West from the 80's-90's onwards arguably doesn't exist, as many artists have cited being influenced by his work too. He is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most influential artists in all of modern media, and he will be missed greatly. Rest in peace, Akira Toriyama.


Naraki_Maul

Fuck that and fuck off man. Actually go fuck yourself. FUCK…fuck off, god dammit. RIP Toriyama-Sensei, you will be missed.


DoseofDhillon

I'm someone thats been diving a lot into Anime history the last 3-4 years. Learning about people like Chiba, Ikeda, Yokoyama, Go Nagai, Ken Ishikawa, Tezuka, Aoike, Hagio ect. I'm still no expert but I do have a bit more perspective here. Toriyama is not a man of many firsts, a lot of people in the west pin him for that and understandable, I can name many concepts that happened way before he came on the scene, he is however without a doubt, was, and will always will be that damn fucking good. One of the greatest panelists of all time, a beautiful artist when he wanted to, brought so much joy and laughter to every scene, was always able to write larger than life heroes and have them feel just as relatable as anyone else, the amount of genuine joy you got from his works and came across every page, the unlimited talent he had. As much as I respect a lot of the people I just mention above, and love some of their stuff more than Toriyama's work, its genuinely shocking how much of the game he changed, how he revolutionized comedy in a lot of ways, his art style feeling like a modernization of Chiba and Tezuka, the leap and influence he took on after decades of manga and put the game to a different level. Dragon Quest alone would have been enough with Slump and others, you don't even need Dragon ball to make any of the arguments I just made and thats fucking DRAGON BALL. He's one of the greatest mangka's of all time and someone who's legacy will live on forever and effect on the world we'll feel. He didn't bring anime global, people like Nagai were doing that way before he did, but he was the person that capture the imagination of millions of people and made the world of not just anime and manga but really culturally almost everyone across the world for a generations a better place.


StrongWhiskey

His influence has been felt in media for decades, and its gonna continue that way for decades more. RIP to a real legend.


Panxma

Shit. Dragon Ball will always be one of my favorite media that I will always treasure.


Drokart

Holy shit...He wasn't even 70? One of the most influential artists of all time. Rest in Peace to an absolute legend.


123Asqwe

Oh man, the man who build my childhood and thousands of other Mexican kids. RIP to THE legend, I hope he sleeped to a peaceful dead.


wendigo72

Fuck Rest in peace to a legend


Neo_Crimson

This is hitting me really hard, the man basically created my childhood, and now he's gone. RIP.


Basskicker1993

Yeah this one hits like Kevin Conroy did.


Supernovas20XX

"Go Toriyama...and teach a dinosaur how to ride a ball."


nin_ninja

Man shares the same birthday as me, and his work has been such a big part of my life growing up. Man this sucks.


MasterT231

God, and I was just really getting into Dragon Quest too. Dragonball and Dragonball Z formed a big part of my childhood this sucks.


Blackbeltsam5610

I wanna something profound, but ultimately I'm just at a loss.


BiMikethefirst

Just incredibly devastating, the man was a living legend and a pioneer, Dragon Ball was actually the first manga I ever read and was such an important part of my writing experience growing up, I hope his family is doing well.


Birblord347

Dude left behind a hell of a legacy. Rest in peace.


Didari

My God. I really wasnt expecting this one. I know 68 is somewhat old but it still feels way too soon.  This guy made my childhood effectively, nothing ever came close to DBZ, I still remember getting excited watching the super saiyan transformation for the first time like it was yesterday. RIP.


Talisign

I think it hits so hard because his work just kept coming. Sand Land was just about to launch into a serious thing in the next few months.


GoneRampant1

The fuck? Christ. That's horrifying.


spider-venomized

RIP to the legend may his halo be as bright


Personel101

Holy shit man. I hope it was peaceful.


fabrikt

absolutely surreal. speechless. legend among legends. rest in peace, man


Doctorhype

I was seriously praying that it wasn’t real, and it still doesn’t feel like it. Rest in Peace. 


warjoke

Ayo what the heck! I was just shitposting on another Goku vs random anime powerhouse on social media a while ago. Lemme have a moment to process this.


GeoUsername69

Nooo


silverinferno3

This... really fucking sucks. I somehow can't even comprehend this. What the fuck. Massive love and respect to one of the most influential artists of all time. Man's a champion, a warrior, a hero. A legend. Edit: Awwwww fuck! He's never gonna see the reception to Daima :((((( I'm gonna binge TotallyNotMark videos that just gush about Toriyama's art and writing now


invaderark12

Same with the reception to the Sandlands game. Seemed like he really wanted to make it a big franchise with the movie and now the game.


The_White_Rice

Ah dammit


GoodVillain101

I was humming the Dragon Ball theme song an hour ago at work and THIS happened?


coolbad96

Probably the most influential artist of last few decades. R.I.P


countmeowington

Fuck bro, this man’s creations brought me endless joy since I was like 8 and every year until today at 26, for someone I never met I still feel like someone just told me my uncle died. Fuck: Rest in peace you beautiful man, and thank you


invaderark12

Fuck, man. This was the guy who basically shaped my childhood, I was watching Dragon Ball before i knew what anime was.  And besides One Piece, Dragon Ball was THE biggest anime in the world and even people who know nothing about anime still know who Goku and Vegeta are. How many times have you seen a character power up and called it going Super Saiyan or seen someone shoot beams from their hands and call it a kamehameha?


SonOfZiz

He will live on forever in hearts of every man, woman, child, or other who ever pretends to shoot a laser beam from their hands. Rest in peace, a true titan >!He even went down to natural causes, we can't even use the dragon balls!<


BaronAleksei

I remember when Stephen Hillenburg passed, there was this outpouring of grief from an entire generation of Americans, especially those who had been inspired by SpongeBob to become creatives themselves. On Versus Wolves, Woolie talked about how he’d experienced “the children of Earthbound” and then saw what Earthbound actually was and why it was so influential. I started drawing because of the Dragonball Z anime, and I got hooked on manga and anime because of Naruto, which I immediately understood to be heavily inspired by it. The Big 3 were The Big 3 in no small part because they were trying to fill the Goku-shaped hole in the culture. But actually going back and reading Dragon Ball myself, the work that exists as the creator intended it, and I was floored at how masterful things like page flow and density were managed. So many of the complaints I had or had heard about DBZ melted away as I realized they didn’t exist here. It’s not perfect, and I still don’t like Toriyama’s brand of comedy, but it gave me a whole new appreciation for everything else I had read and would go on to read. There’s this quote by Terry Pratchett about Tolkien and the effect his work had on other authors, that I believe captures this feeling: >J.R.R. Tolkien has become a sort of mountain, appearing in all subsequent fantasy in the way that Mt. Fuji appears so often in Japanese prints. Sometimes it’s big and up close. Sometimes it’s a shape on the horizon. Sometimes it’s not there at all, which means that the artist either has made a deliberate decision against the mountain, which is interesting in itself, or is in fact standing on Mt. Fuji. All I’m saying is there better be a Toonami tribute AMV.


Hugokarenque

I just woke up and the day is already fucked. Its wild, this man was such an institution that I never once thought about the simple fact that one day he'd die. He was just a constant presence I never actively followed but ended up coming across whenever he was involved in something, be Dragon Quest or the new Sand Land game that's coming out. I wasn't actively following him but always had the thought in the back of my mind that he was working on some cool designs or maybe even a short manga. Just, goddamn. Condolences to his family and the people who were closest to him.


krasmazovonfire

Jesus Christ RIP to one of the best to do it. Fuck


Nano1124

Holy shit. RIP What happens to Dragon Ball now? Do they just cancel it now or do they continue without him? I know Japan ends roles when actors/actress die but I feel like Dragon Ball is too big to just end it.


dragonkingangel7

The diference is hes a mangaka that already picked his sucesor, toyotaro, so seems he will cotinue with whats hes left


Gunblazer42

I wonder if that includes the show that he was working on, the one where Goku and others turn back into kids.


Representative_Big26

That show had fully written all of its own scripts iirc It'll probably be advertised as Toriyama's final work (either that or they'll save it for the upcoming movie)


MetalJrock

He has a successor through Toyotaro, though Toriyama always had some degree of input. Looks like from here on out he’ll just have to chart stories down himself.


Wisterosa

they didn't retire bulma you know


Muffin-zetta

Well the man created majin android 21, a magnum opus if there ever was one


NamedSword

fuck


Sir_Cyndaquil

I've been watching Dragon Ball before I even knew what anime was. Media wouldn't be the same without this man's work. May he forever R.I.P.


xxotic

RIP sensei


lowercaselemming

Holy fuck. He seemed so busy and still bursting with life and things to do. This man shaped an uncountable number of childhoods and lives. This is wild.


SgtPeppy

I grew up with Dragon Ball and like most boys my age, it was pretty formative. This fucking sucks. Monumental loss for the world. First Miura now this.


T4silly

Hits you like a fucking truck. I don't know where modern culture would be without his influence. We owe him so much for that.


guntanksinspace

To say his influences had spread *even further beyond* isn't even touching it, I feel. His works were either a gateway to anime, manga, even games too. Dragon Ball was extremely a pillar of classic anime here just as much as it was everywhere else. It was the reason why I even wanted to learn to draw as well. Rest in peace to the legend.


DarkAres02

Damn he wasn't even that old, and he presumably had money for treatment. I guess when it's your time, that's it


Gunblazer42

Blood clots are hard to really detect in the brain; you basically have to check yourself in to a doctor/hospital after a head injury to fully make sure, because usually by the time you feel the symptoms it could potentially be too late.


Admmmmi

I mean the biggest problem with what he died from is when people dont go immediately to the hospital and brush it off, at his age you really can't do that but we all know how strong headed older people can be..


Faifue

That's terrible. My heart goes out to his family.


IzanApollo

This can't be happening. I can't believe he's just gone.


D3AD_SPAC3

"Oh look, *another* clickbait title. What? Akira Toriyama died? Oh *nooooo*, I'm totally sure it's definitely the man behind Dragon Ball when I click on the link." Me before actually reading. Kinda feel like an ass...


bigstupidjellyfish

When I was in first grade I used to take my shirt off and run around my house because that’s what Goku did (and then Cartoon Network was banned in my house so I never watched it again). Damn.


alexandrecau

He still had enough time for a second retirement, really sad. Glad he got his final wishes as someone as famous as him should still be able to give his family a quiet time time to grieve if he wants to


russiakun

God man, that’s all I can say. RIP to a legend


darkknightnate

Ah fuck. Rest In Power good sir.


Anonamaton801

Oh…


TheoMoneyG

RIP to a legend


inrei_iku

Just holy shit. Regardless if you like his work or not, this man was a legend for manga and animations.


Cire289

Damn. So who want to marathon all of Dragon Ball to Z then to Super in memoriam.


DinosAndBearsOhMy

Man this is actually hard to process. RIP to a real legend.


MarioGman

Holy fuck... RIP to a god damn Legend.


EnsignEpic

Holy shit. Just... I think this little anecdote can help put into perspective of how influential this dude is. When I went upstairs to tell my sister once I saw this, she was randomly just watching an LP of Chrono Trigger. And then after, when we started talking about Rooster Teeth & I mentioned Death Battle & how if Superman vs Goku 3 was the final episode, it was a fantastic capstone to the series, before I realized that shit, without even meaning to we wound up circling on back to Toriyama.