Naruto Creator Remembers ‘God Of Manga’ Akira Toriyama – News18

The manga fans around the world were left shocked after the sudden death of Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama. Akira Toriyama died at the age of 68. Toriyama’s production company Bird Studio said in a statement that he died after developing a blood clot in his brain. He was best known for creating iconic manga series like Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball. He is also credited with developing characters for games such as The Blue Dragon, Dragon Quest, and Chrono Trigger. Tributes poured out for Toriyama from around the world. Recently, Masashi Kishimoto, best known for creating Naruto, shared a long statement on the death of Toriyama.

In a heartfelt post, Kishimoto started by expressing his love for Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball and said that Toriyama’s manga comics helped him go through hard times in his childhood. He wrote, “I grew up with his manga, Dr. Slump in the lower grades of elementary school and Dragon Ball in the upper grades, and it was natural for me to have his manga as a part of my life. Even when I was having a bad day, the weekly Dragon Ball made me forget about it. As a country boy with nothing, that was a relief to me.”

Kishimoto said that he was distraught when the Dragon Ball series wrapped up in 1995. However, Kishimoto dedicated to start his career in manga after being inspired by Toriyama. Talking about Toriyama’s indirect mentorship, the Naruto creator wrote, “By following him, I was able to find new enjoyment. Sensei was always my guide. I may be annoying to him, but I am grateful to him. For me, he was truly the God of salvation and the God of manga.”

He recalled his first meeting with Toriyama and wrote, “When I first met him, I was too nervous to say a single word. But after meeting him many times at the Tezuka Award judging, I became able to talk. I will never forget the slightly embarrassed smile on his face when I and Mr. Oda (manga artist Eiichiro Oda) talked excitedly about how Dragon Ball was fun, as if we were children again.” He wrote after getting the news of Toriyama’s passing and feeling a “tremendous sense of loss, more than when Dragon Ball ended.”

Toriyama still had unfinished work at the time of his death. His studio said in a statement, “It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm. He would have had many more things to achieve.”