The creator of the iconic Dragon Ball franchise, Akira Toriyama, has passed away at the age of 68. He is widely considered one of the most influential figures in all of fiction and a pivotal figure when it comes to action stories.
News of his passing came as a complete and sudden shock to everyone. However, now that the news is out, millions across the globe are mourning the loss of the man who defined many of our childhoods.
Toriyama's influence wasn't just limited to anime and manga. His influence reached out far and wide, as he was one of the main inspirations for Final Fantasy. "I was personally a huge Akira Toriyama fan, and I read the Weekly Jump Magazines every week," said the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi. He added how Dragon Quest was also a massive inspiration for his own game.
"I can't believe he is gone," tweeted Dragon Quest creator and Chrono Trigger writer Yuji Horii, "I am at a loss for words."
Akira Toriyama was responsible for the designs of the iconic blue slimes and the protagonists from Dragon Quest. It goes without saying, but every single Dragon Ball videogame(there are dozens) is owed to him as well. All these communities are currently mourning in their respective ways.
The Final Fantasy XXIV community held vigils for Akira Toriyama where dozens and hundreds of players would stand in lines on various servers to pay their respects. They'd play music from the Dragon Ball Z anime, and the public chat would be full of discussions and fond memories they had with Toriyama's works.
Meanwhile, Japanese players have gathered around in Dragon Quest 10 to hold similar vigils for the mangaka. Furthermore, old DBZ games with multiplayer lobbies can now be found with players performing poses such as the Spirit Bomb pose to pay tribute.
The loss of Toriyama isn't merely felt by gamers as other celebrities and mangakas, such as Jackie Chan and Eichiro Oda, mourned the passing and shared how Toriyama influenced them.
Toriyama will go down in history as one of the all-time greats when it comes to art and storytelling. His legacy will not be forgotten. Rest in peace sensei.
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