R.I.P. Akira Toriyama, 1955-2024
March 8, 2024 5:46 AM Subscribe
Ah. Fond memories of hanging out with friend after high school classes, DBZ in the background and filling out shadowrun and d&d character sheets. Pretty sure at least some of his creations rubbed off on us all
posted by AngelWuff at 6:19 AM on March 8 [3 favorites]
posted by AngelWuff at 6:19 AM on March 8 [3 favorites]
"Acute subdural hematoma" is basically that he fell and hit his head hard and in a bad place. The fact he was 68 may have contributed, but at the same time head injuries are nothing to screw with.
Rumors have it that he was working on Dragon Ball stuff recently with joy, after years of hating it for how it came to dominate his life, so that's nice to hear - that he was rediscovering fun.
posted by mephron at 6:26 AM on March 8 [8 favorites]
Rumors have it that he was working on Dragon Ball stuff recently with joy, after years of hating it for how it came to dominate his life, so that's nice to hear - that he was rediscovering fun.
posted by mephron at 6:26 AM on March 8 [8 favorites]
A man whose work is so influential and beloved that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China officially expressed condolences for his death. It’s hard to overstate how much of an impact Toriyama has had on world pop culture over the last 40 years.
posted by star gentle uterus at 6:27 AM on March 8 [13 favorites]
posted by star gentle uterus at 6:27 AM on March 8 [13 favorites]
His art infused so many things I loved as a kid (and still love). Icon.
posted by Zargon X at 6:40 AM on March 8 [1 favorite]
posted by Zargon X at 6:40 AM on March 8 [1 favorite]
I was never a Dragon Ball fan, but I recognize Toriyama as a towering cultural figure—possibly the most influential mangaka after Tezuka—so I'm pretty bummed.
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posted by Faint of Butt at 6:45 AM on March 8 [4 favorites]
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posted by Faint of Butt at 6:45 AM on March 8 [4 favorites]
I never got into DBZ, so this is my main point of reference for the series. If it made Joe Pera happy, it had to have been good. RIP.
posted by pxe2000 at 7:13 AM on March 8
posted by pxe2000 at 7:13 AM on March 8
My husband and I bonded over DBZ when we were dating. We were so obsessed it got the point where I was printing out fan-translated manga and fan-subbed episodes so we could see what was cut out in the televised Funimation episodes. Then we went back and watched Dragon Ball. I've got a giant Shenron in my office, next to a Funko Pop of my favorite character, Piccolo.
When we had kids, we introduced them to Dragon Ball too. My older son is now an anime fanatic. There was something about DBZ--as ridiculous as it often was--that really captivated us. My husband is all about Vegeta's (mostly) redemptive arc. Piccolo is the best father Gohan ever had. Toriyama brought us a lot of joy.
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posted by ceejaytee at 7:14 AM on March 8 [7 favorites]
When we had kids, we introduced them to Dragon Ball too. My older son is now an anime fanatic. There was something about DBZ--as ridiculous as it often was--that really captivated us. My husband is all about Vegeta's (mostly) redemptive arc. Piccolo is the best father Gohan ever had. Toriyama brought us a lot of joy.
🟠🟠🟠
🟠🐉🟠
🟠🔥🟠
posted by ceejaytee at 7:14 AM on March 8 [7 favorites]
I watched DBZ on Adult Swim in the early aughts for a while. I enjoyed it ironically, but I did enjoy it. It was pretty much the face of anime at the time. Also, I understand that while Goku never really changed, everyone around him did, which is something.
posted by Spike Glee at 7:18 AM on March 8
posted by Spike Glee at 7:18 AM on March 8
This username is based on a li’l monster character he created for Chrono Trigger and has been my online identity for something like 20 years now. As I’ve gotten older that’s gotten more complicated and I’ve started to use some other usernames - some of Toriyama’s art was pretty racist and I’ve wanted usernames not tied to another human’s creative works - but I can’t deny the outsized impact his art has had on my life. DBZ was the first stuff I was getting off IRC DCC servers (what’s up any old DALnet anime friends) and was a gateway to a tremendous number of touchstones.
It’s been fun seeing his character designs and dialogues popping up in my feeds this morning, and reading the stories of how his works have impacted so many of our lives.
posted by curious nu at 7:28 AM on March 8 [3 favorites]
It’s been fun seeing his character designs and dialogues popping up in my feeds this morning, and reading the stories of how his works have impacted so many of our lives.
posted by curious nu at 7:28 AM on March 8 [3 favorites]
It’s also a testament to his greatness that being the artist for Chrono Trigger and the Dragon Quest series alone would be enough to make someone a legend but for him that’s basically a side gig.
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:40 AM on March 8 [9 favorites]
posted by star gentle uterus at 7:40 AM on March 8 [9 favorites]
When I heard the news last night, I thought about sharing it here, but I couldn't do it. I was too stunned and didn't know what to say.
Dragon Ball wasn't my first exposure to anime, but it was an early one which has stuck with me. I'm an even bigger fan of Dragon Quest, and have numerous figures of characters and monsters from the series, plus plushies and other merch featuring the iconic Slime. I'm playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon right now, and the amount of Dragon Quest love in that game is delightful. DQ fans lost Koichi Sugiyama in 2021, but that left me and many others with mixed feelings, for good reason. Toriyama-sensei, though? This one genuinely hurts.
There's going to be some incredible retrospectives online in the coming weeks. He was a giant, largely responsible for Shonen Jump becoming the most popular comics periodical in the world. Currently, his single-volume manga Sand Land (which, if I remember right, he drew entirely without assistants in 2000) has an ongoing multimedia project, there's been a new Dragon Ball spinoff in the works, and of course, Dragon Quest is ever ongoing. Thinking of his family, friends, and Bird Studio today.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:47 AM on March 8 [6 favorites]
Dragon Ball wasn't my first exposure to anime, but it was an early one which has stuck with me. I'm an even bigger fan of Dragon Quest, and have numerous figures of characters and monsters from the series, plus plushies and other merch featuring the iconic Slime. I'm playing Yakuza: Like a Dragon right now, and the amount of Dragon Quest love in that game is delightful. DQ fans lost Koichi Sugiyama in 2021, but that left me and many others with mixed feelings, for good reason. Toriyama-sensei, though? This one genuinely hurts.
There's going to be some incredible retrospectives online in the coming weeks. He was a giant, largely responsible for Shonen Jump becoming the most popular comics periodical in the world. Currently, his single-volume manga Sand Land (which, if I remember right, he drew entirely without assistants in 2000) has an ongoing multimedia project, there's been a new Dragon Ball spinoff in the works, and of course, Dragon Quest is ever ongoing. Thinking of his family, friends, and Bird Studio today.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:47 AM on March 8 [6 favorites]
My younger kid and I have been playing Dragon Quest XI these days and he's watched a bit of Dragon Ball as well so I was pretty shocked when I read about this last night and he was similarly shocked when I told him this morning. 68 isn't even that old. I figured with someone with such a large influence he'd be older but I guess he was pretty young when he first broke out.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 8:35 AM on March 8
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 8:35 AM on March 8
Dragon Ball was so formative for me growing up. I recently rewatched Dragon Ball Z Abridged and still love how a silly fan project turned into such a well-done parody/love letter to the entire series. Here's hoping he's hanging out with King Kai as we speak.
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posted by lock robster at 8:54 AM on March 8 [1 favorite]
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posted by lock robster at 8:54 AM on March 8 [1 favorite]
I wasn't a Dragon Ball fan growing up, I guess I was a little old for it at the time. I was, though, hugely into Dr. Slump, and was immediately charmed.
Farewell, Toriyama-sensei.
posted by northtwilight at 9:26 AM on March 8 [2 favorites]
Farewell, Toriyama-sensei.
posted by northtwilight at 9:26 AM on March 8 [2 favorites]
the memorial service should start with an announcer saying that the planet will blow up in 10 minutes, followed by two bemuscled dudes yelling at each other for 24 minutes, followed by a break, followed by the announcer saying that the planet will blow up in 8 minutes, followed by the two dudes yelling for another 24 minutes, and so forth
i say this with love
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:36 AM on March 8 [12 favorites]
i say this with love
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:36 AM on March 8 [12 favorites]
"Acute subdural hematoma" is basically that he fell and hit his head hard and in a bad place.
This isn’t even necessary! My stepdad had a subdural hematoma for which there was no explanation- no head injury at all, or at least none severe enough to even have noticed at the time. Fortunately it was detected and treated in time (the treatment requiring the temporary removal of some skull bone in order to get in and vacuum out the clotting), with no lasting effects other than a wicked scar.
The blood vessels just start to get thin! And if one pops, which might not take very much jostling at all if you’re unlucky, it can be very dangerous indeed.
posted by notoriety public at 9:43 AM on March 8 [4 favorites]
This isn’t even necessary! My stepdad had a subdural hematoma for which there was no explanation- no head injury at all, or at least none severe enough to even have noticed at the time. Fortunately it was detected and treated in time (the treatment requiring the temporary removal of some skull bone in order to get in and vacuum out the clotting), with no lasting effects other than a wicked scar.
The blood vessels just start to get thin! And if one pops, which might not take very much jostling at all if you’re unlucky, it can be very dangerous indeed.
posted by notoriety public at 9:43 AM on March 8 [4 favorites]
What a legend. Dragonball Z was so huge for me as a kid. My first website, DBZMogul.com, was a DBZ fansite. I spent hours writing summaries for each saga and trolling other fansites for the best images to steal and put up on my own website. According to my counter, at least 100 people visited. I can still draw Goku's face from pure muscle memory. I don't really know much about Toriyama as a person, and I guess I kind of appreciate that these days. I just know he's who I can thank for all the memories.
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posted by TurnKey at 9:43 AM on March 8 [5 favorites]
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posted by TurnKey at 9:43 AM on March 8 [5 favorites]
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posted by Going To Maine at 9:45 AM on March 8
posted by Going To Maine at 9:45 AM on March 8
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posted by JoeXIII007 at 9:51 AM on March 8
posted by JoeXIII007 at 9:51 AM on March 8
> the memorial service should start with an announcer saying that the planet will blow up in 10 minutes, followed by two bemuscled dudes yelling at each other for 24 minutes [...]
a friend to whom i've mentioned this notes that each yelling session should start with a long recap of the previous yelling session
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:57 AM on March 8 [6 favorites]
a friend to whom i've mentioned this notes that each yelling session should start with a long recap of the previous yelling session
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 9:57 AM on March 8 [6 favorites]
One of the great artists in history. His work and influenced have reached and inspired more people and other works than most artists ever will. He may have passed but he can never be gone so long as people are around to make art.
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:33 AM on March 8
posted by GoblinHoney at 10:33 AM on March 8
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posted by Joey Michaels at 11:45 AM on March 8
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:45 AM on March 8
🔮
(context-appropriate '.'?)
DBZ was my gateway anime; I have fond memories of watching random clips of its fight scenes in postage-stamp sized RealPlayer popup windows in my middle/high school media center during study hall. Chrono Trigger was one of my earlier JRPGs, as well.
A legend who will be greatly missed.
posted by cyrusdogstar at 12:00 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
(context-appropriate '.'?)
DBZ was my gateway anime; I have fond memories of watching random clips of its fight scenes in postage-stamp sized RealPlayer popup windows in my middle/high school media center during study hall. Chrono Trigger was one of my earlier JRPGs, as well.
A legend who will be greatly missed.
posted by cyrusdogstar at 12:00 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
I love when an artist has such a distinctive way with things that you can see their hand immediately in work, as well as derived work. Distinctive, fun, inviting visual language. 100% iconic.
I didn't come to an appreciation of DBZ until a little later in life, when I took count of how many of my friends from struggling families took Goku into their hearts as a masculine role model, and kept him there well into adulthood to their great benefit. You can talk about the impact on art - that's real and a lot to be proud of - but I think Dragon Ball continues to have a huge direct impact on the emotional orientation of lot of people who really need it.
I know he had mixed feelings about the thing as a work, but I hope he was proud of that much. I know a lot of people who are wishing they could tell him right now.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 12:34 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
I didn't come to an appreciation of DBZ until a little later in life, when I took count of how many of my friends from struggling families took Goku into their hearts as a masculine role model, and kept him there well into adulthood to their great benefit. You can talk about the impact on art - that's real and a lot to be proud of - but I think Dragon Ball continues to have a huge direct impact on the emotional orientation of lot of people who really need it.
I know he had mixed feelings about the thing as a work, but I hope he was proud of that much. I know a lot of people who are wishing they could tell him right now.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 12:34 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
I've never been a DBZ fan (nothing against it, I've just never really watched it, just been aware of it by cultural osmosis), but yeah, Toriyama's visual style is so distinctive that once you've seen it, it's impossible not to recognize it across different media and time periods, which is the mark of a great artist. Also, I've appreciated a lot of the stories and sketches and stuff that have shown up online since last night, it seems like he also had a great sense of humor.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:42 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 12:42 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
"Acute subdural hematoma" is basically that he fell and hit his head hard and in a bad place. The fact he was 68 may have contributed, but at the same time head injuries are nothing to screw with.
He shouldn't have been working out in the gravity chamber at such an advanced age. That thing is dangerous!
posted by Literaryhero at 2:04 PM on March 8
He shouldn't have been working out in the gravity chamber at such an advanced age. That thing is dangerous!
posted by Literaryhero at 2:04 PM on March 8
I loved Sand Land. And my father also died of a subdural hematoma, so really sorry to hear that's how Toriyama passed. So long, Sensei, and thanks for all the stories.
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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 4:30 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 4:30 PM on March 8 [1 favorite]
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posted by dragonplayer at 7:47 AM on March 9
posted by dragonplayer at 7:47 AM on March 9
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posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 3:59 AM on March 10
posted by Lesser Spotted Potoroo at 3:59 AM on March 10
. (and maybe also 悟, but mainly .)
posted by adekllny at 8:14 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
posted by adekllny at 8:14 AM on March 12 [1 favorite]
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posted by seanmpuckett at 6:10 AM on March 8