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After the news about Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama's death broke out, Italian Football Club AC Milan posted a tweet of their players Rafael Leão and Theo Hernández performing the iconic fusion dance to honor the manga creator's legacy.
On Friday, March 8, 2024, Bird Studio and Capsule Corporation Tokyo announced the world about Akira Toriyama's death through Dragon Ball's official website. The manga creator had seemingly died a week ago on March 1, 2024, at 68 due to acute subdural hematoma.
AC Milan honors late Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama
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On March 8, 2024, hours after the news about Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama's death was announced, Italian Seria A Football Club AC Milan posted a message through their official X account.
The tweet expressed how they would try tackling life with as much energy as the franchise's protagonist Son Goku. They shared that they loved every minute of the series and wished that the manga creator repose in peace.
The football club posted this message with a picture of their players performing the iconic fusion dance as an after-goal celebration. The two players in the picture are Portuguese Left-Winger Rafael Leão and French Left-Back Theo Hernández. They did this celebration following a goal against AC Monza on October 22, 2022.
Not only that, the post also asked fans what would be the name of Rafael Leão and Theo Hernández's fusion.
AC Milan's post asked this to fans:
"Vegeth or Theão?"
The pictures for the post also made use of AI to make the two players look similar to franchise protagonist Son Goku.
How fans reacted to the post
One fan pointed out how the post's caption "We'll try tackling life with as much energy as Goku!" was directly derived from an author's comment that Toriyama had released quite some time ago.
The original comment stated:
"Tackle life with as much energy as Goku! I'll try to do the same!"
Fans loved AC Milan for posting a tribute post for Akira Toriyama as they loved the manga creator. Many fans even started calling AC Milan the best football club for recognizing an animanga industry great like Akira Toriyama.
Some fans even felt envious that their own favorite football clubs did not make a similar post. However, they were also happy that Toriyama was receiving all the love he deserved. Lastly, some fans showered the players in the picture with some love, especially the Portuguese Left-Winger Rafael Leão.
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