Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama's death has Eiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto, and other mangakas mourning

On Friday, March 8, 2024, the official website of the Dragon Ball franchise informed fans about manga creator Akira Toriyama's death. Bird Studio and Capsule Corporation Tokyo announced with a heavy heart that the manga creator passed away a week ago on March 1, 2024, due to acute subdural hematoma at the age of 68.

Following the announcement of the death, the entire animanga community was left shaken as fans expressed their grief upon hearing the news. But it was not just the fans but also manga creators who expressed their sorrow. Some of the biggest names amongst them were Naruto and One Piece manga creators Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda, respectively.

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Kishimoto, Oda, and other mangakas mourn Akira Toriyama's death

Following the news about Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama's death, Shueisha released an obituary on the Shonen Jump's official website. Through that, Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda, creators of Naruto and One Piece, respectively, released their comments on Akira Toriyama's death.

Masashi Kishimoto expressed how he loved Toriyama's works since the lower grades of elementary school and was left saddened when Dragon Ball ended in his upper grades. He viewed Toriyama as his teacher and wished to create a great series like Dragon Ball. Later in life, when he finally met Toriyama for the first time, he was left speechless and it took him some time before he could speak to him properly.

Hearing the news about his death had left Kishimoto shaken as he couldn't process the same. With that, he thanked Toriyama for his exciting works in the past 45 years and expressed his condolences to his family.

Meanwhile, Eiichiro Oda expressed how he was filled with sadness at the thought of never seeing Toriyama again. He remembers the days when Toriyama called himself and Kishimoto by their first names and referred to them as his "friends." Oda then praised Toriyama for his work as he changed the manga industry. The closer he got to Toriyama's works, the more he realized their greater presence.

With that, he expressed his respect and gratitude for Toriyama's works and prayed for his repose in peace. He wished that heaven be as pleasant as he envisioned it through his works.

One Punch Man and Spy x Family mangakas comment on Akira Toriyama's death (Image via Sportskeeda/X)

Those comments were followed by comments from several manga creators. One Punch Man manga artist Yusuke Murata expressed his grief after hearing the news through a tweet. He conveyed how he learned so many unique things from Akira Toriyama. With that, he prayed for his soul to rest in peace.

He later added how he still could not believe the news about Akira Toriyama's death. He expressed how that could be because Toriyama was a star in the heavens long before his death.

Meanwhile, Spy X Family manga creator Tatsuya Endo expressed how if it weren't for Akira Toriyama, he would not have aimed to become a manga artist. Even now, he perceives "the reader's position" by thinking back to the time when he excitedly looked forward to Dragon Ball every week. With that, Tatsuya Endo prayed for the repose of Toriyama's soul.

Blue Lock manga artist reacting to Akira Toriyama's death (Image via Sportskeeda/X)

Blue Lock manga artist Yusuke Nomura prayed for Akira Toriyama's soul, but could not believe the news as he was only 68 years old at the time of his death.

Nomura then revealed how happy he used to be when his friends complimented him for his copied drawings of Dragon Ball back when he was in elementary school. Hence, he believed that his time reading old Jump books at his grandmother's house was what may have led him to where he is today as a manga artist.

Slam Dunk and Bungo Stray Dogs creators comment on Akira Toriyama's death (Image via Sportskeeda/X)

Some of the other notable manga creators to comment were Takehiko Inoue and Kafka Asagiri. Takehiko Inoue, the creator of Slam Dunk, Vagabond, and Real could not accept that Akira Toriyama had passed away. He thanked the manga creator for his works.

Meanwhile, Kakfa Assagiri, the manga writer for Bungo Stray Dogs, expressed how Akira Toriyama's presence was so huge in his heart that he was shaken by the news of his death. He prayed for the manga creator's soul from the bottom of his heart.

Other than that, several voice actors also commented on Akira Toriyama's death, the most major one being Son Goku's Japanese Voice Actor Masako Nozawa who expressed that she was not in a state to comment.

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