"Akira Toriyama's work has forever affected my life" - Noah Lyles pays tribute to Japanese manga artist on his death

Six-time World Champion Noah Lyles recently paid tribute to Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama after his death. Toriyama breathed his last on March 1 at the age of 68 due to subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain.

Toriyama was the major creator of the anime series Dragon Ball which debuted in 1984 and has a special place among millions across the world. Speaking about his famous anime series during an interview with Japanese newspaper Asahi Toriyama stated that he didn't have any idea how the series became so famous.

Lyles himself has been a big fan of Goku, the main protagonist of the series. He admitted in the past that he tried to bring the fierce nature of Goku while he competed.

Besides that, Noah Lyles has been seen imitating the hand gesture of Goku numerous times after winning a sprint. He had also dyed his hair silver in the past to characterize the ultra-instinct form of Goku.

Owing to his craziness for the character and love for the show, Lyles took to X (formerly Twitter) to pay tribute to the legendary artist. He posted a collage of pictures portraying the hand gestures of Goku with the caption:

"So sad to lose a legend Akira Toriyama. Ik his work has forever affected my life."

Besides Lyles, various other athletes such as Lebron James have expressed their condolences for this sad demise of the legendary manga artist.

Noah Lyles discusses how to be marketable

Even though Noah Lyles missed the opportunity to win two gold medals at the 2024 World Indoor Athletics Championships, he has learned some lessons regarding the marketability of athletes. He recently took to X (formerly Twitter) to express how an athlete can increase his marketability.

Lyles' comments after Catarina Guimaraes, an American athlete and World Cup champion, asked him about this via the same social media platform.

The six-time World Champion replied:

"That is a great question. Taking public speaking classes and learning to get comfortable with the camera and questioning. Find out what is your why. Why do you do this and Who might relate to that? Make sure you’re being yourself while sharing that why. Get a team to help as well."

Guimaraes later thanked Noah Lyles for the advice and stated that he would look to work on this side of the business as well.