Akira Toriyama’s Assistant Details the Artist’s Declining Health

In the face of tragedy, the anime and manga fandom continues to mourn. Late last week, the world learned about the sudden death of Akira Toriyama. The creator of Dragon Ball impacted the lives of millions, and his creation helped shape pop culture as we know it today. Now, Akira Toriyama’s assistant is addressing the news, and he admits the artist was experiencing a decline in health before his death.

The news comes from Chunichi Shimbun as its March 9th issue featured a note from Takashi Matsuyama. The man worked as an assistant to Toriyama for years and even had the artist act as a witness to his marriage last fall. It was around that time Matsuyama was informed Toriyama had a brain tumor, and he needed surgery to remove it.

“At that time, Toriyama told him that he would be undergoing surgery for a brain tumor in the new year,” the newspaper shared (via SaiyaJedi). “He was nonchalant about it, but Matsuyama recalls him struggling with quitting smoking.”

No word has been given on Toriyama’s specific health details beyond this note by Matsuyama. What we do know is that Toriyama did pass away on March 1st from an acute subdural hematoma. Such an intense brain bleed can be caused by a number of things, sadly. So while Matsuyama promised to visit Toriyama after being discharged from surgery, the man never got a chance.

“The experience of working with Toriyama-san was like a dream come true. I’m struck all over again by the fact that I had the privilege of doing something amazing. Everything I know, I learned from him,” the assistant shared.

In the days since Toriyama’s passing, countless of fans and colleagues have paid tribute to the creator. From Dr. Slump to Sand Land and Dragon Ball, the artist is considered by many a pillar in manga. With decades of experience under his belt, Toriyama worked up until his final days. Later this year, fans will get to see more of his work when the TV anime Dragon Ball Daima is released. And of course, the Dragon Ball Super manga is ongoing under the reign of artist Toyotaro. 

What do you make of this report by Matsuyama? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram.