Dandadan Creator Celebrates Akira Toriyama’s Legacy in New Letter

Dandadan has been taking over the virtual pages of Shueisha’s Jump+ app ever since it debuted, and the creator behind it all is celebrating Akira Toriyama’s life and legacy with a new tribute! It was announced last weekend that Akira Toriyama, the creator behind Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Sand Land, and more had passed away at the age of 68. The creator left such a massive impact with fans all over the world over the course of his legendary career that tons of special tributes to Toriyama have been popping up in the days since as many celebrate their love of his works. 

This has included many colleagues and creators who are also running in Shueisha’s various publications both alongside and after Dragon Ball’s run with Weekly Shonen Jump. Dandadan fans might have spotted some shout outs to Akira Toriyama’s works within the series, and the creator, Yukinobu Tatsu, cemented Toriyama’s impact on them with a special new tribute. Sharing a sketch featuring characters from Toriyama’s various works with fans on social media, Tatsu said the following, “I’ve always loved Akira Toriyama-sensei’s works. Dragon Ball was the first manga I bought with my allowance, and it was what inspired me to draw. Thank you for all your wonderful works. Rest in peace.”

How to Honor Akira Toriyama’s Legacy

If you wanted your own way to pay tribute to Akira Toriyama’s works by revisiting some of your favorite Dragon Ball episodes, you can now find Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super now streaming with Crunchyroll with many of the movies available with both a Japanese and Englsh dubbed audio available. Weekly Shonen Jump magazine publisher Shueisha’s statement on Akira Toriyama’s legacy reads as such:

“Akira Toriyama, who published many works in Jump magazines, has passed away. We at Shueisha and the editorial department are deeply saddened by the sudden news of his passing. The manga that he drew, such as Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Sand Land, and many others have been read and loved all over the world, transcending national borders. His fascinating characters and his overwhelming sense of design have greatly influenced many manga artists and creators. We would like to express our gratitude to him for his great achievements and pray for his soul to rest in peace.”

How are you feeling about Akira Toriyama’s legacy? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on X (formerly known as Twitter)!