Dragon Ball: Jackie Chan Shares Emotional Note for Akira Toriyama

Akira Toriyama has unfortunately passed away at the age of 68 due to acute subdural hematoma, and multi-film and award winning star Jackie Chan has shared an emotional tribute to the famed creator. Toriyama’s passing has had an impact on many fans throughout the world as the creator not only launched many influential works such as Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, and Sand Land in the past with Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, but has gone on to inspire many other creators in unseen and seen ways. It’s such a reach that even full countries have begun mourning the massive loss. 

It’s no surprise to find out that there are some pretty big stars who are fans on Akira Toriyama’s work, and that includes Jackie Chan (as he had a full-on fight in an Arale Norimaki from Dr. Slump costume in the 1985 film, My Lucky Stars). The multi-award winning and legendary star is one of the many who offered their condolences for Toriyama in the wake of the famed creator’s passing, and he took to social media to share the following statement, “Akira Toriyama-sensei, thank you for creating so many classic works, they will last forever. Farewell.”

Dragon Ball Fans Mourn Akira Toriyama

Shueisha, the publisher behind Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and more, shared the following statement for Akira Toriyama’s passing, “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.”

If you wanted to revisit some of Akira Toriyama’s work for yourself, you can find Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super and many of the movies now streaming with Crunchyroll with both Japanese and English dub releases available for many. 

How are you feeling about the loss of Dragon Ball’s creator? 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)!