Dragon Ball fans are still deep in mourning over the loss of Akira Toriyama. If you did not hear somehow, the creator of Dragon Ball passed away at the start of March. The news was shared publicly a few days ago, leaving the anime and manga industry in shock. Fans are still stunned by the loss, and many have gathered to show love to Toriyama’s legacy. So really, it isn’t surprising to hear that sales of the Dragon Ball manga are soaring.
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In the United States, new reports suggest the most recent volume of Dragon Ball Super is up in sales despite its release last month. As for the global community, well – South Korea is showing up everyone in terms of sales. Not long ago, Yahoo Japan learned from Seoul Media Comics that sales of Dragon Ball are 14x higher than normal.
“According to Seoul Media Comics, which sells the Korean version of Dragon Ball, the number of copies of the same work between March 11th – 13th increased by about 14x compared to the previous week,” Yahoo Japan explained. The article went on to break down some facts about the Dragon Ball fandom in South Korea by age.
As it turns out, Seoul Media Comics says many men now in the 30s and 40s purchased the Dragon Ball copies. There has also been sharp uptick in sales of the Dr. Slump manga, the series that Toriyama created before Son Goku came around.
There is no denying the impact Dragon Ball has had on the manga community, and his influence knows no boundaries. From Japan to South Korea and the countries of Latin America, the world knows Son Goku. Toriyama’s tragic death has shown a light on the incredible influence his projects have had on pop culture. And though the artist has passed, his legacy lives on in the hearts of millions.
Does this report surprise you? Have you revisited Dragon Ball in the wake of Toriyama’s death? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!