Dragon Ball Staff Remembers Akira Toriyama With Moving Tributes

Akira Toriyama’s passing is still sending shockwaves through the anime world, as the creator of Dragon Ball, Sand Land, and many other properties was one of the biggest mangakas of the medium. While manga artists responsible for the likes of Bleach, One Piece, Naruto, and more have shared their condolences, several creators who worked on the shonen franchise have paid tribute to Toriyama. While Toriyama might be gone, the Z-Fighters are sure to have a place in the anime industry forever.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero character designer and director Chikashi Kubota was blindsided by Toriyama’s passing, stating the influence that the manga artist had on his life, “It is too sudden and I am very sad to hear this. He was the most influential person in my life. Without Toriyama-sensei, I would not have been an animator. My deepest condolences.”

The performer responsible for one of Dragon Ball Z’s most iconic theme songs, Hironobu Kageyama, shared the honor he felt in creating the theme and paid tribute to Toriyama, “Singing ‘CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA!’ is the biggest medal in my life!The loss of the sun is too much to bear but the power of Toriyama-sensei’s works will continue to be a strong light And may it illuminate people all over the world.May you rest in peace.”  

Animator Naotoshi Shida has been responsible for working on a number of projects under the Dragon Ball banner, including The World’s Strongest, The Tree of Might, Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, Bojack Unleashed, and Fusion Reborn. Shida struggles with Toriyama’s passing in a new social media post, “It’s too sad…it’s too soon and I’m speechless. I learned a lot from Toriyama-san’s manga and being involved in the animation staff. The illustrations in Dragon Ball Volume 13 are my favorite and contain everything I strive for, I can only thank him for that.I pray for his soul to rest in peace.”

Masaki Sato, a key animator on the original Dragon Ball series, and several Dragon Ball Z movies touts his thankfulness for being a part of anime history, “I am proud to have been involved in the animation of Akira Toriyama-sensei’s Dragon Ball. I pray from the bottom of my heart that he may rest in peace.”

How have you mourned the loss of Dragon Ball’s creator? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Z-Fighters.