Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has passed at age 68

Pioneer Akira Toriyama, creator of the manga Dragon Ball has passed away on March 1 due to a blood clot in his brain at the age of 68.

Dragon Ball debuted in 1984 with the initial manga written and illustrated by Toriyama. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters collected in 42 tankōbon volumes by its publisher Shueisha. That series spawned an empire that included manga, anime, films, toys, and so much more.

While now best known for Dragon Ball, Toriyama was first widely recognized for his work on Dr. Slump which earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen manga and sold over 35 million copies in Japan. It too was was adapted into anime.

Toriyama was an innovator, recognized for helping boost shonen and inspiring so many after. He’s survived by his wife and two children.