Dragon Ball Creator Akira Toriyama Has Died at Age 68

Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of the Dragon Ball franchise, has died at age 68 from acute subdural hematoma. Toriyama was one of the most influential artists in history, having made massive contributions to manga, anime, video games, and other media.

Toriyama's most famous work is Dragon Ball, the hugely successful anime/manga franchise that spawned countless imitators. Dragon Ball is easily one of the most successful anime/manga franchises of all time. It's maintained its popularity for decades, with the new Dragon Ball Daima series scheduled to premiere later this year.

Toriyama was said to be heavily involved in Dragon Ball Daima's production — one of several projects he was working on at the time of his death, according to an announcement made on the official Dragon Ball site. The announcement revealed that Toriyama died on March 1 from acute subdural hematoma, which is «a serious condition where blood collects between the skull and the surface of the brain» and is «usually caused by a head injury,» according to the NHS website. However, it should be stressed that specifics beyond the cause of death have not been shared at the time of this writing.

While Toriyama will always be best known for Dragon Ball, he was also the creator of other popular manga and anime franchises, like Dr. Slump and Sand Land. Toriyama also left his mark in the video game space, serving as character designer for the beloved Chrono Trigger and the critically-acclaimed Dragon Quest franchise.