Akira Toriyama Passes Away.

[dragonballhero]

I don't know if anyone's posted this, but Cartoon Network (and I do mean Cartoon Network, no middleman stuff with Adult Swim. Like, CN THEMSELVES) acknowledged Toriyama's passing.

While I do find it sweet, I do have to ask... would it have been an issue for them to post an actual image of Goku, rather than that scene of Gumball Watterson parodying Gohan's ascension into SSJ2? I mean, DB is near-synonymous with CN after all.

Speaking of which, does anyone else find it a little odd how the tweet here doesn't seem to outright acknowledge DB's long and storied history with CN? Like, it's not a big deal or anything. It's just a little weird to me, that's all.

[mecha3000]

Is it just me or did Stan Lee not even get this big of a reaction after his passing? I never thought Akira Toriyama's death would impact people more than the guy who helped create Spider-Man and revolutionize Marvel overall.

[DefinitiveDubs]

Also, here's the Toonami bumper tribute: https://youtu.be/EgUDezBUq88?si=gEl7NYhV_Vf2J1R9

I was kinda hoping they'd do more, like have TOM say a few words, but I guess it was so short notice they couldn't do much else in time.

Is it just me or did Stan Lee not even get this big of a reaction after his passing? I never thought Akira Toriyama's death would impact people more than the guy who helped create Spider-Man and revolutionize Marvel overall.

Two reasons. The first is that Marvel wasn't exactly a source for so many people's childhoods like Dragon Ball was. I mean, I know I never read Spider Man or cape comics in general as a kid, and Marvel's cartoons always sucked compared to DC. I feel like more people get into cape comics as adults rather than children (which is its own brand of sadness).

The second is that Stan Lee is a little controversial and gets way more credit than he really deserves. Not that he was a bad person (he never claimed credit), or that he didn't help make Marvel a huge success or co-created several iconic characters, but he was always more of a businessman and an editor, while the true creative genius behind Marvel was Jack Kirby. And when Kirby died in the 90s, tributes poured from all over. If it had happened in the modern day, he probably would've gotten the same kind of reception Toriyama has right now.

[Shaddy]

Weird. I always thought Knuckles was Piccolo and Sonic and Tails were like Goku and Krillin.

The character concepts for Sonic and Tails differed pretty far in the 90s from how they are now. Originally, Sonic was entirely self interested and Tails was more like his protege who followed along and idolized him without Sonic showing much response. Which...



...yeah, I can kinda see it. Nowadays they're portrayed as closer friends, both because the series has evolved and because it's taken more from western interpretations since then. Either way, Sonic owes a ton of its strength and identity to Toriyama. Even stuff like the old emblem design and the arms-out running position were taken from Dr. Slump.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Damn...first Kikuchi, and now the "main man" himself...that's really sad...

Don't forget Hiromi Tsuru and Jôji Yanami. Now Masako Nozawa is one of the few who was associated with the anime since the beginning (Toriyama of course writing the source material) that's still around.

I don't know if anyone's posted this, but Cartoon Network (and I do mean Cartoon Network, no middleman stuff with Adult Swim. Like, CN THEMSELVES) acknowledged Toriyama's passing.

As did YTV, despite not airing anything Dragon Ball since 2008, although I suspect this may have been for the same reason they said they missed the series as there's probably younger staff who are fans of the series but the higher ups just aren't interested in bringing it back. I would like to see them and other channels that dropped Dragon Ball to at least do some sort of retro event where they air old episodes as a tribute to Toriyama.

[TKA]

There are no words to describe how deeply sad I've been since news of his passing came out on Friday.

Dragonball has so deeply shaped the person I am, and now the person who created it is gone. I cannot describe adequately or do justice to how much this man's work matters to me, and how much emptier the world feels knowing he isn't out there anymore, and we will never get another work from his mind.

I've known I'm in a post-Toriyama world for 2 days. It's not a world I like or particularly want to be in.

[WittyUsername]

Is it just me or did Stan Lee not even get this big of a reaction after his passing? I never thought Akira Toriyama's death would impact people more than the guy who helped create Spider-Man and revolutionize Marvel overall.

I remember Stan Lee’s passing being a pretty big deal, to the point where Hollywood celebrities posted about it, and Bill Maher made fun of people who were sad about it. Stan Lee was also 95 though, so his death wasn’t exactly a shock.

[MasenkoHA]

While I do find it sweet, I do have to ask... would it have been an issue for them to post an actual image of Goku, rather than that scene of Gumball Watterson parodying Gohan's ascension into SSJ2? I mean, DB is near-synonymous with CN after all.
all.

Maybe I'm just being a cynic, but it's downright fucking tacky tbh. It reeks of "watch one of our current top rated shows"

Is it just me or did Stan Lee not even get this big of a reaction after his passing? I never thought Akira Toriyama's death would impact people more than the guy who helped create Spider-Man and revolutionize Marvel overall.

. Stan Lee was also 95 though, so his death wasn’t exactly a shock.

I think that's the main difference. Like Betty White, people were obviously sad but at Lee and White's age it was kind of expected. 68 is still pretty young in terms of life expectancy.

[jjgp1112]

Also, here's the Toonami bumper tribute: https://youtu.be/EgUDezBUq88?si=gEl7NYhV_Vf2J1R9

I was kinda hoping they'd do more, like have TOM say a few words, but I guess it was so short notice they couldn't do much else in time.

Is it just me or did Stan Lee not even get this big of a reaction after his passing? I never thought Akira Toriyama's death would impact people more than the guy who helped create Spider-Man and revolutionize Marvel overall.

Two reasons. The first is that Marvel wasn't exactly a source for so many people's childhoods like Dragon Ball was. I mean, I know I never read Spider Man or cape comics in general as a kid, and Marvel's cartoons always sucked compared to DC. I feel like more people get into cape comics as adults rather than children (which is its own brand of sadness).

Bruh, WHAT???????

[Dbzk1999]

The first is that Marvel wasn't exactly a source for so many people's childhoods like Dragon Ball was. I mean, I know I never read Spider Man or cape comics in general as a kid

With all due respect, I really don’t think you get just how popular Spider-Man in particular has been

Maybe I'm just being a cynic, but it's downright fucking tacky tbh. It reeks of "watch one of our current top rated shows"

I feel like it would reek of it if it actually named said show. The post is specifically giving a shout out to the artistry as well as impact Toriyama has had on not just fans but also creators. I would think that showing imagery that was clearly inspired by Dragon Ball gets that point across. Just, there’s a lotta things to be cynical about, just don’t think this should be one of them.

[MasenkoHA]

Two reasons. The first is that Marvel wasn't exactly a source for so many people's childhoods like Dragon Ball was. I mean, I know I never read Spider Man or cape comics in general as a kid, and Marvel's cartoons always sucked compared to DC. I feel like more people get into cape comics as adults rather than children (which is its own brand of sadness).

Amazing how everything you said, except that Marvel cartoons are worse than DC cartoons (which is subjective) and your own personal experience, is just blatantly and hilarious wrong.

The second is that Stan Lee is a little controversial and gets way more credit than he really deserves. Not that he was a bad person (he never claimed credit), or that he didn't help make Marvel a huge success or co-created several iconic characters, but he was always more of a businessman and an editor, while the true creative genius behind Marvel was Jack Kirby. And when Kirby died in the 90s, tributes poured from all over. If it had happened in the modern day, he probably would've gotten the same kind of reception Toriyama has right now.

This would be a valid point if you're average Joe and Jane knew that. But the average Joe and Jane seems to think Stan Lee was sole creator of the Marvel Universe including characters he had nothing to do with like Wolverine and Deadpool

[Skar]

Rest in peace Mr Toriyama .

[damn]

I’ve been basically grieving for the past 2-3 days. Couldn’t even do anything I usually do.
I didn’t even dare listen to any DB song/opening.
I was just checking out people, famous mangaka etc. on twitter paying their respects to Toriyama.
Checking various sites but mostly the sticky thread on /a/ which is still open, gotta hand it to them the mods over there are showing Toriyama respect, unlike the idiots in charge of /v/...but enough about that.

This has really left me with a hole in my heart, and it still hasn’t quite closed yet. It feels like a part of me died.
Toriyama-sensei’s passing really took me by surprise as no doubt it did to many here and everywhere else. It didn’t hit hard at first, but over these last few days my heart has gotten progressively heavier and now it’s finally calming down a bit but it’s still not there yet.
I woke up like 2 times from my sleep the past few days and the first thing that came to my mind about was Toriyama’s passing.

Oh man, where do I even begin? From an objective perspective Toriyama’s legacy is uncountable, indisputable... since the day he published Dr. Slump in Jump or maybe even before then(Yudetamago recently said that they were intimidated by how good Toriyama was even before he debuted Dr. Slump which says a lot), but the moment he published his first series he completely changed the manga industry and then the anime industry and then the video game industry both with his contributions to Dragon Quest but also indirectly from many many video game artists who were directly inspired from his general work. His mix of modern pop art sensibilties blending the old and new, realism with caricature mixed further with an individualistic expression has completely defined the look of Japanese Manga, Anime and Video Games since then. Especially the last part, he inspired so many Japanese manga artists to express their individualistic styles, significantly moreso than they had done before Toriyama debuted.
It’s also undeniable that Anime became known outside of Japan thanks to Dragon Ball and also series that it no doubt inspired/influenced in many ways like Pokemon, Digimon, Yugioh so on and so forth.
And I, and many others here would then have never known about Anime or been interested in Japanese pop culture.
You could go on and on talking from that perspective.

But moreso on a subjective personal level: Why has Toriyama’s death affected me so much?
Obviously I don’t know him personally, nobody here does. The most we know from him is from his excerpts in his manga volumes, the interviews translated here which I am greatly thankful to the staff here for.
Many people, fans and mangaka alike, see him as a sort of Hero, an idol or even a God, a fantastic artist, a visionary, an amazing professional the list goes on. Of course I also see him in that brilliant light myself.
But I think for me I see him as a person first. And a person which I feel shares many of the same values I do. Despite how brilliant he was, I always felt like I could relate to him and I felt like somehow we were alike in our thinking.
Reading the many interviews with him translated here, I could see how, much like the beloved series he created... that genuine, humble, honest, carefree, easygoing and pure personality he had is clearly reflected on his works. Maybe that’s why he felt like such a familiar person to me, like I had known him, even though I had personally never met him.

He gave so much to our childhoods. His works remind me of simpler times, that pure innocent excitement that still shines brightly in our memories whenever we reflect back to the bright parts of our childhoods.

Sorry for writing too much. I may have overstepped my boundaries.

I am eternally grateful to Mr. Akira Toriyama. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without your presence, the very presence that shaped my life in many ways and made living in this harsh world considerably less harsh.
Goodbye my childhood. Sayonara Sensei.
You’ll always be in our hearts. You’ll always be in my heart.
I hope in the deepest parts of my heart, that someday we will meet again in some other world, even if it’s just a fan and author and I don’t personally meet you... that would be fine by me.

Take care.

[DefinitiveDubs]

Amazing how everything you said, except that Marvel cartoons are worse than DC cartoons (which is subjective) and your own personal experience, is just blatantly and hilarious wrong.

Let me clarify: I think for the age group most familiar with Dragon Ball, or fans of Dragon Ball on the internet (IE anyone 30 or under) Marvel wasn't such a huge thing to them. Obviously in general, over the course of their 70-year history, Stan Lee's characters have always been a big fucking deal, but I think most of the people coming out to mourn Toriyama in that age group, who grew up on Dragon Ball, Cartoon Network, video games, etc...probably weren't huge fans of Marvel, outside of maybe the MCU. They probably liked it fine enough, but it simply didn't have as much of an impact on them. When I was in grade school, NOBODY I knew read American comics. It was all video games and anime.

You also have to factor in that Dragon Ball has a massive amount of international appeal, whereas I'm not sure how popular Marvel is outside the U.S.. Europe had their own comics which were much more popular over there, and anime is much more popular in Brazil than American comics.

[MasenkoHA]

Amazing how everything you said, except that Marvel cartoons are worse than DC cartoons (which is subjective) and your own personal experience, is just blatantly and hilarious wrong.

Let me clarify: I think for the age group most familiar with Dragon Ball, or fans of Dragon Ball on the internet (IE anyone 30 or under) Marvel wasn't such a huge thing to them. Obviously in general, over the course of their 70-year history, Stan Lee's characters have always been a big fucking deal, but I think most of the people coming out to mourn Toriyama in that age group, who grew up on Dragon Ball, Cartoon Network, video games, etc...probably weren't huge fans of Marvel, outside of maybe the MCU. They probably liked it fine enough, but it simply didn't have as much of an impact on them. When I was in grade school, NOBODY I knew read American comics. It was all video games and anime.

You also have to factor in that Dragon Ball has a massive amount of international appeal, whereas I'm not sure how popular Marvel is outside the U.S.. Europe had their own comics which were much more popular over there, and anime is much more popular in Brazil than American comics.

Your entire argument is predicated on the idea that people would only care about Marvel if they read comics, which is just flat out not true. The vast majority of Marvel fans experience with Marvel is the video games, the cartoons, the and movies (including the Marvel movies pre-dating the MCU.) Just because they may have never picked up a Marvel comic book doesn't mean they wouldn't call themselves a Marvel fan.


Following that, do you genuinely think everyone mourning Toriyama has read the Dragon Ball manga? Many of them have don't get me wrong, but just as many people mourning either A. Only ever watched the anime or B. Only know Dragon Ball through pop culture osmosis and associate Dragon Ball with influencing one of the series they actually follow (One Piece, Yugioh, Naruto, My Hero Academia, HunterXHunter etc etc etc) they don't care about Dragon Ball but they know without Dragon Ball some of their favorite manga/anime wouldn't exist and respect Toriyama in that regard.

[Hellspawn28]

Bruh, WHAT???????

I was thinking the same thing too. Seriously, comic books have been a big part of many people's nostalgia. It's pretty stupid and laughable to say Marvel wasn't exactly a source for so many people's childhoods like Dragon Ball was.

[ABED]

It's weird, even if Toriyama wasn't somewhat active in the past couple years, and if he became a hermit after DB ended, this moment would still be surreal. If DB was all he was responsible for, that would be a hell of a distinction. But after hearing of all the things he influenced directly or indirectly, one could actually make the claim that there is a SIGNIFICANT difference in pop culture pre-Toriyama and post-Toriyama.

One of the coolest things about him though is that apparently his house looks like something out of one of his own mangas. That's how to spend your money.

The ending of stories are going to hit even harder from now on. Thank you, sir. And while I don't believe in the afterlife, I can find no more fitting way to say goodbye than "Until we meet again..."

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

It's weird, even if Toriyama wasn't somewhat active in the past couple years, and if he became a hermit after DB ended, this moment would still be surreal.

I know Super and the recent movies haven't been everyone's cup of tea, but as Dragon Ball had already ended in Japan years before it premiered in my home country I'm glad the series had a revival. It meant that for the first time, fans from around the world were able to collectively experience new Dragon Ball content together.

Looking back to those moments where millions of us were tuning in to see Goku and Jiren's fight with all the delays because of traffic and reports about it "breaking the internet" on sites like Crunchyroll, Daisuke and VRV I can't help but feel a sense of pride and joy as someone whose been a fan of this series for 25 years.

It was the magic of Dragon Ball, its world and the characters we knew and loved for so long and that cathartic feeling of watching them push themselves to their limits once again. Of course the public screenings across Latin America that drew tens and thousands of fans like it was a major sporting event was on a whole other level and felt like peak fan support and dedication.

I'm not Latin American myself but when I heard the news I couldn't have been any more proud to be a Dragon Ball fan and to see how many lives this series has touched:



None of this would have been possible without Toriyama, and I'm glad because he at least had some input into Super that he was with us for one last ride. It was one I'll never forget for as long as I live.

[Tian]

Today, a lot of people gathered in the Obelisco, the most known monument in Buenos Aires and one of the most known monuments in Argentina, for one last Genkidama in honor of Toriyama.

[SupremeKai25]

I know Super and the recent movies haven't been everyone's cup of tea, but as Dragon Ball had already ended in Japan years before it premiered in my home country I'm glad the series had a revival. It meant that for the first time, fans from around the world were able to collectively experience new Dragon Ball content together.

This is the reason why I will always defend Super and I can never bring myself to hate it, no matter what "flaws" people think to have found with it.

Having been able to follow a Dragon Ball series as it was being produced, written, and aired for the first time is an unprecedented experience that marked my 2010s.

For that I will always be grateful for Super's existence.