Akira Toriyama Passes Away.

[PurestEvil]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kF4qGWgIxfk

Not sure if this was shared before, but this compilation of football fans’ tributes to Toriyama before the game absolutely made me fascinated. It highlights just how international Dragon Ball’s appeal and inspiration was.

[Sanity's_Theif]

I don't think reality has hit me yet on this fully. When I think about it, I feel like some part of the world is just empty now. Obviously just means that this story has had a big impact on me, but I really didn't think that it had as much of an impact on me as it feels like in this moment.

[tinlunlau]

Hong Kong comic book legend Tony Wong speaks up about Akira Toriyama. I'll translate this one later. Tony Wong is the guy behind "Dragon Tiger Gate" and also one of the early publishers of Dragon Ball when it was first introduced into Hong Kong.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/nNUwm3 ... tid=xfxF2i

[Cure Dragon 255]

God I knew Dragon Ball was popular outside of Japan but sweet jesus!

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Super Hero did debut at number 1 in the US box office beating Beast, a movie with freaking Idris Elba. If that doesn't say Dragon Ball is mainstream I don't know what will. Glad to know Akira Toriyama lived to see that.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I know but this trascends EVEN THAT. Countries declared a mourning period and many dignataries honored Toriyama.

[MasenkoHA]

Super Hero did debut at number 1 in the US box office beating Beast, a movie with freaking Idris Elba. If that doesn't say Dragon Ball is mainstream I don't know what will. Glad to know Akira Toriyama lived to see that.

It's weird to me people even try to argue Dragon Ball isn't mainstream and yet I know they do.

Short of Studio Ghibli films (and even that's debatable) and maaaaybe Pokemon (though they're more regarded as video game and trading cards first) Dragon Ball Z is as mainstream as Japanese Animation gets.

[Hellspawn28]

Dragon Ball, Pokemon (despite being more of a gaming series), Studio Ghibli movies, Ghost in the Shell, Sailor Moon, Akira, Speed Racer, etc are probably the most well known and mainstream anime titles in NA. I feel like Dragon Ball is more popular than it was during its dead years in the states (2005-2013). Battle of Gods coming out in 2014 in theaters and games like Xenoverse did help.

[JulieYBM]

I wouldn't discount the Pokemon animated franchise. While the majority of the focus from casual fans is unfortunately only the Kantou stuff, it's still a major face of the franchise and associated with anime in general. The first film also did very well in theaters.

Aaah, and now I'm missing the Satoshi shows.

[dbs fanboy]

It's been two weeks and it still doesn't feel real, a part of me doesn't believe it.
Mere days before his passing i thought to myself how impactful would it be if he ever left us, due to those mexican cartel memes of all things, and then a few days later he does pass away, it's just.......idk it felt, it feels like a dream, like something that is not real, and then i read his last interview where he talked about his diminishing health, and it really hitted me, that this WAS happening, that this IS reality.

Toriyama was amazing the very best, and on top of that, the guy was just so .....humble, he talked and talked about being so lazy while having such a huge influence in video games, manga and anime.

I even reread the entirety of db at the beginning of this year, and my love for it grew even more.
Heck,lately, as an artist, i've been understanding more and more Toriyama's forgetfulness and his ability to write such a coherent story on the get go.
Furthermore little things like how incredibly interesting his OG vision of the Future Trunks Saga, or his failed one shots before making it, just made me appreaciate and respect the man more than ever before.
And i took it for granted because well i just didn't expect him to leave so relatively soon. But well these things happen.

Thank you Toriyama, Dragon Ball, just like with many others on this forum, has shaped so much of my life. I started working out, because of Dragon Ball, made friends connecting with it, started getting interested in arts and animation through this franchise (and following the dbs breakdown threads), heck i got better at speaking english with it too, it's always funny to respond to anyone mistaking me with a native on my home country by saying "Dragon Ball taught me all i know" (and memes).

Akira Toriyama is a person i will hold close to my heart and memory for as long as i live. Rest in peace King.

[Noah]

God I knew Dragon Ball was popular outside of Japan, but sweet Jesus!

Speaking about it, there plans for a Dragon Ball theme park in Saudi Arabia. I dunno if it's because of Toriyama's passing, but I think it's a pretty cool idea. I mean, I wish it was in Japan, but the fact that Saudi Arabia is into this project just shows how huge and influential the franchise has been and still is globally.

[Hellspawn28]

They probably had the theme park plan long before Toriyama died. I doubt they just came up with the idea on the last minute.

[Soba Mask]

RIP Toriyama... A legend forever and won't be forgotten.

And with this I will never get to see a canon Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta for once.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

the fact that Saudi Arabia is into this project just shows how huge and influential the franchise has been and still is globally.

I'd be interested to know how well Dragon Ball did in the Arab world overall. There were several attempts between the original series, Z and Kai to dub it but none of them were ever completed (around 50-100 episodes per series), Super being the first time any of the series was shown in full on Spacetoon.

Naturally people would assume bad ratings caused Dragon Ball to be cancelled, but the fact it kept coming back must mean there was some sort of a demand. Maybe TV ratings weren't great, but home video or other merchandise sales exceeded expectations making resurrecting the franchise on the lower end of risky business decisions.

They probably had the theme park plan long before Toriyama died. I doubt they just came up with the idea on the last minute.

That may be true, although I wonder if they were planning on holding out on announcing it until significant progress was made and Toriyama's death pushed them to make it earlier than intended? It's unfortunately very easy to take advantage of someone's passing, even capitalize on it because everyone will naturally want to honour the person.

[Jord]

God I knew Dragon Ball was popular outside of Japan, but sweet Jesus!

Speaking about it, there plans for a Dragon Ball theme park in Saudi Arabia. I dunno if it's because of Toriyama's passing, but I think it's a pretty cool idea. I mean, I wish it was in Japan, but the fact that Saudi Arabia is into this project just shows how huge and influential the franchise has been and still is globally.

You could always visit Jump Festa and the indoor Jump theme park in Ikebukuro when you're in Tokyo. They're obviously not as big, but fun nonetheless.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

More love from Latin America, specifically Peru:

Rohan Jagganaut wrote:

Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama had a profound impact on millions of people who grew up watching and reading the animanga series. This title defined an entire era of anime and also played an important role in redefining the shonen genre. To this date, there are plenty of new shonen titles that seem to have borrowed certain tropes that the Dragon Ball creator put in place, while creating his magnum opus.A bunch of talented artists in Peru got together to give a tribute to the Dragon Ball creator who passed away earlier in March and created a mural in his memory. The incredibly vibrant mural and the efforts taken to make it show fans' love for Akira Toriyama. This article will take a look at how the fanbase reacted to the mural.

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The mural, created for Akira Toriyama, was made by over 45 artists in Peru, who came together and painted over 70 characters from the series. Some of the most popular characters that can be seen are Goku, Shenron, Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, and Master Roshi, among others.The mural is about 110 meters long and 6 meters in height and at its very center is a black and white painting of Akira Toriyama. The most beautiful thing about this collaborative project was that each artist’s unique art style gave this mural a sense of individuality, adding to its charm.
How fans reacted to the mural that was made as a tribute to the Dragon Ball creator
The Dragon Ball fanbase was quite happy with the end result as the unfortunate passing of the Dragon Ball creator left a gaping hole in the hearts of fans. Seeing passionate artists come together and create something beautiful was heartwarming to see.

“Incredible artwork,” another fan said about the mural.
The fanbase was quite happy with the quality of the art seen in the mural. The choice of colors, the composition, and the way each character was drawn in the artist’s own unique art style was pleasing to the eye. Some of the fan-favorite characters were also drawn in their most powerful transformations, which also played a role in the way fans perceived the mural.
“Here in Peru, Dragon Ball is very loved, even at a concert a DJ as the opening act played the opening so that the entire stadium could sing it,” a fan stated about the love for the series in Peru.
Another fan shared an interesting anecdote involving a DJ. An entire stadium in Peru sang along to the opening of Dragon Ball. This is a clear indication of the impact that Akira Toriyama had on an entire nation. It’s quite clear that the series has penetrated every corner of this country, and the fanbase was happy to see people come together to celebrate the show and its creator.

“I have never been more proud to be Peruvian. And I am not joking”

The citizens of the country were quite proud to create a mural as amazing as this. Peruvians were happy to see what their fellow community members created after the unfortunate passing of the Dragon Ball creator.Stay tuned for more anime and manga news as 2024 progresses.

The mural:

[Koitsukai]

If Akira had ever visited South America he would've been treated like the fucking Beatles... knowing his hermit personality, probably SA would've been his least desired destination. People would be crying outside of the restaurant where he was dining at, even the waiters would be all over him.
Maradona in Naples would be a walk in the park next to Akira going from a restaurant to his hotel.

I guess he knew how big the franchise was on the other side of the Pacific.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Actually, I think that while would have been mega grateful to his fanbase and loving that people like his work outside Japan, most mangaka dont really grasp just HOW BIG their work is outside their home country. Masashi Kishimoto, who is liked but not the same amount Toriyama is BELOVED, only grasped when he actually went to a con and saw literally 3/4 of the con cheering for him dresses as Naruto Characters.

I wish he had the courage to leave Japan just once so he knew how beloved he is in Latin America.

[GhostEmperorX]

He was in New York City once though (2002), wasn't he?

[Cure Dragon 255]

I mentioned Latin America, but I am glad he did see the USA, Sadly I think back then the fandom was in its infancy in the USA even if by then Dragon Ball was A HUGE SUCCESS in said country.