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Akira Toriyama

Creator of Dragon Ball

I'd want to be born once more as myself, but more talented.


― Akira Toriyama

“In manga, nothing actually moves, and you just have to draw the poses in each panel, but in anime, you have to draw the movements between those poses.”
― Akira Toriyama


Akira Toriyama 鳥山 明 (April 5, 1955 - March 1, 2024) was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most famous work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon.


His unique storytelling and artistic style have had a profound influence on aspiring manga artists and animators. Many creators cite him as an inspiration, and his legacy lives on through the works of those he has inspired.


Dragon Ball has played a part in bridging the gap between Eastern and Western comic book cultures. Its popularity has helped introduce new audiences to the world of manga and anime and fostered a greater appreciation for both art forms.


Accomplishments


  • 1981: Toriyama earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for the best shōnen manga with Dr. Slump

  • 1982: Toriyama's Dr. Slump won the Shogakukan Manga Award for the best shōnen or shōjo manga series of the year.

  • 1983: He founded his own working studio, Bird Studio. That same year, he created two new manga, Dragon Boy and The Adventures of Tongpoo

  • 1981-1986: Dr. Slump was created into a two animated television adaptations: Dr. Slump and Arale-chan that spanned for 243 episodes.

  • 1988: Toriyama created the puppet characters of a short film titled Apple Pop that was shown in Hirake Ponkikii, a Japanese TV program for children.

  • 1984-1995: Dragon Ball was created. He made 519 chapters collected into 42 tankōbon volumes. Each volume has an average of 200 pages.

  • 2013: He received a special award at the 40th Angoulême International Comics Festival in France.