Taiwan artists express condolences over death of Dragon Ball creator

Taipei, March 8 (CNA) Several members of Taiwan's comic book industry on Friday expressed sadness over the death of Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama, creator of the internationally renowned Dragon Ball franchise.

Toriyama's studio on Friday announced that the Japanese artist passed away at the age of 68 on March 1 after suffering an acute subdural hematoma.

An English version of the announcement was released through the official X account of Dragon Ball, the late artist's most famous work for international audiences.

Toriyama was credited with creating a few of pop culture's most recognizable Japanese intellectual properties (IP), with the Dragon Ball franchise being the most globally renowned of his works since it began serialization in 1984.

Following the announcement of the Japanese mangaka's death, members of Taiwan's comic book industry took to different platforms to express their sorrow and condolences.

Many of Taiwan's artists acknowledged Toriyama's influence on their work.

Speaking with CNA, 50-year-old comic artist Ruan Guang-min (阮光民) said he started reading the works of Toriyama when he was in junior high, with his favorite being the Japanese artist's comedy series Dr. Slump.

Featuring the exploits of its crazy protagonist, the android Arale, Ruan said he felt that the artist was someone who really thought outside the box.

Ruan also said he learned how to arrange his panels and storyboards from reading the works of Toriyama, adding that action sequences and fight scenes depicted in the Dragon Ball franchise were inspirational to many creators.

Meanwhile, Taipei Comic Artist Labor Union chairman A-Wei (黃俊維) told CNA that "Toriyama" defined an entire generation.

"When I was at school my classmates would imitate his (Toriyama) style and share it among each other," he said. "He seemed to be the reason why people started doodling comics."

Several of Taiwan's digital comic artists like Wei Teng (微疼) and People2 (人2) also took to their respective social medias platforms to release illustrations of themselves bidding farewell to the late mangaka's caricature avatar.

To date, Toriyama continues to have international influence, with readers, anime fans and gamers all over the world following Dragon Balls' protagonist, Son Goku, in multiple adventures across a plethora of media told in multiple languages.

Other than Dragon Ball and its sequel Z, GT, Super and the posthumous Daima series, Toriyam was also famous for designing characters for video games such as multi-platform role-playing game series Dragon Quest and the upcoming Sand Land.

Artistically, Toriyama was recognized as one of the first Japanese artists to break away from traditional manga styles that prevailed until the mid-80s.