The Life and Legacy of Akira Toriyama

    Akira Toriyama was a manga (Japanese comic books) writer and illustrator (mangaka). His career took off with Dr. Slump, but it was Dragon Ball that cemented his legacy outside of Japan. While anime gained mainstream popularity in the West during the 90s with series like Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sailor Moon, and Dragon Ball Z, Toriyama’s work played a key role in introducing Japanese animation to a global audience. Toriyama sadly passed away on March 1, 2024, at the age of 68 years old. Akira Toriyama had a passion for creating manga and created a series (Dragon Ball) that helped introduce many people to anime. Toriyama will always be remembered as a manga legend and in this post, I want to talk about his life and legacy.