The creator of Dragon Ball, one of the most influential and best-selling Japanese comics of all time, has died at 68.
Akira Toriyama succumbed to acute subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain, his studio said Friday.
Dragon Ball is hugely popular around the world and the comic series has also spawned cartoon and film versions.
Fans have paid tribute to Mr Toriyama for creating characters that have become a part of their childhood.
The Dragon Ball comic series debuted in 1984. It follows a boy named Son Goku in his quest to collect magical dragon balls to defend Earth against alien humanoids called Saiyans.
Mr Toriyama had uncompleted works at the time of his death.
He died on 1 March and only his family and very few friends attended his funeral, according to a statement from the Dragon Ball website.
I have never really been into anime/manga. However, I received the first book of Dragon Ball book back in the 00’s when the comic arrived in Norway as an add on to a Donald Duck magazine. And heck, I was so hooked. I read the book several times, and when the next book came out, I read that several times as well. For the next few years, every time a new book cmae out, I’d read all the books again. It was an amazing journey. I read the full series through dragon ball and dragon ball z as the only manga I ever got hooked on.
Thanks for all the amazing sleepless nights under the duvet and a flashlight. Dragon Ball holds a very special place for me.