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Akira Toriyama dead at 68: 'Dragon Ball' creator suffered complications due to acute subdural hematoma

Popular manga artist Akira Toriyama died on March 1, 2024, reveals a statement from 'Dragon Ball'

KIYOSU, JAPAN: Akira Toriyama, creator of 'Dragon Ball', died at 68 due to acute subdural hematoma. The official social media handle of 'Dragon Ball' confirmed the news on March 8, 2024.

The statement reads, “Dear Friends and Partners, We are deeply saddened to inform you that manga creator Akira Toriyama passed away on March 1st due to acute subdural hematoma. He was in age of 68."

“It’s our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm. Also, he would have many more things to achieve,” they added.

Akira Toriyama's cause of death explained

Akira Toriyama died due to acute subdural hematoma, a critical condition involving bleeding inside the head, typically caused by a head injury. This occurs when blood accumulates under the dura mater, a protective layer of tissue around the brain, as explained by Cleveland Clinic.

Acute subdural hematoma is the most dangerous form of SDH, with severe symptoms appearing immediately after a head injury.

Akira Toriyama is survived by his wife and two children

Toriyama was born in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, in 1955. He began his career as a manga artist at 23 after winning a manga creator contest in Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine.

His initial claim to fame was with the creation of the highly successful manga series, 'Dr Slump', followed by the iconic 'Dragon Ball', his magnum opus, that became the most popular and best-selling manga in the world.

Regarded as a pivotal figure in manga history, Toriyama's works, especially 'Dragon Ball', have inspired numerous manga artists.

In 1982, he married Yoshimi Kato, a former manga artist known by her pen name 'Nachi Mikami'. They welcomed two children into their family: a son named Sasuke, born in 1987, and a daughter born in 1990.

As reported by People, one of his last rumored projects was a spin-off series of 'Dragon Ball Z' titled 'Dragon Ball Daima', said to center around the beloved characters Goku and Vegeta.