Some of the most highly-respected and popular manga artists have paid tribute to Akira Toriyama after he died at the age of 68.
One Piece manga artist, Eiichiro Oda, has expressed sadness at his fellow manga artist’s passing. Toriyama is the creator of the Dragon Ball series.
“It is too early. The hole is too big,” Oda said.
“Sadness washes over me when I think that I will never see him again. I have admired him so much since I was a child, so I remember the day he called me by name for the first time. On the way home from the day you used the word ‘friend’ for me and Kishimoto, I remember being overjoyed with Kishimoto. I also remember the last conversation we had.”
Oda said Toriyama also created an era when both adults and children could enjoy reading manga.
“He showed us the dream that manga can go worldwide,” he added.
The tribute goes on to say Toriyama’s existence was like a “big tree” for the manga artists of that generation.
“May heaven be the joyous world he envisioned.”
In a tribute, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto said: "I just received the news of Sensei's passing. I feel a tremendous sense of loss, more than when Dragon Ball ended... still don't know how to deal with this hole in my heart. I can't even read Dragon Ball, which I love...I pray that Akira Toriyama-sensei may rest in peace."
According to a statement from the Dragon Ball website, Akira Toriyama died on March 1 at the age of 68. Toriyama suffered an acute subdural hematoma, which is a type of bleeding near the brain.
Dragon Ball was one of the most influential and best-selling Japanese manga of all time.
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