Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama has passed away

Influential Japanese manga artist Akira Toriyama, who was best known as the creator of the Dragon Ball series, has passed away.

He died aged 68 after suffering from an acute subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain.

Toriyama’s passing was announced on Friday in joint statement from Bird Studio and Capsule Corporation Tokyo.

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

“However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world.”

Toriyama died on March 1 and his family and very few relatives attended his funeral service.

“Thanks to the support of so many people around the world, he has been able to continue his creative activities for over 45 years,” Bird Studio and Capsule said. “We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come.”

Toriyama worked as a character designer on the Dragon Quest franchise, Chrono Trigger and Blue Dragon, among other games.

Bandai Namco is due to release Sand Land, an action RPG based on Toriyama’s manga series of the same name, in April for PC and consoles.

Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi paid tribute to Toriyama following the announcement of his death.

Toriyama had played “extremely important role in demonstrating Japan’s soft power”, he said (via Reuters). “Mr. Toriyama’s work has led to the widespread recognition of Japan’s content around the world.”