(StraightNews.org) – Akira Toriyama, the pioneer of Japanese anime, has died at the age of 68. In 1984, Toriyama created the Dragon Ball comic, which is said to have launched the globally popular anime culture that includes video games and movies.
His production office, Bird Studio, announced his death from a brain blood clot, adding that he had left the world with many titles and “works of art.” Born in Aichi in 1955, he became a hit in 1980 with the launch of the Dr. Slump comic series. Dragon Ball, a comic about a boy and his pursuit of magical balls that make wishes come true sold 260 million copies, and he designed the characters in the hugely successful video game Dragon Quest. The comic creator won several international awards, including the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from France in 2019.
Mr. Toriyama’s death from a blood clot has prompted online speculation that he may have been a victim of the coronavirus vaccine, which many people blame for thousands of untimely deaths. The European Medicines Agency concluded in 2021 that blood clots were a “very rare side effect” of the covid vaccine AstraZeneca, and a legal case was filed against its producer last November in the UK after a 44-year-old man suffered a brain clot after taking the vaccine.
Nevertheless, the World Health Organization insists that the AstraZeneca shot is safe and has saved millions of lives.
Tributes to Mr. Toriyama appeared on social media after the news of his death, with many calling him one of the greatest comic and character creators of all time. A private funeral was held for the artist on March 8, with only his family in attendance. Known as a shy recluse and animal lover, he married fellow artist Yoshimi Katō, who worked under the name “Nachi Mikami,” in 1982. She frequently worked with her husband and assisted him in some of his most famous creations. The couple had two daughters.
Copyright 2024, StraightNews.org
