It’s been a few days since the surprise passing of legendary artist and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, and plenty of tributes have poured in from all over the world. For online communities, thousands of players across came together to pay their respects, cementing the influence and legacy that he has left behind.
Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, one of the dozen games based on Toriyama’s iconic manga, saw fans gathering in various lobbies with their arms extended – mirroring Goku’s Spirit Bomb pose –alongside a dedicated #XV2TYToriyama hashtag for X/Twitter.
In Final Fantasy XIV, vigils were held across the game, with players placing a fire in front of them and using the “pray” emote to pay respects. It’s a beautiful tribute to the man who was a direct influence on the Final Fantasy series, as creator Hironobu Sakaguchi said in an interview:
“I was personally a huge Akira Toriyama fan, and I read the Weekly Jump Magazines every week. “A game designed by such a dream team felt way out of my reach, which is why when I started the Final Fantasy project, I hoped to at least get somewhere close to Dragon Quest.”
On the note of Dragon Quest, which Toriyama eventually designed cover art, characters, and monsters (including the lovable blue slime) for, Dragon Quest 10 was greeted to sight of its community coming together to mourn the artist’s passing. The massive multiplayer online game (MMO) was never released to Western markets, but remains popular in Japan and brims with Toriyama’s artistic influences.
This is the latest wave of tributes to Toriyama, who passed away aged 68 due to an acute subdural hematoma on 1 March. Since news of his passing broke, many industry names have weighed in with their own outpouring of love, including Takehiro Inoue (Slam Dunk), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece), Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto), Tite Kubo (Bleach), and Yusuke Murata (One-Punch Man).
“I would like to express my respect and gratitude to the world of creativity left behind by Toriyama-sensei and pray for his repose in peace. I hope that heaven will be a pleasant world just as you envisioned it,” reads a translation of Oda’s post.
Kishimoto writes in his, “I have just received the news of the death of my teacher. I feel an even greater sense of loss than when Dragon Ball ended. I still don’t know how to deal with this hole in my heart. Now I can’t even read my favourite Dragon Ball… if Dragon Ball’s one wish really comes true…I’m sorry, maybe that’s selfish, but it’s sad, sensei.”
On the gaming front, Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii and Sakaguchi also honoured their memory of Toriyama. The full list of official tributes can be viewed on the r/dragonball subreddit thread (thanks, SaiyanZ3!).
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Gerald
