A few weeks after the death of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, all the WSJ mangakas have come together to pay their respects in the latest issue.
The creator ofDragon Ball, one of the most popularanimeand manga franchises in the world, died at the age of 68 due to acute subdural hematoma. The news was revealed in a statement issued by Shonen Jump a week later.
Toriyama originally published Dragon Ball in 1985 and actively worked on it for over four decades. It’s worth mentioning that he was one of the most influential figures in the anime and manga industry.
Several artists and actorspaid tributeto the legendary mangaka. Although it’s been a few weeks since then, the Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 17 will include other tributes from other artists.
The post includes comments from 20 WSJ mangakas, includingOne Piece,Jujutsu Kaisen, Kagurabachi, and so on.
One Piece creatorEiichiro Oda’s statementwas included in the Shonen Jump announcement. However, the latest issue features an entirely different statement. “Right now, he’s got a halo on his head, and he’s saying ‘Sure, it is tough to be a mangaka’ while building models without a care in the world. I salute you.”
Additionally, Oda also announced a three-week hiatus afterToriyama’s death. Toriyama and Oda have both admired each other’s works for decades. Oda is planning to take this time off and focus on his health.
The issue doesn’t include a comment from Kohei Horikoshi, the creator of My Hero Academia. The series is on break this week and will return in Issue 18. The mangaka will likely pay his tributes in the next issue.
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Tulisha Srivastava is an Anime Writer on Dexerto’s UK team. She is an expert on Shonen series, particularly One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen. In the past, she has worked for Comic Book Resources. You can contact her at tulisha.srivastava@dexerto.com
