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Dragon Ball was a huge influence to me while growing up. Me and my friends would pretend to Kamehameha at each other and as Dragon Ball Z came out, we would power-up as the show went.
It has affected everything in my life. From my childhood to my adulthood, it's always brought me joy and helped my depression more times than I can count. I remember going to the local library with my family when I was 4. It had a comic book section and a vast extensive collection of manga and anime. But one thing that particularly caught my eye was the first Dragon Ball volume and I fell in love with Akira Toriyama's art, it was unlike any I've ever seen! It was very stylized, detailed and yet so simple. I knew I had to read it, so I rent it a whole full 42 volume, and never stop reading Akira Toriyama's magnum opus and I was always left amazed by the detail of his art in manga.
He's probably influenced more mangaka than anyone else and helped form the childhoods and brought joy to millions of people around the world, myself included. And I think he wrote Dragon Ball as a love letter to his childhood, a testament to the boundless imagination and unbridled joy that resides within a child. You captured the essence of what it means to be young, to dream, and to embark on grand adventures. Through Goku and his friends, you taught us the importance of friendship, loyalty, and the pursuit of self-improvement. You created a universe that touched the hearts of millions, myself included, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
Thank you for everything you’ve done and and thank you for giving us grand adventures for countless years. I will remember you for as long as I exist, from the bottom of my heart.
Fly High, Akira Toriyama.
