Toriyama passed away on March 1, aged 68, from an acute subdural hematoma, his studio announced<\/a> Thursday night. Other acclaimed manga artists expressed their shock and condolences that perhaps their industry\u2019s most famous artist had passed away.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to make manga like yours! I wanted to be like you!\u201d Masashi Kishimoto, author of the Naruto <\/em>series, said of Toriyama on Friday.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNot only manga artists, but creators active in all industries\u2026the excitement and emotion of his Dragon Ball serialization is probably rooted in their childhood,\u201d Eiichiro Oda, author of the bestselling One Piece <\/em>series, wrote<\/a>.<\/p>\n Organizations all over the world commemorated Toriyama\u2019s passing with references to his works, like the Dragon Ball <\/em>manga series or the Dragon Quest series of video games.\u00a0<\/p>\n We’ll try tackling life with as much energy as Goku! \ud83e\udde1 \u2014 AC Milan (@acmilan) March 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Even Beijing joined<\/a> in.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mao Ning, the spokesperson for China\u2019s foreign ministry, expressed \u201csincere sympathies\u201d to Toriyama\u2019s family during a press conference, in response to a question from TV Tokyo.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI noted that many Chinese have expressed condolences over his passing online,\u201d she said. Toriyama is best known as a manga artist. He first got mainstream success with Dr. Slump, <\/em>first released in 1980. But Toriyama\u2019s work took off with Dragon Ball. <\/em>The martial-arts series, taking elements from Chinese classic Journey to the West, <\/em>started in 1984 and is still ongoing today. It sold 260 million copies worldwide, according to Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n The animated adaptations of Dragon Ball\u2014<\/em>\u201cDragon Ball,\u201d \u201cDragon Ball Z,\u201d and their sequels and spin-offs\u2014propelled Toriyama and his work to global superstardom.\u00a0<\/p>\n Toriyama \u201cshowed that manga could travel the world,\u201d Oda wrote<\/a> in his statement on Toriyama\u2019s death on Friday.<\/p>\n In 2018, anticipation in Latin America for the 130th episode of \u201cDragon Ball Super\u201d was so high that even city governments organized watch parties for tens of thousands of fans in public spaces. Toei Animation<\/a>, which produced the animated series, and even the Japanese embassy<\/a>, warned the watch parties were not officially authorized and so fans should stay away.<\/p>\n In early 2024, a Chinese dance troupe put on a performance commemorating Dragon Ball\u2019s 40th anniversary. The stream went viral, reportedly racking up<\/a> 350 million views on the Chinese live streaming platform Bilibili.\u00a0<\/p>\n Goku remains an icon of Japan and Japanese animation. Earlier this week, Brazil vice president\u00a0Geraldo Alckmin featured Goku, alongside other icons of Japanese animation like Pikachu and Naruto, in a social-media message thanking Toyota for a $2.2 billion investment<\/a> in the South American country.<\/p>\n Muito obrigado pela parceria, Toyota! \u2014 Geraldo Alckmin \ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddf7 (@geraldoalckmin) March 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
We loved every minute
Rest in peace,\u00a0Toriyama-\u5148\u751f pic.twitter.com\/rxHalCZmFG<\/a><\/p>\n
\u201cWe hope and believe that more people with vision in Japan will make [an] active contribution to the cultural exchange and friendship between China and Japan.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\u2018Manga could travel the world<\/strong>\u2018<\/h2>\n
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\u2013 Confian\u00e7a: R$ 11 bi de investimentos, at\u00e9 2030, sendo R$ 5 bi at\u00e9 2026
\u2013 Renda: 2 mil novos empregos diretos e 8 mil indiretos, at\u00e9 2030
\u2013 Inova\u00e7\u00e3o: novos modelos de autom\u00f3veis
\u2013 Sustentabilidade: ve\u00edculos ainda mais eficientes, inclusive\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/bfqUzUQNm6<\/a><\/p>\n
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