The creators of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are among many paying tribute to manga legend Akira Toriyama after his passing, having worked with him on several beloved games.
Bird Studio, which Toriyama founded over 40 years ago, has announced that the beloved Dragon Ball creator passed away on March 1 of an acute subdural hematoma. Since then, tributes have been pouring in from creators and fans alike.
In particular, Final Fantasy father Hironobu Sakaguchi pays tribute to Toriyama in the tweet below. "Toriyama-san taught me what it means to be a 'professional' and what 'work' is. I deeply respected him from the bottom of my heart. I sincerely pray that his soul may rest in peace," Sakaguchi writes.
鳥山さんに「プロフェッショナルとは、仕事とは」と教えていただいたと思っております。心底尊敬しておりました。心よりご冥福をお祈りいたします。 pic.twitter.com/BBIlln36CAMarch 8, 2024
Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii is also among those paying tribute to Toriyama. In the tweet below, Horii writes that he's still in "overwhelming disbelief" at the news of Toriyama's passing, and reflects on the time he first met the manga author and illustrator while working as a writer at Shonen Jump.
鳥山さん‥ pic.twitter.com/FfjOtZpgDfMarch 8, 2024
Horii adds that he asked Toriyama to work on the first Dragon Quest with him at the recommendation of Shonen Jump editor Kazuhiko Torishiyama. In the 37 years since, Toriyama has created countless more "charming" characters for the Dragon Quest series, and the history of Dragon Quest is synonymous with Toriyama's works.
It's not just Horii and Sakaguchi that have been praising Toriyama's works on Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy in the wake of his passing. Others on Twitter have been recalling how Toriyama hid a message to his two children in one ending of Chrono Trigger, while some have been posting the image just below of the three iconic creators together.
pic.twitter.com/Bh1aPqtoHJMarch 8, 2024
As it happens, Sand Land, the game adaptation of Toriyama's wildly popular manga series, is just around the corner from being released. The action-RPG will be released next month on April 26 across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox platforms.
You can also read up on our new games 2024 guide for a look over all the other major releases in the rest of the year.
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