Last Thursday, March 7, unpleasant news was reported for the world of anime and manga, since the death of Akira Toriyamawho in life created great works such as dragon ballSand Land, Dr. Slump and some more that captured millions of fans. This is through a statement that has been released on the networks, but something that has caught attention is not knowing what his last words were or if he had a specific message to give to everyone or even just his family.
Recently, statements have been shared that the mangaka shared thanks to the fact that he was selected in December by the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2024 to win the prize “Lifetime Achievement”, which makes it clear that it is an award for the career he had for more than 40 years in the manga industry. At the same time, they were celebrating that there were projects in plans such as the launch of Dragon Ball Daima, in addition to the second wind of Sand Landwith a video game and animated series.
Akira Toriyama's Final Comments from Dec 2023!
Akira Toriyama was announced to have won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2024 on December 14, 2023.
He was supposed to receive the award on stage during the Festival from March 8-11, 2024.However,… pic.twitter.com/mHbkI8GXAv
— SUPER クロニクルス (@SupaChronicles) March 11, 2024
Here is what the author mentioned regarding the award:
To be honest, I've never had much interest in anime. Even when my own work received an animated adaptation I didn't watch much of it, something I'm ashamed to admit. I apologize to the staff for this.
About 10 years ago, out of the blue I received a request to review the script for the new Dragon Ball animated movie, and I also drew some simple designs for the characters and environments. I thought at the time 'I can leave the complicated part to the staff'. That is why I am embarrassed to receive this award at the Tokyo Anime Awards Festival. Thanks a lot.
One of the most unforgettable memories I have in the field of animation goes back to when I met Toyo Ashida for a project called 'Kosuke-sama Rikimaru-sama', produced by Shonen Jump. Since this project did not have a manga, it was decided to hold a meeting about it. (Ashida) He was a tremendously friendly person and we quickly forged a good relationship. Every time I saw him draw I was struck by how precise and smooth his style was.
I thought 'Okay, I think I need this kind of touch to speed up the Dragon Ball drawing process and make it much smoother.' With this, the time spent drawing was reduced by 2/3 of what it used to be. We both influenced each other in many ways, and I think that time was very fulfilling for me. I pray that Ashida-san rests in peace.
Dragon Ball Daima, a project that will be released in 2024, was originally being planned as a series without my participation, but as I gave advice here and there, I ended up being tremendously involved in the project without hardly realizing it. I not only worked on the main story, but also on world creation, character design, mecha, and many other aspects. I really hope you enjoy this story, because I think it will not only have a lot of action but also a lot of substance.
Finally, I would love to thank all those who have followed me so far for their support. I'm not sure how much more I'll be able to do, and I'm not very confident in my health, probably because of the lifestyle I led when I was younger. Still, I will try my best to create new works that are interesting, so please keep supporting!
The last paragraph in relation to this statement clearly speaks of health problems that he possibly knew about but that he did not say anything strong enough to alarm the media, which is why it has attracted a lot of attention from fans, leading them to assume that it is a farewell between the lines.
Via: Twitter
Editor's note: Without a doubt, it is quite striking that he mentioned the health problem, and a couple of months later the tragic event occurred. What is certain is that he has managed to leave as an outstanding person and will be remembered basically until the end of the world, since he left indelible marks with his works.
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