Akira Toriyama leaves a huge mark on the anime and manga industry, but this was not the only medium in which he participated, since since the 80s it was part of the identity of Dragon Quest. By having the role of designer in Enix's work, the mangaka had the opportunity to meet and collaborate with Yuji Horii on multiple projects. Now, after the unfortunate death of the artist became known, the legendary JRPG director has shared a farewell message.
Like other mangakas, Weekly Shonen Jump shared Yuji Horii's farewell message to Akira Toriyama, where he laments the unexpected death of the mangaka and his importance in the legacy of Dragon Quest. This is what he commented:
“I am still overwhelmed by the news of Mr. Toriyama's death, which was so sudden.
I have known Toriyama-san since he was a Shonen Jump writer and, with the recommendation of [Kazuhiko] Torishima, the editor in charge, I decided to ask him to draw art for the game [Dragon Quest].
In the 37 years since then, he's been involved in character designs, monster designs, and countless lovable characters.
The story of Dragon Quest is based on Toriyama's character designs. Toriyama-san and the late Sugiyama-sensei were friends who worked on Dragon Quest for a long time.
I can't believe he died. I do not know what else to say”.
Yuji Horii's Message at the passing of Akira Toriyama on March 1st, 2024. pic.twitter.com/5h4QHI4MWw
— Shonen Jump News (@WSJ_manga) March 8, 2024
Let us remember that Akira Toriyama participated as a monster and character designer in all the Dragon Quest games. This means that Goku's father is also responsible for Slim. and, although it was Horii who had the idea for this monster, the mangaka gave us the iconic design of this creature. The relationship between these two creative minds did not end here, since over the years they collaborated on multiple projects, the most famous being Chrono Trigger.
“Akira Toriyama and his son, Sasuke, playing Dragon Quest in the late 80s.”
Akira Toriyama and his son Sasuke playing Dragon Quest in the late 1980s.
May I rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/oXE5HoULPa
—Bruno de Figueiredo (@dieubussy) March 8, 2024
With future projects such as the 2D-HD remake of Dragon Quest III and Dragon Quest XII, It is likely that Toriyama still had the opportunity to collaborate in some way with Yuji Horii. As if that were not enough, we will still see the mangaka's characteristic style in games like Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero and Sand Land, which will be available this year. On related topics, you can learn more about Toriyama's death here. Likewise, other mangakas say goodbye to this artist.
Editor's Note:
Even those who don't like Dragon Ball can admire the work Akira Toriyama did on Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and other games throughout his career. His unique style gave a great touch of personality to these works, and it is very likely that they would not have been the same without these designs.
Via: Weekly Shonen Jump
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