Toriyama died from acute subdural hematoma on March 1, 2024, at the age of 68.

Birthplace: Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

Children: 1 son and 1 daughter

He broke into manga in 1979 with Wonder Island in Weekly Shounen Jump, but really made his name with Dr. Slump—the comedy series that ran in Shounen Jump from 1980 to 1984 and became a massive anime hit. The series won him the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1982 for best shounen/shoujo manga.

Beyond manga, Toriyama's distinctive character design work became his calling card. Since 1986, he's been the character designer for the Dragon Quest RPG franchise, one of Japan's most beloved gaming series. He even designed characters for Dragon Warrior: Legend of the Hero Abel, an anime adaptation that aired starting in December 1989. Fans often note that some Dragon Quest monsters show up as cameos during the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament arc in Dragon Ball.

His clean linework and visual sense kept him in demand across the industry. He handled character design for Chrono Trigger across multiple releases, worked on the fighting games Tobal No. 1 and Tobal 2, and designed characters for Blue Dragon on Xbox 360 (plus its anime adaptation). Exhibitions showcasing his work drew over 400,000 visitors across Japan in just three years.

Toriyama ran his studio under the name "Bird Studio"—a deliberate pun on his name, since "tori" means bird in Japanese.

Favorites:

Animated Movie: 101 Dalmatians

Own Character: Piccolo

Dragon Ball Movie: Bardock, The Father of Goku

Movies: Jackie Chan films, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope