Dragon Ball Editors Slam Publisher Over Akira Toriyama’s Death Handling

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Akira Toriyama, the cherished creator of Dragon Ball, passed away on March 1st, 2024 – a year that also marked the manga’s 40th anniversary. Toriyama was a legendary manga artist, known for producing one of the most impactful and top-selling manga series ever made. Dragon Ball significantly transformed the Shonen genre, paving the way for popular series like Naruto, One Piece, and Bleach. The anime version, first released in 1986, went on to captivate audiences worldwide. Toriyama began his career as a manga artist with Wonder Island in 1978, but it was his sci-fi comedy, Dr. Slump, from 1980 that truly catapulted him to fame in Japan. Four years later, Dragon Ball made its debut, cementing Toriyama’s status as a global icon.

Beyond his manga work, Toriyama made a substantial impact on the video game world, creating characters for series like Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. His unexpected death at 68 sent shockwaves around the globe, with numerous manga artists and celebrities expressing their condolences to the author on social media upon hearing the news. The announcement of his passing came from Shueisha on March 8th, 2024. However, in a recent interview, Toriyama’s long-term editors voiced their displeasure with the publisher regarding various aspects, particularly how they handled his demise.

The harsh criticism toward Shueisha

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— Enomis (@Venixys) March 24, 2025

Dragon Ball’s Editors Criticized Shueisha’s Handling of Toriyama’s Passing as Setting a Bad Precedent

In the second segment of the conversation hosted by @KosoKoso_hoso’s podcast, three veteran editors of the popular anime series “Dragon Ball”, namely Kazuhiko Torishima, Yu Kondo, and Fuyuto Takeda, shared their thoughts on the show and expressed criticism towards Shueisha. The original interview was published exclusively on Radiko, a Japanese-only service. A dedicated “Dragon Ball” fan account, @Venixys on platform X, translated key points from the discussion into English for fans worldwide. Interestingly, despite having known Akira Toriyama for years, they were not informed of his passing in a timely manner. Specifically, Torishima found out about it just one day before the public announcement, while Kondo and Takeda learned of it on March 8th.

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In the very same conversation, it was mentioned that Toriyama’s long-term editors voiced strong criticism towards Shueisha, finding the information shared about Toriyama’s passing to be too brief and impersonal. Furthermore, no official memorial event was held after his death. Upon examining Shueisha’s statement in comparison to their approach for other colleagues in the same obituary post on Manga Plus, this inconsistency becomes more apparent.

The account goes on to say, “The choice could be consistent with his quiet personality, however, they felt there was insufficient recognition from the JUMP editorial team. This included both a clear message and an acknowledgement of Toriyama’s significant contributions, spanning from Dr. Slump to Dragon Ball.

The editors believe that a straightforward action, like showing a well-known image of Goku giving a farewell wave, could have sufficed. They are concerned that, as Toriyama didn’t receive a fitting tribute, future creators might experience the same oversight. Editors recognize the challenging nature and immense effort that goes into creating a manga. The artists involved face continual deadline stress while nostalgically recalling their collaboration with Toriyama.

Toriyama’s Funeral Service Was Only Held With Family Members and Relatives

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In the memorial tribute, Shueisha acknowledged Toriyama’s remarkable accomplishments spanning several decades. Moreover, Bird Studio Capsule Corporation announced that a private funeral service took place, attended by his immediate family and only close relatives. The ceremony was carried out in accordance with Toriyama’s preferences. Furthermore, the company requested that no flowers, condolence gifts, visits, or offerings be sent, and kindly asked the public to refrain from approaching his family for interviews.

Furthermore, they weren’t arranging any celebratory events in the near future. To clarify, Bird Studio is a manga and design production company founded by Akira Toriyama in 1983. Conversely, Capsule Corporation Tokyo was set up in 2023 by Akio Iyoku, who previously worked as an editor. This organization manages the overall production of Toriyama’s works, including Dragon Ball.

Beyond these individuals, the obituary contained condolences from Yuji Horii (Dragon Quest Game Designer), Masakazu Katsura (creator of Zetman), Eiichiro Oda (One Piece creator), and Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto creator). Despite Toriyama’s request for no memorial service, Shueisha, the publishing company, didn’t take any unique steps to pay their respects. Both editors and fans were disappointed upon learning about this, as evidenced by their reactions following an interview. The dissatisfaction of the editors suggests that there may be management problems within Shueisha, a prominent manga publisher.

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2025-03-28 17:11