Dragon Ball is considered one of the most popular franchises of all time, spanning 519 individual manga chapters, 806 anime episodes, 24 theatrical films, and several video game tieins. It comes as tragic news to learn about the recent passing of its creator, Akira Toriyama. He was 68.

There’s no denying that Toriyama’s work has made an impact worldwide. Even here in the Philippines, Dragon Ball remains a well-loved franchise. Who can ever forget those action-packed afternoons as the Tagalog-dubbed version of the series aired on local television? Many Filipino artists have joined artists worldwide in paying tribute to the late artist by posting fan art of various Dragon Ball characters and posting it online.

Toriyama isn’t only known for his work on the Dragon Ball franchise. He also made notable contributions to the video game industry. Chrono Trigger, hailed as one of the best roleplaying games (RPG) on the Super Famicom, owes its iconic character designs to Toriyama. He also worked on titles like the Dragon Quest RPG franchise and the PlayStation’s Tobal fighting games.

As painful as his passing may be to his many followers, they need only remember the answer he gave to one of his readers regarding what he’d like to reincarnate as after his passing. “I'd want to be born once more as myself, but more talented.” Here’s to hoping that the brilliant characters and stories he has left us over the years will inspire future generations of artists to create equally iconic adventures.