Akira Toriyama

Did you know one artist created a hero who can fly, glow with power, and inspire fans all over the world? His name is Akira Toriyama — the Japanese artist who dreamed up Goku and the Dragon Ball universe.

Akira Toriyama (born 1955 in Nagoya, Japan) is a manga artist from the late 20th century. The single most important thing he did was create Dragon Ball, a comic about adventures, friendship, and huge, exciting fights. Dragon Ball ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995.

Dragon Ball became one of the most popular comics in the world, selling hundreds of millions of copies and turning into TV shows, movies, toys, and video games. Before Dragon Ball, Toriyama made Dr. Slump, a silly comedy that won a major manga award. He also designed characters and monsters for video games such as the Dragon Quest series and Chrono Trigger.

Toriyama’s clean, playful drawings and fast, funny storytelling made action easy to follow and characters easy to love. He inspired many artists and helped make anime and manga popular around the world. His work shows how one person's drawings can fill the planet with adventure. If you like drawing, try making your own superhero!