Akira Toriyama was a monumental Japanese manga artist and character designer whose work profoundly impacted global pop culture. He is internationally celebrated as the creator of Dragon Ball, the legendary martial arts saga that became one of the best-selling manga series of all time, inspiring countless subsequent shonen works.

Prior to Dragon Ball, he achieved massive domestic success with the comedic sci-fi series Dr. Slump, for which he won the Shogakukan Manga Award. Toriyama's distinctive, clean, and highly influential art style, characterized by detailed mechanical designs and expressive, simple character faces, also reached millions through his work as the primary character designer for the hugely popular Dragon Quest video game franchise.