We just received the sad news of the death of the legendary Akira Toriyama. Surely the first thing you thought of was dragon ballhis masterpiece that popularized anime & manga around the world and influenced a lot of series that came later, such as One Piece either naruto. And that’s perfect, but on this day of mourning it is also vitally important to remember the enormous impact that this talented artist had on the video game industry.
The art of Akira Toriyama in Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger and much more
Dragon Quest is one of the most important RPG franchises in the world, along with final fantasy. These games have been as popular as they are successful, especially in their native country of Japan. And who was responsible for creating the excellent character and monster designs in this saga? That’s right, Akira Toriyama himself. Obviously there was no need to clarify this, as this is evident just by looking at the game’s artwork, but we cannot underestimate how influential and important these titles are. From its heroic protagonists to friendly monsters like the SlimeDragon Quest would never have been so iconic if it weren’t for Toriyama’s artistic contributions.
The mangaka worked on all the installments of the franchise and his absence will be greatly felt in all future titles, but we are sure that Square Enix will never stop using his excellent art style. But that’s not all, because Akira Toriyama also designed the art of Chrono Trigger, the classic Super Nintendo RPG, and one of the best in all of history. Toriyama did it again, because this is an incredible video game with an emotional story and friendly characters that will always be remembered thanks to it. He even had a cute little cameo in one of the game’s alternate endings. Completely deserved.
But Akira Toriyama didn’t stop there, because he continued to contribute his beautiful art to numerous video games, such as Tobal No. 1the saga Blue Dragonthe original characters of Jump Force and even the adaptation of his other work is about to be released, Sand Land. We were lucky enough to be able to enjoy their excellent illustrations, designs and art in a wide variety of different digital worlds, and their impact within the industry should not be underestimated.
Of course, we must also mention the enormous influence of Dragon Ball on video games. Since the beginning of this series there have been a lot of adaptations, but with the introduction of the saga Budokai Tenkaichi In the early 2000s, the story of Goku, Vegeta and their friends ended up becoming one of the most important pillars of the entire fighting genre. Titles like Budokai Tenkaichi, Xenoverse, FighterZ and more are considered the best video games based on an anime, not to mention that they influenced almost all the shonen anime adaptations that came after, such as Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm, One Piece: Burning Blood, My Hero One’s Justice and all the others.
Conquering two industries at the same time with the same level of influence is truly incredible, but Akira Toriyama managed it without problems. He was a part of our childhoods in more ways than one, and we can’t stop thanking him, not only for his excellent work, but also for the way he inspired other creators. So today we remember Master Toriyama with great affection, for having contributed to our favorite animes and video games. We hope you are resting in peace.
