The recent tragic
departure of Akira Toriyama has left his followers distraught,
but has also allowed close friends and colleagues to share details about the
health problems faced by the late “ Dragon Ball ”
creator.
In an interview with
Sponichi Annex, comedian Tomohide Ohkawa offered some details
about Toriyama that he had learned during their 16-year friendship. The
interview, shared in English by Reddit users, revealed that Toriyama did not
suffer from serious health problems until 2022, but was hospitalized during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
According
to Ohkawa, Toriyama sent him an email in April 2023 about the possibility of
being hospitalized for a brain tumor. In
February 2024, Toriyama underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor, but Ohkawa
does not know if this event was connected to Toriyama's death, which occurred
on March 1.
Takao Koyama, an
anime screenwriter who worked on several "Dragon Ball" television
series, shared a similar statement about Toriyama's poor health on Twitter, in
which Koyama revealed that Toriyama had been ill since last year,
possibly related to his brain tumor status .
“ Subdural
hematoma. I wonder if you hit your head ,” Koyama said. “ It
seems that you had been suffering from illness since last year. That's
unfortunate. It must have been quite difficult for you. I was also hospitalized
for 100 days last year, so I can empathize with you .” Koyama was
referring to his 100-day hospitalization for gangrene in 2023, which resulted
in the amputation of a toe.
He went on to express
sympathy for Toriyama's health struggles and thanked the manga artist for
helping him launch his writing career. “ My life as a screenwriter
was greatly improved by the fact that I was included among the screenwriters of
Dr. Slump: Arale-chan ,” Koyama said. “ Also thanks to
Dragon Ball, the organization I later formed, 'Brother Noppo', became involved.
Mr. Akira Toriyama was one of my greatest benefactors, on whom I can never turn
my back. I never imagined that he would pass away before me. […] If I
had not known the works of Mr. Toriyama, my life as a screenwriter, and the
lives of my students as screenwriters, would have changed a lot .”
Revelations about
Toriyama's health shed light on the personal challenges he faced as he
continued to captivate millions of people around the world with his
unparalleled imagination and creativity. As his fans mourn his loss,
his legacy will live on in the pages of his timeless works like “Dragon Ball,”
which continue to inspire generations of fans around the world.
Source: Reddit
