Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda's mourning moves Dragon Ball fans

Today (08), one of the legends who marked generations of fans around the world, Akira Toriyama ( Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump ), passed away. With this farewell feeling, some famous mangakas known to fans, Masashi Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda paid their tributes to Toriyama through social media.

Eiichiro Oda (One Piece)

It's too soon. The hole is too big. The thought of never seeing you again fills me with sadness. I've admired you so much since I was a child, and I even remember the day you called me by my name for the first time. I also miss the day I had so much fun with Mr. Kishimoto on the way home, since the day he used the word "friend" to refer to us. I also remember the last conversation we had. He's one of the people who took the baton from the era when reading manga would make you stupid, and created an era where adults and children alike read and enjoy manga. He showed us the dream that manga can do things like this and that we can go out into the world.
He gave it to me. It was like watching a hero move forward. The excitement and enthusiasm of Dragon Ball's serialization are likely rooted in the childhoods of not only manga artists, but also active creators across all fields. This existence is a great tree. For manga artists of my generation who were on the same stage, the closer I got to Toriyama's works, the more I realized they had a greater presence. Almost frightening. But I'm so happy to see the calm man again. Because we love Toriyama-sensei to the core. I'd like to express my respect and gratitude for the richly creative world Toriyama-sensei left behind and pray for his repose from the bottom of my heart. I hope heaven is as pleasant a world as you imagined.

Masashi Kishimoto (Naruto)

"Honestly, I don't know what to write or how to write about something so sudden. But for now, I want to express my thoughts and feelings to Toriyama-sensei. I grew up reading Dr. Slump in my early school years and Dragon Ball in my later years, and it was natural for me to have his manga by my side as part of my daily life. Even though I faced difficult times, Dragon Ball always made me forget about it. It was a relief for me, a country boy who had nothing. Because Dragon Ball was so much fun! When I was in university. Suddenly, the Dragon Ball that had been part of my life for so many years came to an end. I felt an incredible sense of loss and didn't know what to expect.

Kishimoto reinforced this to Akira Toriyama, saying: "But at the same time, it was also an opportunity to truly understand the greatness of the sensei who created Dragon Ball. I wanted to create works like my sensei's!" As I followed in my sensei's footsteps and aspired to become a manga artist, this feeling of loss began to fade.

Because creating manga was fun. I was able to find new joy by following my teacher. My teacher was always my guide, my inspiration. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I would like to express my gratitude to my teacher. For me, he was the savior and the god of manga. When we first met, I was so nervous I couldn't say a word. However, after meeting him several times at the Tezuka Prize selection committee, we were able to talk.
As Dragon Ball readers, Mr. Oda and I were kids again, and when we excitedly talked about how much fun Dragon Ball was, as if we were competing with each other, sensei seemed to smile shyly. I just received the news of my teacher's death. I feel an even greater sense of loss than when Dragon Ball ended… I still don't know how to cope with this hole in my heart. Now I can't even read the Dragon Ball manga. I don't know if I can write this text correctly to convey my feelings to my teacher. Everyone around the world was still eager to see his work. If there were just one Dragon Ball wish to come true… I'm sorry, maybe this is a selfish wish, but I'm sad, sensei. Thank you, Akira Toriyama-sensei, for all your delightful work over the past 45 years. And thank you so much for everything. And to the rest of the family who are still deeply saddened. Please take care. I pray that Mr. Akira Toriyama rests in peace.

Check out the fans' comments:

Kishimoto and Oda talking about Akira really got me…
Akira was his biggest inspiration
Will Kishimoto make a tribute in Naruto?
Dragon Ball is one of the oldest animes still at the top of the charts. Many manga artists probably look to Akira as inspiration.
Kishimoto and his beautiful words
Wow, these reports of Kishimito and Oda's experience together with Akira as their disciples were really catchy, how sad, Toyataro also inherited the baton in Dragon Ball

Life and works of Akira Toriyama:

Akira began his creative journey in 1978 with the captivating story Wonder Island , which came to life in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. He then delighted readers with other notable manga, such as Highlight Island and Tomato Girl Detective .

However, it was with Dr. Slump, published weekly in Shonen Jump from 1980 to 1984, that he won the hearts of the public , generating 18 bound volumes and becoming the basis of the first anime inspired by a work by Toriyama.

His reputation shone even brighter with the iconic Dragon Ball series. Recognized as one of the pillars of the "Golden Age of Jump," Dragon Ball became a global phenomenon, leading Toriyama to dedicate himself intensely to the series from 1984 to 1995. During those eleven years, he produced 42 volumes, totaling nearly 10,000 pages of thrilling adventures. Furthermore, Dragon Ball's success spawned an anime series, feature-length films, video games, and countless merchandise.

With his simple drawing style and exceptional design skill, Toriyama also left his mark on the world of video games, creating characters for the renowned Dragon Quest series, as well as serving as a character designer on famous games such as Chrono Trigger for the Super Nintendo and the acclaimed Tobal No. 1 for the PlayStation. Even after all these years, he continues to surprise his fans with occasional new manga stories.

Source: X (Official Twitter)