In the early hours of March 8th, we learned of the passing of the legend who marked generations of fans worldwide, Akira Toriyama ( Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump ). Therefore, Goku's official voice actor, Wendel Bezerra, commented on social media about his passing and thanked fans for their support.
- 'Dragon Ball' creator Akira Toriyama dies at age 68
- Kishimoto and Eiichiro Oda's grief moves Dragon Ball fans
Wendel Bezerra commented on social media about how important creator Akira Toriyama is in his life and expressed his regret over what happened.
For the GShow portal, Wendel Bezerra commented:
“I received the news from a dubbing director, Pedro Alcântara, around 1 a.m. From then on, my WhatsApp and Instagram started buzzing. I was completely shocked and I'm still in a whirlwind of emotions and feelings. A mixture of emptiness, helplessness, and sadness,” he laments.
Akira began his creative journey in 1978 with the captivating story of Wonder Island , which came to life in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump. He then charmed 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 collected volumes and becoming the basis for the first anime inspired by a work by Toriyama.
His name shone even brighter with the iconic Dragon Ball series. Recognized as one of the cornerstones 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, the success of Dragon Ball spawned an anime series, feature films, video games, and a myriad of merchandise.
With his simple drawing style and exceptional design skills, Toriyama also left his mark on the world of video games, creating characters for the renowned Dragon Quest series, as well as working as a character designer on famous games such as Chrono Trigger for Super Nintendo and the acclaimed Tobal No. 1 for PlayStation. Even after all these years, he continues to surprise his fans with occasional new manga stories.
Source: X (Official Twitter)
