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Akira Toriyama, The creator of Dragon Ball, one of the most influential animes and best-selling Japanese comics of all time, has died at 68.
Akira Toriyama suffered an acute subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain, his studio said Friday.
Dragon Ball is hugely popular around the world and the comic series has also spawned cartoon and film versions.
The Dragon Ball comic series debuted in 1984. It follows a boy named Son Goku in his quest to collect magical dragon balls to defend Earth against alien humanoids called Saiyans.
Mr Toriyama had uncompleted works at the time of his death.
He died on 1 March and only his family and very few friends attended his funeral, according to a statement from the Dragon Ball website.
"He would have many more things to achieve. However, he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world," his studio said.
Born in Nagoya, Japan in 1955, Mr Toriyama broke into the comic book world in the early 1980s with Dr. Slump, which tells the story of a little girl robot Arale and her scientist creator.
But Dragon Ball was his most famous work. To many fans, Son Goku's journey from a kid who fumbles his martial arts training to a high-flying hero who can shoot bolts of electricity from his hands mirrors their own struggles against self-doubt as they grew into adulthood.
Fans have paid tribute to Mr Toriyama for creating characters that have become a part of their childhood.
