Akira Toriyama, Japanese manga legend enormously popular for works such as 'Dragon Ball' and 'Dragon Ball Z', has died at the age of 68, as confirmed by a statement from Shueisha and Toei Animation. The figure of the Japanese creator has essentially grown around the seven Dragon Balls franchise, but he was a prolific writer who throughout his 45-year career has brought more than 40 series to the market, including 'Doctor Slump' either 'Sand Land'. Nor would it be fair to forget his work in creating video games like 'Chrono Trigger', 'Dragon Quest' either 'Blue Dragon'. Because if there is one aspect of the Japanese genius that has been overshadowed by his career as a mangaka, it is his brilliance as a video game designer.
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A brilliant character designer
Taking into account the influence he has had on pop culture, we can only thank him for the fantastic moments he has given us and in the case of video games, we can experience any of his greatest works at any time. In addition, we can still enjoy one of the latest adaptations of his inexhaustible ingenuity through 'Sand Land', an adaptation in development for consoles and PC. While the moment of its launch arrives, it doesn't hurt to recover the best interactive works signed by the Japanese master.
Dragon Quest (1986)
When the influential Yuji Horii started working at Enix, he asked an acquaintance to design the monsters and characters for the video game he was preparing, a kind of manga that allowed you to choose the actions carried out by the protagonist. The video game was 'Dragon Quest' and the well-known one, none other than good old Toriyama. This was the beginning of a collaboration that has spanned three decades, in which the artist has actively contributed to the creation of characters in the franchise, something that also places him as one of the fathers of 'Dragon Quest' .
Chrono Trigger (1995)
In March 1995, Square released 'Chrono Trigger' for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), the classic role-playing adventure that follows a group of young adventurers accidentally transported through time, where they discover that the world is going to be destroyed in a distant future. In it, players discover secrets by traveling in time to different eras, such as the present, the Middle Ages, the future, Prehistory and Antiquity.
The video game was designed by a team called “Dream Project” which was made up of Akira Toriyama, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Kazuhiko Aoki, composer Nobuo Uematsu, and director Yuuji Horii. This combination of talent produced a revolutionary video game in its day, which included multiple endings, side adventures related to the plot that focused on character development, an unprecedented battle system – at the time -, detailed graphics and a spectacular character design.
Blue Dragon (2007) – Xbox
'Blue Dragon' is a great console role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and Artoon. In reality, it was an ambitious bet by Microsoft Game Studios to reach the hearts of Japanese players with an exclusive that bases its design on that of the 'Final Fantasy' series, developed by its creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi. The director had the help of Akira Toriyama for the designs of a (until now) underrated gem within the RPG genre and Sakaguchi himself remembers it on social networks: “Toriyama taught me what it means to be a professional and what the meaning of 'work,' and I have always deeply respected him from the bottom of my heart. I pray that his soul can rest in peace.”