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Artists in 60 Seconds: Akira Toriyama 鳥山 明

By , About.com Guide

Movement, Style, School or Type of Art:

Manga

Date and Place of Birth:

April 5, 1955, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan

Life:

After correctly drawing his first horse, the young Toriyama found inspiration in Tezuka Osamu's anime series Astro Boy and Disney's 101 Dalmatians. Years later, he spent two years doing mechanical design before entering (and winning) a contest to become a mangaka (manga artist). He became successful and famous in Japan with his first series Dr. Slump, but it was the subsequent Dragon Ball manga (and its anime series, as seen on Cartoon Network) that made his name known around the world.

Important Works:

  • Dr. Slump, original manga 1980-84
  • Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, original manga 1984-95
  • Dragon Quest (U.S. title Dragon Warrior) video game character design, 1986
  • Chrono Trigger video game character design, 1995

Manga by Akira Toriyama:

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