Akira Toriyama is one of the most influential names in the world of manga and anime, recognized mainly for being the creator of Dragon Ball, one of the most iconic and revolutionary series of this genre. Toriyama had been regarded as one of the authors who changed the history of manga, as his works are highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.
Born on April 5, 1955, in Nagoya, Japan, Toriyama has stood out for his unique drawing style and his ability to tell captivating stories that have captured the imagination of audiences around the world.
From a young age, Toriyama showed an interest in drawing, but it wasn't until after dropping out of college and working at different jobs that he decided to pursue a career in manga. His talent was soon recognized, and in 1978, he published his first serialized work, "Wonder Island," in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine.
Toriyama found early success in the manga industry with the creation of the popular “Dr. Slump” series in the late ’70s, winning a Shogakukan Manga Award in 1981 and supervising two subsequent anime adaptations. However, that acclaim was nothing compared to “Dragon Ball,” a continuation of his kung fu movie-influenced “Dragon Boy” one-shot. First published as a serial in 1984, “Dragon Ball” has grown to become one of the best-selling manga series ever. It’s also credited as popularizing the medium of manga across the globe, further bolstered by its various anime adaptations’ enduring audience in Western countries.
An artist who largely worked outside the public spotlight, Toriyama’s work extended beyond “Dragon Ball” throughout his life, especially after taking a smaller creative role with the property in the ’90s. His other credits include various one-shot manga runs, as well as character designs for video game classics like “Chrono Trigger” and the “Dragon Quest” series.
Toriyama returned to “Dragon Ball” in the 2010’s, with the manga artist receiving a screenplay credit on the film “Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods,” then the first “Dragon Ball” feature adaptation in nearly 20 years. He has stayed involved with the property throughout its recent run of film productions, including the most recent, 2022’s “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.”
Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama dies at 68
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Saw the archetypical juggalo in the wild today:
Big, fat, white guy with greasy shoulder length hair and scraggly facial hair, wearing a backwards baseball cap, cargo shorts, and this t-shirt:
Dudes rock
I've never really understood what a Juggalo is, they seem to be uniquely American, but they also seem to have better politics than your average American. So like what's their deal
They are an "unorganized crime family" so they don't really have coherent politics. I guess you'd call it tribalism. Anyone is welcome into their community but at the same time anyone not of their community can get fucked. They are anti racism but there are undertones of a sort of hyper-nationalism (their nation being Juggalo not American). Its really quite similar to the Dead Heads in northern California but with different musical tastes.
The Juggalos are the fan base for a band called Insane Clown Posse. They're extremely popular with working class people, especially in the upper midwest region of the US where they originated. Their music is about a dark fantasy world of violence and spooky stuff, but the band itself holds a deep love of humanity. The band members are just relentlessly decent people, and the subculture that has formed around their music, the Juggalos, shares that trait. The stereotypical Juggalo is a kind, generous person who deeply believes in the goodness of humanity. The subculture as a whole is very inclusive and strongly against bigotry and racism. They throw great parties where they dress up in clown makeup, do drugs, hang out, and dance.
The PMC/Respectable Adults in the Room treat them with contempt and stereotype them as "poor white trash". The feds surveil them because a big, joyful working class movement that anti-racist and has the potential to become politically mobilized. The cops hate them because they're having fun.
If you're in trouble in the US it's not a bad idea to ask the guy with the ICP shirt for help.
I think they're America's closest approximation of Sikhs
We have Sikhs but not many outside Dearborn.