As we all know the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama has passed away. When the news first dropped, I thought it was a sick joke. Another one of those pranks to trick people into thinking a famous person just died.

But nope, it was real. Akira Toriyama died at the age of 68 due to subdural hematoma, a blood clot in the brain.

My body was shaking, something that hasn't happened to me since the death of my grandfather. The death of a man that I've never met, who I'll never be able to meet had me regressing into the same emotions that my grandfather's death had caused me.

I first found out about Dragon Ball when it was airing on Nicktoons. The very first episode was of the Saiyan Saga, but that day I wasn't feeling so good and ended up throwing up. After that I associated Dragon Ball with my sickness and thought the series was something to avoid. But then, when I was getting ready for school, I saw that DBZ Kai was on and there was nothing else interesting on television, so I stuck with it. The episode was of Goku fighting Freeza on Namek, the Saiyan from Earth had just transformed into a Super Saiyan.

Right then and there I was completely blown away. The thought of DBZ being some cursed series that would get me sick was immediately eradicated by a Kamehameha. Watching Goku kick Freeza's ass with his righteous fury over Krillin's death rearranged my brain chemistry. And ever since then I was hooked on Dragon Ball.

I introduced one of my best friends to Dragon Ball, which ended up getting him into anime as a whole. He started from the very beginning, and every day at school we'd discuss the episodes that he had binged the night prior. Seeing how much joy the show brought him just caused my own love for Dragon Ball to increase.

I didn't get to play a lot of DB games growing up due to lack of money. So, I watched Youtubers like Kaggyfilms, Stormpow, Rhymestyle, ZZToastie, and many others play Dragon Ball games. I'd basically live through them as if I had the games myself.

My first Dragon Ball game was Attack of the Saiyans, since I only had a DS at the time. I remember getting so furiously stuck on the Raditz boss fight that I pretty much quit the game and kept it somewhere where I wouldn't have to look at it. Years later, I'd return to the game as a more intelligent gamer and would beat Attack of the Saiyans in a week. I'd then continue to replay the game over and over again, finding it easier each time.

Dragon Ball means so much to me, this franchise ignited my passion for writing. I would always get my toys together and pretend that my family and I were Dragon Ball characters. We'd go around fighting Freeza, Cell, Buu, and so many other villains. I'd be the Goku of the story, saving everyone when they needed a hero the most. It was childish, it was stupid, it was nonsensical…

…but it was fun.

Akira Toriyama changed my life, I have no idea where I'd be if Dragon Ball never existed. It actually scares me to think about how different my life might truly be or if it would really be different at all.

Whether it was Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest, or Sand Land; Akira Toriyama had an impact on all of us. His legacy, his work, and his love will always be remembered for generations to come.

May he rest in peace. Running across Snake Way, and chillin with King Kai just as Goku does.

I'll end this with a quote from Toriyama himself:

"Tackle life with as much energy as Goku! I'll try to do the same!" - Akira Toriyama, 1995