Toonami Honors Dragon Ball Creator With Final Marathon Tribute

Toonami shared a touching tribute to Akira Toriyama ahead of their Dragon Ball Z Kai marathon!

By Nick Valdez

Toonami aired a special Dragon Ball Z Kai marathon to honor the late Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, and kicked things off with an even more special on-air tribute for the famed creator! It's still a monumental loss that fans and creators all over the world have been mourning as the creator behind Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Sand Land and more, Akira Toriyama, passed away earlier this month. But Adult Swim's Toonami programming block went all the way out to honor the creator whose works have been a massive staple of Toonami ever since it first joined the block decades ago. 

Not only did Toonami feature a touching tribute on the initial week of the creator's passing, it was soon announced that Adult Swim had even more plans to honor the creator's impact on the block with a Dragon Ball Z Kai marathon. Airing over the weekend, this special marathon kicked off with TOM 6 and SARA sharing their thoughts about Toriyama's work, and celebrated the fact that Dragon Ball has basically been synonymous with Toonami for years. Check out the tribute below as shared by Swimpedia on X. 

Toonami Honors Akira Toriyama's Legacy With Special Tribute

"Man, losing one of the greatest manga creators of all time really sucks," TOM 6 and SARA began their tribute ahead of the start of the Dragon Ball Z Kai marathon on Saturday, March 16th. "Akira Toriyama's monumental influence on the medium will live on forever. Back in '98, Dragon Ball Z put Toonami on the map. And the Dragon Ball franchise has been our rock ever since. So tonight, with heavy hearts, we're paying tribute to Toriyama-san." Weekly Shonen Jump magazine publisher Shueisha's statement on Akira Toriyama's legacy following his passing reads as such:

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"Akira Toriyama, who published many works in Jump magazines, has passed away. We at Shueisha and the editorial department are deeply saddened by the sudden news of his passing. The manga that he drew, such as Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, Sand Land, and many others have been read and loved all over the world, transcending national borders. His fascinating characters and his overwhelming sense of design have greatly influenced many manga artists and creators. We would like to express our gratitude to him for his great achievements and pray for his soul to rest in peace."

What did you think of Toonami's tribute for Akira Toriyama this past weekend? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animation and other cool stuff @Valdezology on X (formerly known as Twitter)!

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