Japanese manga comic creator Akira Toriyama, best known for his work on popular titles like Dragon Ball and Dr Slump, has died aged 68, his publisher has said.

He died of acute subdural haematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain, on 1 March, Bird Studio, the company he created, said in a statement on Friday.

Announcing the news “with deep regret”, the statement said “he would have many more things to achieve”, but “he has left many manga titles and works of art to this world.

“We hope that Akira Toriyama’s unique world of creation continues to be loved by everyone for a long time to come,” it added.

Only his family and very few friends attended his funeral, the statement said, adding that he was working on other projects when he died.

Dragon Ball first appeared in the Weekly Shonen Jump comic in 1984 and was later adapted into movies, video games and TV series, which were distributed in more than 80 countries.

It has sold 260 million copies altogether worldwide, according to the studio.

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The story centres around a boy named Son Goku, who has a monkey’s tail and enormous strength, and his quest to collect magical dragon balls to defend Earth against aliens called Saiyans.

To many fans, Son Goku’s journey from a kid who fumbles his martial arts training to a high-flying hero who can shoot bolts of electricity from his hands reminds them of their own struggles against self-doubt as they grew into adulthood, the BBC said.

A fan wrote on the official Dragon Ball website: “We will never forget Akira Toriyama for the gift he left on this earth. I can’t imagine a world without Dragon Ball.”

Toriyama, who began contributing to Shonen Jump in 1978, also designed characters and monsters for the popular role-playing game series Dragon Quest.

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His Dr Slump series that started in 1980 became a huge hit, elevating him to a best-selling young comic artist.

He received manga and art awards in and outside Japan, including the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters from France in 2019.

Born in Nagoya in central Japan in 1955, Toriyama was married with a son and daughter, Encyclopedia.com said.

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