The death of Akira Toriyama saddened the manga and anime community across the globe. Toriyama achieved worldwide fame through the creation of the Dragon Ball manga. The manga was a huge success, and its anime adaptation was even bigger. Even people who didn’t know Toriyama knew about Dragon Ball anime. UFC fighters like Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson and others recently paid tribute to the Manga icon.
Despite the age gap, many UFC fighters are big fans of the anime and paid tribute to Toriyama. Interestingly, fighters born in the ’80s and ’90s are big fans of anime. Veteran UFC welterweight and two-time title challenger Stephen Thompson shared a heartfelt tweet after he came to know about the death of Toriyama. This is what he tweeted.
Man so sad to hear about the news of the passing of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama...Rest easy my friend! Stephen Thompson via X
Thompson acknowledged that the anime impacted him even in his adulthood. Moreover, he fondly remembered his childhood when he woke up at midnight to watch anime. UFC light heavyweight Johnny Walker also paid tribute to the manga creator.
In an X video post, Walker donned a Dragon Ball Z jacket and tweeted that they would see each other on King Kai’s planet. It is the destination created by Toriyama, where people go after they die. Walker also fondly remembered his childhood when he used to rush home after school so as not to miss the anime on TV.
Michael Chiesa, Kelvin Gastelum, and Terrance McKinney pay tribute to Akira Toriyama
Many fighters in the UFC are very big fans of anime. Naruto and Dragon Ball are many UFC athletes’ favorite anime. Some of these fighters have become champions in the UFC. Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, and Max Holloway are among those.
The untimely death of Akira Toriyama was met with sorrow by many of the anime fans at the UFC. They made their feelings clear on social media. Michael Chiesa paid tribute and revealed that Toriyama’s Dragon Ball influenced him positively. Moreover, he stated that he still watched some episodes occasionally.
UFC lightweight Terrance McKinney also expressed his sorrow. McKinney tweeted that the death of Toriyama hurt him. Interim UFC title challenger Kelvin Gastelum also made his feelings known. He tweeted that Toriyama’s works would stand the test of time and that Dragon Ball was the greatest action anime of all time.
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