Akira Toriyama Renowned worldwide for his playful, innovative storytelling and humorous, distinctive art style, Akira Toriyama burst onto the manga scene in 1980 with the wildly popular Dr. Slump. His hit series Dragon Ball (published in the U.S. as Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z) ran from 1984 to 1995 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. He is also known for his design work on video games such as Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Tobal No. 1, and most recently, Blue Dragon. His recent manga works include COWA!, Kajika, Sand Land, Neko Majin, and a children's book, Toccio the Angel. He lives with his family in Japan.