Akira Toriyama’s Phenomenal Popularity: Trending at No.1 on Weibo with 240 Million Views in Just One Hour, Unveiling the Secret Behind the Massive Buzz

<If I collect the Dragon Balls, will I be able to come back alive?

＜Thank you for entertaining me as a young boy.

＜An era has come to an end.

Manga artist Akira Toriyama, 68, died of an acute subdural hematoma on March 1. Soon after the news of his death crossed the ocean, he became the number one trending topic on the Chinese SNS Weibo. A post containing the phrase “鸟山明去世” (Akira Toriyama passed away) was viewed more than 240 million times in one hour, and the Internet was filled with voices of grief.

The red character after the search term “鸟山明去世(Akira Toriyama passed away)” in the ranking means that the number of searches for the word has skyrocketed. It is rare to see “爆” in mainland Chinese news. That’s how shocking the news was.

Why did the story become such a hot topic in China?

It is not well known in Japan, but Chinese people’s love for “Dragon Ball” is just amazing. It was one of the early works of Japanese manga content that became available in China, and many Chinese people say that the first Japanese manga they read was Dragon Ball. For those born in the 1980s, it was one of the few pastimes they enjoyed as children, and it is an irreplaceable memory.

 

A Chinese Dragon Ball fan said.

I remember in elementary school, I used to read the comics hidden under my desk during class. I would exchange comics with my friends and read them. As an adult, I still read them regularly. No matter how difficult the situation, if you join forces with your friends, you can overcome it. Dragon Ball taught me the power of such friendship. I showed the anime to my niece and she loved it.

While anti-Japanese sentiment is increasing over the issue of treated water release, Toriyama has received many positive comments.

The anime is based on Journey to the West, known as one of China’s “Four Famous Books,” and the characters are named after Chinese dishes. The author, Mr. Toriyama, is perceived by the Chinese as a pro-China person, which is why there have been so many voices of sincere mourning for his death.

Good works transcend oceans and even political conflicts.