Toonami has paid loving tribute to Dragon Ball Z creator Akira Toriyama following his tragic death – and it's got anime fans emotional.
In the clip, which you can watch below, Toonami mascots TOM and SARA each speak a few words on the legendary Toriyama.
"Man, losing one of the greatest manga creators of all time really sucks," says TOM, with SARA adding: "But Akira Toriyama's monumental influence on the medium will live on forever."
"Back in '98, Dragon Ball Z put Toonami on the map," continues TOM, and SARA says: "And the Dragon Ball franchise has been our rock ever since."
"So tonight, with heavy hearts, we're paying tribute to Toriyama-san," TOM adds, before SARA introduces a four hour marathon of Dragon Ball Z Kai.
Check out TOM and SARA's tribute to Akira Toriyama during tonight's #Toonami intro! pic.twitter.com/L3LC7yHg2kMarch 17, 2024
"Rest easy to an absolute legend!" says one fan, while another writes: "Thank you Toriyama for putting Toomani on the map, may he rest a true legend"
"Toonami is the reason I found out what Dragon Ball Z even was, I am forever grateful to them, and to Akira Toriyama. Very awesome tribute!" writes another emotional fan.
"Dragon Ball and Toonami are forever intertwined with each other. RIP Akira Toriyama. Great job Toonami," says another person.
Toriyama died at the age of 68 from an acute subdural haematoma. "It's our deep regret that he still had several works in the middle of creation with great enthusiasm," Bird Studio said in a statement, adding: "He would have many more things to achieve."
For more, see our roundup of the best anime on Netflix to fill out your watchlist.
