I heard the news of Akira Toriyama’s passing last night, and it rattled me to my core.

Toriyama was one of the biggest, if not THE biggest influence on my art, as my art was often compared to his. I mean, I pretty much learned from his art as a kid.

I remember catch DBZ for the first time in late 1999 (or early 2000) on Toonami’s Midnight Run, but I didn’t become a fan until mid 2000, catching up to the Frieza Saga in preparation for the Androids Saga. I used to model some of my characters after DBZ characters, like my very first OC, Kensaku, who was inspired by Goku.

I also used to frequent fan sites like Planetvegita and Myfavoritegames, and taking in just the screenshots.

That’s all I can say, actually. The only thing left to say is:

Thank you for making me an artist, Toriyama-Sensei.