Since his passing in March 2024, tributes to Dragon Ball’s creator Akira Toriyama have continued to pour in from fans of the iconic series and its author, to celebrate the global and continuing influence he and his manga have had on the industry and its creators everywhere. One of the more interesting tributes comes from a group of French manga fans who also happen to be anime animators.

The tribute comes in the form of an animated short video by the French anime collective Studio TEAM N/C, and posted to the group’s official X account @StudioTeamNC. Headlined by Dr. Slump‘s Arale Norimaki and Dragon Ball‘s Goku, the video depicts some of Toriyama’s most famous manga characters gathering together to wish him a final farewell as he transitions into the afterlife. It’s a moving homage that will bring a tear to even the hardest Toriyama fan’s eyes.

One of the first things that fans will notice about the video tribute is how well the creator mimics Toriyama’s style. Indeed, there’s no doubt that they are Toriyama fans. Accompanying the video is a message from Studio TEAM N/C acknowledging the impact and influence it had on the lives of the members.

France Is Anime’s Capital of the World Outside Japan

The Success of Manga and Anime In France Is Incredible

According to The Guardian, outside of Japan and the United States, France has one of the largest manga and anime fan bases in the world. In fact, the Japanese artistic influence on France extends back to Vincent van Gogh, who was smitten by the Japanese Ukiyo-e art style that introduced some of the visual and formatting techniques that are now standard practice in manga.

Studio TEAM N/C is a product of the rich milieu of manga and anime content, interest, and discussion. Established in 2023, Studio TEAM N/C describes itself as an animation studio focused on producing works in the inimitable style of Japanese manga and animation. If the group’s tribute to Toriyama is any indication of its abilities, then it’s clear that they’ve mastered the style, while adding a touch of their unique perspective. As the group takes pains to point out, they are manga and anime fans first.

Toriyama’s Reach Extended Beyond Just Dragon Ball

The tribute video unmistakably shows Studio TEAM N/C’s knowledge of at least one manga. While Goku and Arale are the standout performers in the video, a glance at the other characters shown in the video short exposes a collection of characters that only the most devoted fans would be familiar with. Besides the more famous Dargon Ball‘s Piccolo and Sand Land‘s Beelzebub, the video also features Hero from the video game Dragon Quest VIII, Blue Dragon‘s Shu, and even the depiction that Toriyama gave himself in the series Hetappi Manga Kenkyūjo.

As with the many other tributes to Toriyama that have come over the days and weeks since his passing, Studio TEAM N/C’s video is further proof of the immense impact he had, not just on fans of Dragon Ball, but on fans of manga, anime, and video games – in other words, on a significant portion of humanity.

Source: @StudioTeamNC, The Guardian