The news has broken that beloved creator Akira Toriyama recently passed away at the age of 68. To call this heartbreaking would be a gross understatement, but I fail to find the words that can begin to describe how much of a loss this is for the world at large. Toriyama and his work are a monumental pillar of pop culture—Dragon Ball Z is recognized and beloved the world over, with fans across generations and the globe. It was something that I had very little awareness of when I was a kid, but grew to appreciate more and more as I got older. The love that friends and artists I look up to and admire have for it can’t be understated. What I once thought was just a simple anime turned out to be one of the most reliably enjoyable and inspirational series ever made. Akira Toriyama’s ability to craft compelling worlds, stories, and characters that balance an endearingly silly and light-hearted sense of fun with genuinely intense drama and action has inspired countless artists over the years, and will undoubtedly continue to for as long as there are people to recognize it.

Things are going to be different now that he’s gone. The world is never going to be the same. We’ve lost too many great artists in recent years, and each one has left a hole in the hearts of all who knew them and their creations. My heart and my prayers go out to his family, his friends, and his fellow fans.

Toriyama may have passed on from our world into the next, but he’s left us with a legacy that will last forever.

It’ll be a long time before I’ll be able to say goodbye, but I will always say thank you.