without mincing words, toriyama was perhaps one of the most visionary creators out there, defining the look and feel of japanese media. dragonball inspired many people all over the world to read manga, watch anime, and learn how to animate. dragon quest is the essence of all jrpgs. japanese media wouldn't be big without his works.
so many people i follow, mainstream and subculture, are indebted to toriyama. he is a legendary creator who shouldn't have died this young. rest in peace to this legend.
And not just Japan - his global influence went way past what most Japanese artists of that era were able to reach. I remember when I visited the Centre belge de la bande dessinée, the first statue you see isn't one of the famous Belgian comic heroes like Tintin, Spriou or a smurf: it's Goku. Hard to imagine what the past few decades of French comic art would look like without him.