Dear Akira

Akira,

Dragonball has had a profound impact on my life. I'm not even sure how aware I was of that fact until today. I owe a lot to you, possibly so much so that I'm not even sure I can put it into words that will do it justice.

I was introduced to Dragonball Z by an old friend when I was around 9/10. I was hooked from the word go, but it was more than that. It was around that time that I experienced a fair amount of childhood trauma, as well as my parents splitting up and going through a divorce. The world of Dragonball was there for me throughout that period, helping to mould me into the man I am when my parents failed to do so. Through the characters and their experiences, it taught me the importance of never giving up, even when the odds felt insurmountable. It taught me that even coming from a "low class" background, I could still rise above it and make something of myself. It taught me that kindness is the way forward, but that you shouldn't be afraid to stand up and fight for what you believe in.

These lessons shaped me. I fell in love with fitness and training because of Dragonball. The career I hold today is because of Dragonball.

And now I'm in the process of showing my kids and my step-kids all of the wonderful experiences and lessons I gained from watching Dragonball, and getting to see it through their eyes all over again.

I truly hope you realise the effect you had on so many lives, and will continue to do so for years to come.

From the bottom of my heart - thank you. We'll all miss you.

Dear Akira,

I love DBZ as much as anybody as a kid and remember well my cousins and I rushing down my grandma's dirt road from the bus to her house to throw it on. To say it was an obsession would be putting it lightly. Much bigger than the video games and shows though, I met so many of my best friends thanks to DBZ; people I'll be friends with forever, who I only met because one day I googled DBZ RPG and didn't realize immediately that ADBZ couldn't be downloaded.

Thanks big homie.