Xbox adds a blue dragon wallpaper to honor Akira Toriyama

Earlier this month, the world learned about it The passing of legendary mangaka Akira Toriyamathe Creator beyond dragon ball, Dr. Slump, And Sand land. In the gaming world, he is known as a prolific artist who created games such as Chrono trigger And the Dragon Adventure seriesIn addition to an Xbox exclusive RPG the blue Dragon. As a tribute to the latter and Toriyama himself, Microsoft released a dynamic Xbox wallpaper for the blue Dragon It includes the works of the late artist.

Blue Dragon was released for the Xbox 360 back in 2006 as part of Microsoft's attempt to get more… Positive reputation in Japan. Made in conjunction with Final fantasythe creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and his studio Mistwalker, the blue Dragon It launched a mini-series, including a pair of sequels on the Nintendo DS and an accompanying anime. Set in an original world created by Sakaguchi, the story follows a group of characters who are able to summon “shadows” to aid them in battle.

The new dynamic Xbox wallpaper features Shu, the game's main character the blue Dragon A series with the shadow of a blue dragon overlooking a heroic cliff. This same image also appeared on the game's box art. It's a simple and elegant tribute to the legend, and represents one of the last major projects he undertook in the gaming industry before his death. transient Earlier this year.

I'm not going to lie, I cried a little. It was wonderful to realize how profound an impact Toriyama had on the world around me, and to see his work celebrated in the days after the news broke greatly lifted my spirits. His death has been made a little easier to deal with considering how much he left us, and I can't wait to throw in this background the minute I get home. As someone who watched and loved the anime long before I realized it was based on a game, and also as someone who plays his Xbox more than any other system these days, this small gesture goes a long way for me.

Elsewhere, Toriyama's influence on the world remains. I was just in PAX East Where to come Sand land Game It was shown inside a tank ripped straight from the game, and The latest anime adaptation It has just been released to widespread acclaim. And of course his legendary contributions to… Chrono trigger And Dragon Adventure It will continue to be felt for generations to come, especially in the future Dragon Quest XIIwhich would likely represent Toriyama's last work in gaming upon its release.