Akira Toriyama (鳥山 明, Toriyama Akira), born on April 5, 1955, in Kiyosu, Aichi, Japan, is a widely known and acclaimed Japanese manga artist known most famous for his Dragon Ball series in 1984. It is difficult to pinpoint the source of Toriyama's artwork inspiration. He admires Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and was impressed by Walt Disney's One Hundred and One Dalmatians, which he remembers for the great art. Jackie Chan's Drunken Master movie also influenced him greatly. He has stated that his favorite character is Piccolo.