Kosuke Kitajima (北島 康介, Kitajima Kōsuke; born September 22, 1982) is a Japanese retired breaststroke swimmer. He won…Kosuke Kitajima (北島 康介, Kitajima Kōsuke; born September 22, 1982) is a Japanese retired breaststroke swimmer. He won gold medals at the men's 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and the 2008 Summer Olympics – becoming the first and only swimmer to sweep the breaststroke events at consecutive Olympic games.
Yusuke Omae (大前 祐介, Ōmae Yūsuke; born 6 April 1982 in Tokyo) is a Japanese retired track and field sprinter who…Yusuke Omae (大前 祐介, Ōmae Yūsuke; born 6 April 1982 in Tokyo) is a Japanese retired track and field sprinter who specialized in the 200 metres. His personal best in the event is 20.29 seconds set in Matsumoto in 2001. This is the current Asian U20 record. He won multiple medals with the Japanese 4 × 100 metres relay team.
Atsushi Satō (Japanese: 佐藤 篤志, Hepburn: Satō Atsushi; born April 30, 1980), known as Atsushi or Exile Atsushi (stylized…Atsushi Satō (Japanese: 佐藤 篤志, Hepburn: Satō Atsushi; born April 30, 1980), known as Atsushi or Exile Atsushi (stylized as ATSUSHI and EXILE ATSUSHI) is a Japanese singer-songwriter. Debuting as a member of the J-pop group EXILE in 2001, Atsushi is one of the main vocalists for the group. In 2004, Atsushi began working as a producer for the group Deep (then known as Color), and in 2011 released his debut solo single "Itsuka Kitto...". In 2016, he announced his temporary hiatus from EXILE and formed a new band named Red Diamond Dogs. Atsushi returned to EXILE in 2018 and later graduated from the group in December 2020 to focus on his solo activities. Atsushi rejoined the Exile Power of Wish tour on a limited basis in 2022 and announced that he would officially return to Exile's activities on the last day of the tour, 21 December 2022.
Ryota Asano (浅野良太, Asano Ryōta) (born Chiba Prefecture, 25 September 1979) is a Japanese rugby union player with 22…Ryota Asano (浅野良太, Asano Ryōta) (born Chiba Prefecture, 25 September 1979) is a Japanese rugby union player with 22 caps and 0 points in aggregate. He played as flanker, lock and number eight. His nickname is Popi (ぽぴ～, Popi~).
Dabo (ダボ); born 6 January 1975 is a Japanese hip-hop rapper. He first appeared on the Japanese hip-hop scene in the…Dabo (ダボ); born 6 January 1975 is a Japanese hip-hop rapper. He first appeared on the Japanese hip-hop scene in the 1990s, collaborating in a Shakkazombie song, "Tomo ni ikkou". Since 2002, he has released three albums: Hitman (2002), Diamond (2003), and The Force (2006). Dabo's lyrics are more hard-edged than most J-pop, or Japanese pop, and represent a tough Japanese street culture. He also appears as a playable character in the Japanese version of Def Jam Vendetta.
Tsukasa Kotobuki (ことぶき つかさ, Kotobuki Tsukasa; born 1970) is a Japanese character designer for various games and anime…Tsukasa Kotobuki (ことぶき つかさ, Kotobuki Tsukasa; born 1970) is a Japanese character designer for various games and anime series such as Saber Marionette J, VS Knight Lamune & 40 Fire, Cyber Team in Akihabara and Battle Arena Toshinden. He also did the art for Sword of the Dark Ones. His real name is unknown; his title name is rather a pen name, majorly derived from animator Tsukasa Dokite. In 2001, he attended A-Kon as a guest. In 2003, he attended Otakon as a guest.
Hirohito Ōta (太田宏人, ōta hirohito; April 1, 1970 – 2018) was a Japanese freelance writer and Zen monk. Hirohito was a…Hirohito Ōta (太田宏人, ōta hirohito; April 1, 1970 – 2018) was a Japanese freelance writer and Zen monk. Hirohito was a researcher of Japanese graves and missionary history in South America with a focus on Peru. He was the Japanese editor for the Japanese-language Peru newspaper Peru Shinpō. He graduated from Kokugakuin University with a degree in Shintō studies. He was devoted to the study of Suika Shintō, a branch of Shintō developed by Yamazaki Ansai, religious sociality, and the religious activities of Lafcadio Hearn. Many of his articles dealt with Japanese Peruvians, Japanese Buddhism, and Peruvians in Japan.
Shōu Tajima (田島 昭宇, Tajima Shōu; born February 7, 1966 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan) is a manga illustrator and anime…Shōu Tajima (田島 昭宇, Tajima Shōu; born February 7, 1966 in Saitama Prefecture, Japan) is a manga illustrator and anime character designer. He has done character designs for the anime Kai Doh Maru, Otogi Zoshi, the survival horror video game Galerians: Ash, and the CGI OVA Galerians: Rion, as well as Kill Bill Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren. He also provided character designs and artwork for the Final Fantasy VII novel The Kids Are Alright: A Turks Side Story, some of which later appeared in the video game Final Fantasy VII Remake.
Ken Sugimori (Japanese: 杉森 建, Hepburn: Sugimori Ken; born January 27, 1966) is a Japanese video game designer…Ken Sugimori (Japanese: 杉森 建, Hepburn: Sugimori Ken; born January 27, 1966) is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, director, and co-founder of Game Freak alongside Satoshi Tajiri. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, including Pulseman. Sugimori drew and finalized most of the original 151 Pokémon. He also co-directed Ruby and Sapphire, Diamond and Pearl and Black and White, as well as worked on various Pokémon films, trading cards, and other games like the Super Smash Bros. series.
Meimu (or Mei Mu, born 24 September 1963), real name Kō Uchiyama (内山 孝, Uchiyama Kō), is a Japanese manga illustrator.…Meimu (or Mei Mu, born 24 September 1963), real name Kō Uchiyama (内山 孝, Uchiyama Kō), is a Japanese manga illustrator. While attending classes at Osaka University of Arts, he made his debut as a manga artist. Meimu's talents have been featured in various genres of storytelling, from science fiction to horror. Some of his works have also appeared in the adult manga magazine Lemon People and the manga anthology series Petit Apple Pie. His wife is manga artist Misuzu Suzuki.. Meimu was the character designer for the first Star Ocean video game.
Takashi Murakami (村上 隆, Murakami Takashi; born February 1, 1962) is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine…Takashi Murakami (村上 隆, Murakami Takashi; born February 1, 1962) is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial media (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts. His work draws from the aesthetic characteristics of the Japanese artistic tradition and the nature of postwar Japanese culture. He has designed covers for several hip hop albums, namely Kanye West's Graduation (2007), Future's eponymous fifth studio album (2017), West and Kid Cudi's Kids See Ghosts (2018), and Juice Wrld's posthumous The Party Never Ends (2024). Murakami is the founder and President of the art trading company Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. through which he manages several artists. He was the founder and organizer of the biannual art fair Geisai.
Tetsuo Hara (Japanese: 原 哲夫, Hepburn: Hara Tetsuo; born September 2, 1961) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known…Tetsuo Hara (Japanese: 原 哲夫, Hepburn: Hara Tetsuo; born September 2, 1961) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for co-creating the post-apocalyptic martial arts series Fist of the North Star (1983–1988) with writer Buronson, which is one of the best-selling manga in history with over 100 million copies in circulation.
Kamui Fujiwara (藤原 カムイ, Fujiwara Kamui; born September 23, 1959 in Arakawa, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese character…Kamui Fujiwara (藤原 カムイ, Fujiwara Kamui; born September 23, 1959 in Arakawa, Tokyo, Japan) is a Japanese character designer and manga artist. Fujiwara's father was a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He graduated from the Kuwasawa Design School. Fujiwara won an honorable mention in 1979 for his debut manga titled Itsu mo no Asa ni in the 18th Tezuka Award along with Toshio Nobe (also an honorable mention) and Tsukasa Hojo, who won the top prize awarded. He was heavily influenced by Katsuhiro Otomo, and a defining feature of his work is the fine attention to detail. His pen name "Kamui" has its origins in the name of the Ainu god of creation, Kamuy, and he has used it since high school. He has had stories published in the manga anthology series Petit Apple Pie.
Yoshio Kato (加藤 好男, Katō Yoshio; born August 1, 1957) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan…Yoshio Kato (加藤 好男, Katō Yoshio; born August 1, 1957) is a former Japanese football player. He played for Japan national team.
Osamu Akimoto (Japanese: 秋本 治, Hepburn: Akimoto Osamu; born December 11, 1952) is a Japanese manga artist from…Osamu Akimoto (Japanese: 秋本 治, Hepburn: Akimoto Osamu; born December 11, 1952) is a Japanese manga artist from Katsushika, Tokyo. He is best known for his long-running comedy series KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops, which was continuously published in Weekly Shōnen Jump for 40 years from 1976 to 2016. With 1,960 chapters collected into 201 tankōbon volumes, it held the Guinness World Record for "Most volumes published for a single manga series" from September 2016 to July 2021. The series has sold over 155 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. Akimoto's other works include the action comedy Mr. Clice, which has been published irregularly since 1985, and the Western series Black Tiger (2017–2023).
