Hideaki Sorachi (空知 英秋, Sorachi Hideaki; born May 25, 1979) is the pen name of a Japanese manga artist, most well known…Hideaki Sorachi (空知 英秋, Sorachi Hideaki; born May 25, 1979) is the pen name of a Japanese manga artist, most well known for his manga Gintama, which began serialization in 2003 and ended in 2019. He has also written numerous one-shots, including Dandelion, for which he won the Tenkaichi Honourable Mention Manga Award in 2002. Sorachi's distinctive sense of humour and writing style has been the subject of academic research papers. As of February 2018, the Gintama manga has sold 55 million units in Japan.
Masasumi Kakizaki (Japanese: 柿崎正澄, Hepburn: Kakizaki Masasumi; born May 18, 1978) is a Japanese manga artist. He…Masasumi Kakizaki (Japanese: 柿崎正澄, Hepburn: Kakizaki Masasumi; born May 18, 1978) is a Japanese manga artist. He debuted in 2001 with the one-shot Two Tops prior to launching his first series, X-Gene, in 2002. Rainbow: Nisha Rokubō no Shichinin, which he illustrated, won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the general category in 2005.
Karuho Shiina (Japanese: 椎名軽穂, Hepburn: Shiina Karuho) is a Japanese manga artist. Her manga Kimi ni Todoke won the…Karuho Shiina (Japanese: 椎名軽穂, Hepburn: Shiina Karuho) is a Japanese manga artist. Her manga Kimi ni Todoke won the award for best shōjo at the 32nd Kodansha Manga Award, and it was nominated for the first Manga Taishō in 2008. It was also adapted into an anime television series, a live action film and a TV drama series.
Shūhō Satō (佐藤 秀峰, Satō Shūhō; born December 8, 1973 in Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He won the…Shūhō Satō (佐藤 秀峰, Satō Shūhō; born December 8, 1973 in Ikeda, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He won the Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award for his work Say Hello to Black Jack. His assistants have included his wife, manga artist Tomomi Satō, as well as Masasumi Kakizaki (one year before his debut), Takahisa Shiratori, Itsunari Fujii, Eiji Nomura, Takashi Yoshida, and Kōjirō Umezawa.
Hiromu Arakawa (荒川 弘, Arakawa Hiromu; born May 8, 1973) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of…Hiromu Arakawa (荒川 弘, Arakawa Hiromu; born May 8, 1973) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known as the creator of the manga series Fullmetal Alchemist (2001–2010), which became a hit both domestically and internationally, and was adapted into two anime television series. She is also known for Silver Spoon (2011–2019), the manga adaptation of The Heroic Legend of Arslan novels (since 2013), and Daemons of the Shadow Realm (since 2021).
Kazune Kawahara (Japanese: 河原 和音, Hepburn: Kawahara Kazune) is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for creating…Kazune Kawahara (Japanese: 河原 和音, Hepburn: Kawahara Kazune) is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for creating the romantic comedy shōjo manga High School Debut (Koukou Debut). Kawahara has also published and authored several other manga series, most notably Ai no Tame ni and Aozora Yell, and mostly specialises in the genre of romance.
Shin Takahashi (高橋しん, originally 高橋 真, Takahashi Shin; born September 8, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best…Shin Takahashi (高橋しん, originally 高橋 真, Takahashi Shin; born September 8, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his series Saikano (She, the Ultimate Weapon) and Kimi no Kakera. Inio Asano had a brief stint as his assistant during the creation of Saikano.
Ryō Ikuemi (Japanese: いくえみ綾, Hepburn: Ikuemi Ryō; born October 2, 1964 in Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan) is a Japanese shōjo…Ryō Ikuemi (Japanese: いくえみ綾, Hepburn: Ikuemi Ryō; born October 2, 1964 in Nayoro, Hokkaido, Japan) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist.
Akira Yasuda (安田 朗, Yasuda Akira) (born July 21, 1964) is a Japanese animator, character designer, game designer and…Akira Yasuda (安田 朗, Yasuda Akira) (born July 21, 1964) is a Japanese animator, character designer, game designer and mecha designer, who works under the pseudonym Akiman. Yasuda is a former employee of the video game company Capcom (joining in 1985) and has worked on many Capcom games, taking on various design roles for works such as the Final Fight series and Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (including their updates). He has also been involved in anime production, most notably Turn A Gundam, Overman King Gainer and Code Geass. He also went to the United States to work on Red Dead Revolver for Angel Studios. When the studio was bought by Rockstar Games, he returned to Japan, where he officially left Capcom in 2003 and started working as a freelance artist.
Kazuhiro Fujita (藤田 和日郎, Fujita Kazuhiro; born May 24, 1964, in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist.…Kazuhiro Fujita (藤田 和日郎, Fujita Kazuhiro; born May 24, 1964, in Asahikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He graduated from Nihon University. Fujita made his professional manga debut in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1989. He is known for his manga series Ushio & Tora and Karakuri Circus. For Ushio & Tora, Fujita won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 1992 and the Seiun Award in 1997.
Mori Kanda (神田森莉, Kanda Mori, born December 3, 1963) is a Japanese musician and manga artist known for his horror manga…Mori Kanda (神田森莉, Kanda Mori, born December 3, 1963) is a Japanese musician and manga artist known for his horror manga that mix splatter and comedy horror.
Satoshi Kon (今 敏, Kon Satoshi; October 12, 1963 – August 24, 2010) was a Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter…Satoshi Kon (今 敏, Kon Satoshi; October 12, 1963 – August 24, 2010) was a Japanese film director, animator, screenwriter and manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido, and a member of the Japanese Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). He was a graduate of the Graphic Design department of the Musashino Art University. He is best known for his acclaimed anime films Perfect Blue (1997), Millennium Actress (2001), Tokyo Godfathers (2003), and Paprika (2006), and the TV series Paranoia Agent (2004). In 2010, Kon died of pancreatic cancer at age 46.
Koji Aihara (相原 コージ, Aihara Kōji) is a Japanese manga artist from Hokkaido. Aihara grew up reading the works of Osamu…Koji Aihara (相原 コージ, Aihara Kōji) is a Japanese manga artist from Hokkaido. Aihara grew up reading the works of Osamu Tezuka. He made his debut with Hachigatsu no Nureta Pantsu in 1983, which ran in Weekly Manga Action Magazine. He is one of the authors of Even a Monkey Can Draw Manga, a satiric look at the manga industry. Aihara's other best-known works include Bunka Jinrui Gag, Koojien, Mujina and Manka. Manka has been described as being similar to tanka in that it shows the breadth of human emotion within the short space of a yonkoma. He has also drawn a yonkoma parody of a Japanese dictionary. His work has been described as breaking new ground for themes in comedic manga, and as showing "meticulous detail". He also designed the characters for the RPG video games Maka Maka and Idea no Hi (scenario and character design draft).
Noriko Sasaki (佐々木 倫子, Sasaki Noriko; born 7 October 1961) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for her…Noriko Sasaki (佐々木 倫子, Sasaki Noriko; born 7 October 1961) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for her Dōbutsu no Oisha-san series.
Umanosuke Iida (飯田 馬之介, Iida Umanosuke; April 30, 1961 – November 26, 2010) (also known as Tsutomu Iida) was a Japanese…Umanosuke Iida (飯田 馬之介, Iida Umanosuke; April 30, 1961 – November 26, 2010) (also known as Tsutomu Iida) was a Japanese anime creator, director and screenwriter. Iida died due to lung cancer. Iida was born in Urakawa, Hokkaido and graduated from Hokkaido Urakawa High School. He was a member of the Japan Animation Creators Association (JAniCA). He died of lung cancer at a hospital in Kiyose, Tokyo on November 26, 2010, at the age of 49. At the farewell ceremony, Hayao Miyazaki read a eulogy. He passed during production of the anime Towa no Quon, which he had been set to direct. After his death, production was taken over by Takeshi Mori, who was credited as co-director.
Hidehiko Tezuka (Japanese: 手塚 秀彦, Hepburn: Tezuka Hidehiko; born April 26, 1961, in Ikeda), better known as Kazuhiko…Hidehiko Tezuka (Japanese: 手塚 秀彦, Hepburn: Tezuka Hidehiko; born April 26, 1961, in Ikeda), better known as Kazuhiko Shimamoto (島本 和彦, Shimamoto Kazuhiko), is a Japanese manga artist. He attended college at the Osaka University of Arts in the fine arts department. While in college in February 1982, he debuted in the spring special issue of Weekly Shōnen Sunday with Hissatsu no Tenkōsei. At this point, he dropped out of college and devoted his energy to becoming a manga artist. Shimamoto is responsible for several long-running and well-known manga series. He drew Honō no Tenkōsei from 1983 to 1985, as well as the Moeyo Pen saga, which began as a one-volume manga published in 1990 but was continued in two more series totaling 24 volumes. He also worked with Shotaro Ishinomori on a Skull Man manga based on Ishinomori's intended storyline, which was licensed in the US by Tokyopop. His baseball manga Gyakkyō Nine was adapted into a live-action Japanese film in 2005. His past assistants include Katsu Aki, Masaaki Fujihara, Eisaku Kubonouchi, and Tetsuo Sanjō. Some of his college classmates include Gainax founders Hideaki Anno and Hiroyuki Yamaga, among others. They later appeared as characters in his manga Aoi Honō.
Yumiko Kawahara (川原 由美子, Kawahara Yumiko; born April 20, 1960) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist born in Hakodate…Yumiko Kawahara (川原 由美子, Kawahara Yumiko; born April 20, 1960) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist born in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan. She made her professional debut in 1978 with Kotchi muite Marie!! in the weekly Shōjo Comic, for which she won a Shogakukan New Artist Award. In 1985, she received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo for Zenryaku Milk House (前略・ミルクハウス). She is best known in the United States as the author of Dolls, which was licensed by Viz Media.
Naoki Yamamoto (山本 直樹, Yamamoto Naoki) is a Japanese manga artist. In his early years, he also used pen names Tō…Naoki Yamamoto (山本 直樹, Yamamoto Naoki) is a Japanese manga artist. In his early years, he also used pen names Tō Moriyama (森山 塔, Moriyama Tō) and Mori Tōyama (塔山 森, Tōyama Mori) for his earlier adult-oriented works. He was born in Matsumae District, Fukushima, Hokkaido and graduated from Waseda University's Department of Literature.
Kazumi Yamashita (山下 和美, Yamashita Kazumi; born 15 August 1959 in Otaru, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist.…Kazumi Yamashita (山下 和美, Yamashita Kazumi; born 15 August 1959 in Otaru, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. Yamashita started her career as a shōjo manga artist. She made her debut as a professional artist in 1980 in the magazine Margaret. In her early years, she was inspired by the style of Mariko Iwadate. She is best known for The Life of Genius Professor Yanagizawa, which is being published in the seinen magazine Morning, and for which she received the 2003 Kodansha Manga Award for general manga. The main character of the manga is modeled after her father. For her series Land she received the Grand Prize at the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize 2021.
Masami Yuki (ゆうきまさみ, Yūki Masami), real name Shūji Satō (佐藤修司 Satō Shūji; born December 19, 1957), is a Japanese manga…Masami Yuki (ゆうきまさみ, Yūki Masami), real name Shūji Satō (佐藤修司 Satō Shūji; born December 19, 1957), is a Japanese manga artist. He is a member of the artist collective known as Headgear, along with Mamoru Oshii, Akemi Takada, Kazunori Itō, and Yutaka Izubuchi. He has received multiple awards for his work: the 1988 Seiun Award for Kyūkyoku Chōjin R, and the 1991 Shogakukan Manga Award for Mobile Police Patlabor. After graduating from Kutchan High School, Yūki moved to Tokyo, where he worked as a manga assistant under artists like Miki Tori and Kaoru Shintani, who inspired him to create his own works. He began by publishing several works in doujinshi, and soon after began working as a professional manga artist with Weekly Shōnen Sunday. In the mid-1980s, he developed the original concept for a lighthearted mecha anime that would become Patlabor, which launched in 1988 with the Early Days OVA and Yūki's serialized manga. As of 2026, he continues to work on projects like Shinkurō, Hashiru! and Patlabor EZY.
Hiroyuki Itagaki (Japanese: 板垣 博之, Hepburn: Itagaki Hiroyuki; born April 4, 1957), better known by the pen name Keisuke…Hiroyuki Itagaki (Japanese: 板垣 博之, Hepburn: Itagaki Hiroyuki; born April 4, 1957), better known by the pen name Keisuke Itagaki (板垣 恵介, Itagaki Keisuke), is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his martial arts series Baki the Grappler (1991–1999) and its many sequels, which together have sold over 100 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history. Itagaki lives in Fuchū, Tokyo, and has been a Musashi Province Fuchū Ambassador since 2014. He is the father of fellow manga artist Paru Itagaki.
Shinbo Nomura (のむら しんぼ, Nomura Shinbo; born Shin Nomura (野村 伸, Nomura Shin); 24 September 1955 in Minamikayabe, now…Shinbo Nomura (のむら しんぼ, Nomura Shinbo; born Shin Nomura (野村 伸, Nomura Shin); 24 September 1955 in Minamikayabe, now part of Hakodate, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known as the author of the yonkoma manga Tsurupika Hagemaru (つるピカハゲ丸; lit. 'Little Baldy Hagemaru'), which was adapted as a 58-episode anime television series and for which he received the 1988 Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga. He also later created a manga adaption of Ratchet & Clank. He began his career as an assistant to Kenshi Hirokane.
Buichi Terasawa (Japanese: 寺沢 武一, Hepburn: Terasawa Buichi; March 30, 1955 – September 8, 2023) was a Japanese manga…Buichi Terasawa (Japanese: 寺沢 武一, Hepburn: Terasawa Buichi; March 30, 1955 – September 8, 2023) was a Japanese manga artist. His most famous works include Goku Midnight Eye and Cobra.
Yumiko Igarashi (いがらし ゆみこ, Igarashi Yumiko; born 26 August 1950 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. She…Yumiko Igarashi (いがらし ゆみこ, Igarashi Yumiko; born 26 August 1950 in Asahikawa, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for illustrating the manga series Candy Candy.
Nanae Sasaya (ささや ななえ, Sasaya Nanae; January 31, 1950 – June 8, 2024), also known by the pen name Nanaeko Sasaya (ささや…Nanae Sasaya (ささや ななえ, Sasaya Nanae; January 31, 1950 – June 8, 2024), also known by the pen name Nanaeko Sasaya (ささや ななえこ, Sasaya Nanaeko), was a Japanese manga artist. She was associated with the Year 24 Group.
Waki Yamato (Japanese: 大和 和紀, Hepburn: Yamato Waki; born March 13, 1948) is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in…Waki Yamato (Japanese: 大和 和紀, Hepburn: Yamato Waki; born March 13, 1948) is a Japanese manga artist. She debuted in 1966 with the short story Dorobō Tenshi. Since her debut, Yamato steadily created and published a variety of works in the genre of shōjo manga. Among her early time works, Mon Cherie CoCo, 1971, was adapted into an anime television series, and her work, Haikara-san ga Tōru, 1975 to 1977, was very successful, winning the 1st Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga in 1977. It was also made into a musical for the Takarazuka Revue, an anime series (which reached an international audience through TV broadcasts in Italy and France), and a live-action film. Through these early works, she established her position as one of the most popular manga artists.
Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Japanese: 安彦 良和, Hepburn: Yasuhiko Yoshikazu; born December 9, 1947) is a Japanese animator, manga…Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (Japanese: 安彦 良和, Hepburn: Yasuhiko Yoshikazu; born December 9, 1947) is a Japanese animator, manga artist, and anime director. He is best known for being the character designer and animation director of the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime, which began in 1979. That same year, he began working as a manga artist, which had been his dream since childhood. His manga have been critically acclaimed and have won numerous awards.
Ryoko Yamagishi (山岸 凉子, Yamagishi Ryōko; born September 24, 1947, in Kamisunagawa, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga…Ryoko Yamagishi (山岸 凉子, Yamagishi Ryōko; born September 24, 1947, in Kamisunagawa, Hokkaido) is a Japanese manga artist. She is a member of the Year 24 Group, as one of the female artists who innovated shōjo (girls') manga throughout the 1970s. Her major works include Hi Izuru Tokoro no Tenshi and Maihime Terpsichora.
Kazuhiko Katō (Japanese: 加藤一彦, Hepburn: Katō Kazuhiko; May 26, 1937 – April 11, 2019), known by the pen name Monkey…Kazuhiko Katō (Japanese: 加藤一彦, Hepburn: Katō Kazuhiko; May 26, 1937 – April 11, 2019), known by the pen name Monkey Punch (モンキー・パンチ, Monkī Panchi), was a Japanese manga artist, best known for his series Lupin III.
Hideo Oguma (小熊秀雄, Oguma Hideo; 9 September 1901 – 20 November 1940) was a Japanese poet for the Proletarian literature…Hideo Oguma (小熊秀雄, Oguma Hideo; 9 September 1901 – 20 November 1940) was a Japanese poet for the Proletarian literature movement and was noted for writing children's stories, comic books and literary criticism. A Hideo Oguma poetry prize is awarded for new poetry writers.
Kei Sanbe (三部 敬, Sanbe Kei) is a Japanese manga artist born in Tomakomai, Hokkaido and raised in Chiba Prefecture. He…Kei Sanbe (三部 敬, Sanbe Kei) is a Japanese manga artist born in Tomakomai, Hokkaido and raised in Chiba Prefecture. He has formerly worked under the pseudonym Keisuke Kawara (瓦 敬助, Kawara Keisuke). He is married to illustrator Keishi Kanesada (兼処 敬士, Kanesada Keishi). Sanbe was an honorable mention in the 1990 40th Tezuka Award and a semi-final winner in the 41st iteration. His manga, Erased, was nominated for the 18th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Reader Award.
Takehiko Itō (伊東 岳彦, Itō Takehiko) is a Japanese manga artist best known for his work on the manga Outlaw Star from his…Takehiko Itō (伊東 岳彦, Itō Takehiko) is a Japanese manga artist best known for his work on the manga Outlaw Star from his affiliated Morning Star Studio. He was also the primary creative mind behind other works of fiction set in the Toward Stars universe including the Uchuu Eiyuu Monogatari manga and Angel Links anime series.
Mari Ozawa (小沢真理, Ozawa Mari) is a Japanese josei manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido, who writes primarily for Kiss…Mari Ozawa (小沢真理, Ozawa Mari) is a Japanese josei manga artist from Sapporo, Hokkaido, who writes primarily for Kiss and Young You. She won the 1995 Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo for Sekai de Ichiban Yasashii Ongaku.
Yūki Obata (小畑友紀, おばた ゆうき, Obata Yuuki) (born January 9, 1962) is a Japanese manga artist born in Hokkaido, Japan. She…Yūki Obata (小畑友紀, おばた ゆうき, Obata Yuuki) (born January 9, 1962) is a Japanese manga artist born in Hokkaido, Japan. She is mainly known for her work We Were There (僕等がいた, Bokura ga Ita).
Shogakukan Inc. (Japanese: 株式会社小学館, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Shōgakukan; often pronounced as Shōgakkan due to…Shogakukan Inc. (Japanese: 株式会社小学館, Hepburn: Kabushiki-gaisha Shōgakukan; often pronounced as Shōgakkan due to devoicing) is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hitotsubashi Group, one of the largest publishing groups in Japan and the world. Shogakukan is headquartered in the Shogakukan Building in Hitotsubashi, part of Kanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, near the Jimbocho book district. The corporation also has the other two companies located in the same ward.
Satoru Noda (Japanese: 野田サトル, Hepburn: Noda Satoru) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known as the creator of the…Satoru Noda (Japanese: 野田サトル, Hepburn: Noda Satoru) is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known as the creator of the manga series Golden Kamuy, for which he won the 2016 Manga Taishō and the 2018 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize.
