Aka Akasaka (赤坂 アカ, Akasaka Aka; born August 29, 1988) is a Japanese manga artist and writer known for his series…Aka Akasaka (赤坂 アカ, Akasaka Aka; born August 29, 1988) is a Japanese manga artist and writer known for his series Kaguya-sama: Love Is War and Oshi no Ko.
Kiriko Nananan (Japanese: 魚喃 キリコ, Hepburn: Nananan Kiriko; December 14, 1972 – December 25, 2024) was a Japanese manga…Kiriko Nananan (Japanese: 魚喃 キリコ, Hepburn: Nananan Kiriko; December 14, 1972 – December 25, 2024) was a Japanese manga artist. She was known for her realistic josei work featuring understated artwork with a sense of detachment. In addition, she affiliated herself with the "La nouvelle manga" movement. Nananan died on December 25, 2024; her death was not announced until a year later.
Nobuhiro Nishiwaki (Japanese: 西脇 伸宏, Hepburn: Nishiwaki Nobuhiro; born May 26, 1970), better known by his pen name…Nobuhiro Nishiwaki (Japanese: 西脇 伸宏, Hepburn: Nishiwaki Nobuhiro; born May 26, 1970), better known by his pen name Nobuhiro Watsuki (和月 伸宏, Watsuki Nobuhiro), is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story (1994–1999), which has over 70 million copies in circulation, and a sequel he is currently creating, Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc (2017–present). Watsuki has written three more manga series, Gun Blaze West (2001), Buso Renkin (2003–2005), and Embalming: The Another Tale of Frankenstein (2007–2015). He has mentored several well-known manga artists, including One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Shaman King creator Hiroyuki Takei, and Mr. Fullswing creator Shinya Suzuki. Watsuki was convicted of possessing child pornography in 2018.
Takeshi Obata (小畑 健, Obata Takeshi; born February 11, 1969) is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the…Takeshi Obata (小畑 健, Obata Takeshi; born February 11, 1969) is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He first gained international attention for Hikaru no Go (1999–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for Death Note (2003–2006) and Bakuman (2008–2012) with Tsugumi Ohba. Obata has mentored several well-known manga artists, including Nobuhiro Watsuki of Rurouni Kenshin fame, Black Cat creator Kentaro Yabuki, and Eyeshield 21 artist Yusuke Murata.
Hiroki Yagami (八神 ひろき, Yagami Hiroki; born 5 July 1966) is a Japanese manga artist. In 2007, he won the 31st Kodansha…Hiroki Yagami (八神 ひろき, Yagami Hiroki; born 5 July 1966) is a Japanese manga artist. In 2007, he won the 31st Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen manga for Dear Boys Act II.
Hiroyuki Utatane (うたたね ひろゆき, Utatane Hiroyuki) is a Japanese manga artist and anime director. His wife is manga artist…Hiroyuki Utatane (うたたね ひろゆき, Utatane Hiroyuki) is a Japanese manga artist and anime director. His wife is manga artist Ryō Ramiya. Born 15 June 1966 in Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, Utatane began his career with adult works such as Countdown. In the 1990s he worked on Sailor Moon S. His more recent works have been seinen works such as Seraphic Feather and Heaven's Prison, though he continues to release some adult works as well.
Motoei Shinzawa (新沢 基栄, Shinzawa Motoei) is a Japanese manga artist born June 10, 1958, in Kashiwazaki, Niigata…Motoei Shinzawa (新沢 基栄, Shinzawa Motoei) is a Japanese manga artist born June 10, 1958, in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. His debut manga was Sannen Kimengumi, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump beginning in 1980. After Sannen ended in 1982, he began publishing High School! Kimengumi, also in Weekly Shōnen Jump, until 1987. Highschool was a smash hit, and an animated version was begun in 1985, running for two years on Fuji TV, along with a movie in 1986 and two video games. His next manga series was I'm Shitataka (僕はしたたか君, Boku wa Shitataka-kun), which ran from 1988 through 1990. After Shitataka, Shinzawa took a break from publishing manga until 2001, when his current series, Flash! Kimengumi began.
Makoto Kobayashi (小林 まこと, Kobayashi Makoto) (born May 13, 1958) is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for his…Makoto Kobayashi (小林 まこと, Kobayashi Makoto) (born May 13, 1958) is a Japanese manga artist who is best known for his unusual drawing style. One of his best known manga is What's Michael?, a manga about a curious orange cat and his many adventures that is often compared with Garfield. His earliest work is Grapple Three Brothers, which won the Shōnen magazine New manga artist award. He has twice won the Kodansha Manga Award, for Sanshiro of 1, 2 in 1981 and What's Michael? in 1986.
Shuichi Shigeno (重野 秀一, Shigeno Shūichi; pen name: しげの 秀一; born March 8, 1958) is a Japanese manga artist famous for…Shuichi Shigeno (重野 秀一, Shigeno Shūichi; pen name: しげの 秀一; born March 8, 1958) is a Japanese manga artist famous for creating Initial D. Shigeno has also created Bari Bari Densetsu, Dopkan, and Tunnel Nuketara Sky Blue ("First Love in Summer"). In 1985, he received the Kodansha Manga Award in shōnen for Bari Bari Densetsu.
Fumiko Takano (高野文子, Takano Fumiko; born 12 November 1957) is a Japanese manga artist. She is considered to be one of…Fumiko Takano (高野文子, Takano Fumiko; born 12 November 1957) is a Japanese manga artist. She is considered to be one of the manga artists of the "New Wave" of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when she started as a doujinshi (amateur) artist and then drew short stories with an unconventional style for magazines like June and Petit Flower. She was also a pioneer for female manga artists to publish outside of female-oriented publishing venues. Two of Takano's short story collections, Zettai Anzen Kamisori (1982) and Kiiroi Hon (2002), won awards. While she has a strong fan base in Japan, her work is less known internationally.
Rumiko Takahashi (高橋 留美子, Takahashi Rumiko; born October 10, 1957) is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several…Rumiko Takahashi (高橋 留美子, Takahashi Rumiko; born October 10, 1957) is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with Urusei Yatsura in 1978, she is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are known worldwide, where they have been translated into a variety of languages, with over 230 million copies in circulation; making Takahashi one of the best-selling authors of all time. She has won the Shogakukan Manga Award twice, once in 1980 for Urusei Yatsura and again in 2001 for Inuyasha, and the Seiun Award twice, once in 1987 for Urusei Yatsura and again in 1989 for Mermaid Saga. She also received the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême in 2019, becoming the second woman and second Japanese to win the prize. In 2020, the Japanese government awarded Takahashi the Medal with Purple Ribbon for her contributions to the arts.
Yōko Kondō (Japanese: 近藤 ようこ, Hepburn: Kondō Yōko; born May 11, 1957) is a Japanese manga artist. Beginning her career…Yōko Kondō (Japanese: 近藤 ようこ, Hepburn: Kondō Yōko; born May 11, 1957) is a Japanese manga artist. Beginning her career in 1979 in the alternative manga magazine Garo, she is known for her historical and folklore-inspired works as well as for adaptations of classic Japanese literature.
Kazuko Fujita (藤田 和子, Fujita Kazuko) (born 18 March 1957 in Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist. She made…Kazuko Fujita (藤田 和子, Fujita Kazuko) (born 18 March 1957 in Niigata, Japan) is a Japanese shōjo manga artist. She made her professional debut in 1977 in Bessatsu Shōjo Comic and she has written manga mainly for Flower Comics. She is best known for Makoto Call! about a girl who plays volleyball, for which she received the 1992 Shogakukan Manga Award for shōjo. In 2007, her Four Steps to Romance (ろまんす五段活用, Romance Godan Katsuyou) was dramatized on CTV in Taiwan as Romantic Princess. Other series by her include Silver and Gold. Silver is a manga adaptation of a book by Penny Jordan, bearing the same title. Gold is based on Ann Major's novel, Secret Child.
Mineo Maya (魔夜峰央, Maya Mineo) is a Japanese manga artist born in 1953. His series Patalliro! is one of the best-selling…Mineo Maya (魔夜峰央, Maya Mineo) is a Japanese manga artist born in 1953. His series Patalliro! is one of the best-selling and the longest-running shōjo manga of all time.
Kimio Yanagisawa (Japanese: 柳沢 きみお, Hepburn: Yanagisawa Kimio; born September 26, 1948) is a Japanese manga artist. His…Kimio Yanagisawa (Japanese: 柳沢 きみお, Hepburn: Yanagisawa Kimio; born September 26, 1948) is a Japanese manga artist. His real name is pronounced the same way, but is written with the kanji 柳澤 公夫. He graduated from Niigata Prefectural Muramatsu High School two years prior to Yoshifumi Kondō. After graduation, he attended Wakō University where he studied fine arts. In 1972, Yanagisawa won an honorable mention in the 4th Tezuka Shō Manga Story contest for his story Makeru na Kisaburō (submitted under his real name). His contemporary, Kazuhito Kurosaki, also won second place in the same contest. In 1978, he won the 3rd Kodansha Manga Award for shōnen for Tonda Couple.