Keiko Suenobu (Japanese: すえのぶ けいこ, Hepburn: Suenobu Keiko; March 23, 1979) is a female Japanese shōjo manga artist from…Keiko Suenobu (Japanese: すえのぶ けいこ, Hepburn: Suenobu Keiko; March 23, 1979) is a female Japanese shōjo manga artist from Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka. She graduated from the School of Art and Design at the University of Tsukuba with a major in sculpture. In 2006, Suenobu's manga series, Life won the Kodansha Manga Award for best shōjo manga. Life and her manga series Limit were adapted for broadcast as live-action television drama series. Bullying is a recurring theme in her stories.
Takeru Nagayoshi (永吉 たける, Nagayoshi Takeru; born on October 21, 1978, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga…Takeru Nagayoshi (永吉 たける, Nagayoshi Takeru; born on October 21, 1978, in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He is notable as the author of the Sumire 16 sai!! series. He debuted on Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2006 with the manga series Sumire 17 sai!!, then later moved to Magazine Special continuing the series but renaming to Sumire 16 sai!!.
Seiji Matsuyama (松山 せいじ, Matsuyama Seiji; born April 28, 1975) is a Japanese manga artist from Fukuoka Prefecture. He…Seiji Matsuyama (松山 せいじ, Matsuyama Seiji; born April 28, 1975) is a Japanese manga artist from Fukuoka Prefecture. He is known for drawing many works featuring women with extremely large breasts, and he himself refers to himself as a "boobie manga artist" in his doujinshi and other publications. He is married to fellow manga artist Sayu Matsuyama (松山 紗夕, Matsuyama Sayu).
Kōshi Rikudō (六道 神士, Rikudō Kōshi; born November 16, 1970) is a Japanese manga artist. Rikudō is a graduate of Kyushu…Kōshi Rikudō (六道 神士, Rikudō Kōshi; born November 16, 1970) is a Japanese manga artist. Rikudō is a graduate of Kyushu Sangyo University and lives in Dazaifu, Fukuoka. His most popular work is Excel Saga, and Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn. a manga which he describes as a work dealing with the everyday aspects of living in Japan. The anime version of Excel Saga contains stories from the first five volumes of the manga, and even features Rikdo as a character (voiced by Wataru Takagi).
Riichi Ueshiba (植芝 理一, Ueshiba Riichi; a.k.a. Reach Ueshiba) is a Japanese manga artist. He has written and illustrated…Riichi Ueshiba (植芝 理一, Ueshiba Riichi; a.k.a. Reach Ueshiba) is a Japanese manga artist. He has written and illustrated Yume Tsukai and Mysterious Girlfriend X, both of which were adapted into anime series. Another of his works, Discommunication, had its main characters animated in the 14th OVA episode of Mysterious Girlfriend X as a cameo appearance. Mysterious Girlfriend X is licensed in North America by Vertical. Discommunication has been licensed by J-Novel Club and is being released in English digitally.
Hiroya Oku (奥 浩哉, Oku Hiroya; born September 16, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist, known for his works Hen, Gantz…Hiroya Oku (奥 浩哉, Oku Hiroya; born September 16, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist, known for his works Hen, Gantz, Inuyashiki, and Gigant. Originally influenced by Katsuhiro Otomo and Ryoichi Ikegami, his manga often contain explicit violence, sexual depictions, and matters that are considered taboo by the public, and he is known as a pioneer in the use of digital processing for manga backgrounds. His debut manga, Hen, was a runner-up in the 1988 Young Jump Youth Manga Awards. The pseudonym he used at the time was Kuon Yahiro (久遠 矢広, Yahiro Kuron). Oku designed a character named Shura for Namco Bandai's Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 fighting game Soulcalibur IV. Oku created the manga series Thunder 3, published under the pen name Yuki Ikeda (池田 祐輝, Ikeda Yūki) from 2022 to 2026. Oku revealed his identity as Ikeda on his X account in September 2026. In an August 2026 interview, Oku stated that he would retire after finishing his latest manga series The Sweet Sixty Princess.
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.
Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 Maeda Mahiro; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator.…Mahiro Maeda (前田 真宏 Maeda Mahiro; born March 14, 1963) is a Japanese anime director, character designer, and animator. Helen McCarthy in 500 Essential Anime Movies called him "one of the most imaginative visualists in anime". He also worked on Concept Art and Design for Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), which won six Academy Awards. He has been one of the top contributors at the anime studio GONZO for many years, having directed Blue Submarine No. 6, Final Fantasy: Unlimited and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. His design work ranges from 2 of the "Angels" in Neon Genesis Evangelion to production and mechanical design for such series as Magic User's Club (魔法使いTai!, Mahō Tsukai Tai!), The Vision of Escaflowne and Last Exile. He was also one of the designers for Gate Keepers 21. His earlier years were spent mostly at the famed Studio Ghibli, where he helped animate classics such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, and Porco Rosso. Maeda is one of the select Japanese directors to actively collaborate with the international film media on various projects. He provided key animation for the animation sequence in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1. His directorial work has also been featured in such exclusive package films as The Animatrix (segment: "The Second Renaissance Parts I and II"), Genius Party Beyond (segment: "Gala"), and Ani*Kuri15 (segment: "Princess Onmitsu"). He has also visited the American Anime Expo convention in 2000 and 2003.
Kazuhiro Kiuchi (きうちかずひろ [木内一裕], Kiuchi Kazuhiro; born September 14, 1960 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese…Kazuhiro Kiuchi (きうちかずひろ [木内一裕], Kiuchi Kazuhiro; born September 14, 1960 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist, film director and novelist. As a manga writer, he is best known for the series Be-Bop High School, which won the 1988 Kodansha Manga Award for the general category and was adapted as series of live-action movies and as a 7 episode anime OVA series. He was director of one segment of Killers.
Tsukasa Hojo (Japanese: 北条 司, Hepburn: Hōjō Tsukasa; born March 5, 1959, in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Japan) is a Japanese…Tsukasa Hojo (Japanese: 北条 司, Hepburn: Hōjō Tsukasa; born March 5, 1959, in Kokura, Kitakyushu, Japan) is a Japanese manga artist. He studied technical design while still at Kyushu Sangyo University, where he began to draw manga. He worked on several one-shot stories before releasing his serialized works: Cat's Eye, City Hunter and Angel Heart. After the success of Cat's Eye and City Hunter, Hojo went on to work on other series such as Family Compo, a slice-of-life comedy with transgender themes. His most recent series is Angel Heart, a spin–off of City Hunter set in an alternate universe. It was serialized in Weekly Comic Bunch from 2001 to 2010, when the magazine ceased publication. From 2010 to 2017, the series continued under the title Angel Heart 2nd Season in Monthly Comic Zenon. 30 collected volumes have been published so far. Tsukasa Hojo is Takehiko Inoue's mentor. Inoue worked as an assistant to Hojo during the production of City Hunter. Hojo is also a long-time acquaintance of Fist of the North Star illustrator Tetsuo Hara, who was also one of the founders of Coamix. Hojo contributed to the production Fist of the North Star: The Legends of the True Savior film series by designing the character of Reina. He was honor guest of the eleventh French Japan Expo which was held in July 2010. Hojo is scheduled to be the Manga Guest of Honor at Japan Expo 2023.
Tetsuya Saruwatari (猿渡 哲也, Saruwatari Tetsuya; born June 25, 1958) is a mangaka. He was born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka…Tetsuya Saruwatari (猿渡 哲也, Saruwatari Tetsuya; born June 25, 1958) is a mangaka. He was born in Ōmuta, Fukuoka prefecture, Japan. After dropping out of high school, he worked as assistant of Shinji Hiramatsu and Hiroshi Motomiya. He made the debut as solo manga artist with 海の戦士 (Umi No Senshi) in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Saruwatari's longest running manga is the action comic Tough, which has been serialized in Young Jump for over a decade. Saruwatari also created Riki-Oh, a cult manga sensation featuring graphic martial arts fighting, which was adapted in a Hong Kong live-action film and Japanese OVA. Saruwatari illustrated ZIG, written by Takashi Nagasaki, for Shueisha's Grand Jump in 2017.
Yoshinori Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 よしのり or 小林 善範, Hepburn: Kobayashi Yoshinori; born August 31, 1953) is a Japanese…Yoshinori Kobayashi (Japanese: 小林 よしのり or 小林 善範, Hepburn: Kobayashi Yoshinori; born August 31, 1953) is a Japanese manga artist known for his far-right political commentary manga Gōmanism Sengen. In particular, the three volumes On War (Sensōron) of this series made him famous in Japan, together selling more than 1.5 million volumes since first appearing in 1998.
Shin'ichi Abe (Japanese: 安部 慎一 Abe Shin'ichi; 7 April 1950 – 4 September 2026) was a Japanese mangaka. Abe joined the…Shin'ichi Abe (Japanese: 安部 慎一 Abe Shin'ichi; 7 April 1950 – 4 September 2026) was a Japanese mangaka. Abe joined the magazine Garo when he was 20 years old and had his works extend to the European sphere in the 2000s. Abe died from mandibular gland cancer on 4 September 2026, at the age of 76.
Jun Hatanaka (Japanese: 畑中 純, Hepburn: Hatanaka Jun; March 20, 1950 – June 13, 2012) was a Japanese manga artist and…Jun Hatanaka (Japanese: 畑中 純, Hepburn: Hatanaka Jun; March 20, 1950 – June 13, 2012) was a Japanese manga artist and woodblock artist. Born in Kokura, Fukuoka Prefecture, Tsukiyo (月夜) marked his debut as a professional manga artist in 1977. Two years later, his most well-known work, Mandaraya no Ryouta, began to be published in Jitsugyo no Nihon Sha's Weekly Manga Sunday magazine. He also served as an instructor in Tokyo Polytechnic University's Department of Manga before he died on June 13, 2012, from an abdominal aortic aneurysm in Chōfu, Tokyo.
Moto Hagio (萩尾 望都, Hagio Moto; born May 12, 1949) is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to shōjo…Moto Hagio (萩尾 望都, Hagio Moto; born May 12, 1949) is a Japanese manga artist. Regarded for her contributions to shōjo manga (manga aimed at young and adolescent women), Hagio is considered the most significant artist in the demographic and among the most influential manga artists of all time, being referred to as the "god of shōjo manga" (少女漫画の神様, shōjo manga no kami-sama) by critics. Hagio made her debut as a manga artist in 1969 at the publishing company Kodansha before moving to Shogakukan in 1971, where she was able to publish her more radical and unconventional works that had been rejected by other publishers. Her first serializations at Shogakukan – the vampire fantasy The Poe Clan, the shōnen-ai (male–male romance) drama The Heart of Thomas, and the science fiction thriller They Were Eleven – were among the first works of shōjo manga to achieve mainstream critical and commercial success. Hagio subsequently emerged as a central figure in the Year 24 Group, a grouping of female manga artists who significantly influenced shōjo manga in the 1970s by introducing new aesthetic styles and expanding the category to incorporate new genres. Since the 1980s, Hagio has drawn primarily adult-oriented manga in the manga magazine Petit Flower and its successor publication Flowers, notably Marginal, A Cruel God Reigns, and Nanohana. While Hagio primarily authors works in the science fiction, fantasy, and shōnen-ai genres, her manga explores a wide range of themes and subjects, including comedy, historical drama, and social and environmental issues. She has been recognized with numerous awards both in Japan and internationally, including the Order of the Rising Sun, a Medal of Honor, and commendation as a Person of Cultural Merit.
Seizō Watase (わたせ せいぞう or 渡瀬 政造, Watase Seizō) is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator born 15 February 1945 in…Seizō Watase (わたせ せいぞう or 渡瀬 政造, Watase Seizō) is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator born 15 February 1945 in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Outside of being an illustrator for numerous posters, books, and other works, he is most well known for his dramatic romance manga Heart Cocktail, which had sold over 5 million copies. He won the 1974 Shogakukan Big Comic Prize. In 1987, Watase received the Bungeishunjū Manga Award for his work Phillip, P.I. (私立探偵フィリップ, Shiritsu Tantei Firippu). In addition to various exhibits in Japan, Watase held his first major exhibit in the United States at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Los Angeles, California in 1998.
Leiji Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本零士, Hepburn: Matsumoto Reiji; born Akira Matsumoto (松本晟); January 25, 1938 – February 13…Leiji Matsumoto (Japanese: 松本零士, Hepburn: Matsumoto Reiji; born Akira Matsumoto (松本晟); January 25, 1938 – February 13, 2023) was a Japanese manga artist, and creator of several anime and manga series. He was best known for masterminding legendary franchises, such as Space Battleship Yamato, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and Galaxy Express 999. His style was characterized by mythological and often tragic storylines with strong moral themes, noble heroes, feminine heroines, and a love of strange worlds and melancholic atmosphere. He received Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2001, Order of the Rising Sun in 2010 and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2012.
Totan Kobako (小箱とたん, Kobako Totan) is the pen name of a Japanese manga artist from Fukuoka, Japan. He is best known as…Totan Kobako (小箱とたん, Kobako Totan) is the pen name of a Japanese manga artist from Fukuoka, Japan. He is best known as the creator of Sketchbook which was adapted into a 13 episode anime television series by the studio Hal Film Maker and broadcast on TV Tokyo.
