Kazuki Takahashi (manga artist)

, known professionally as , was a Japanese manga artist. He made his serial manga debut in 1986, and is best known as the author of ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'', published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1996 to 2004. The manga spawned a popular trading card game of the same name, which holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling trading card game to date.

Early life

Kazuo Takahashi was born in Tokyo on October 4, 1961.

Career

In 1981, Takahashi's one-shot manga ''Ing! Love Ball'', submitted under the pen name , won the Shogakukan New Comic Award and was published in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' in the same year. His serial debut was in 1986 with ''Go-Q-Choji Ikkiman'', an adaptation of the TV sports anime of the same name, published in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine''. In 1990, his one-shot ''Tokio no Taka'' was published in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. Another manga, ''Tennenshoku Danji Buray'', was published in the magazine from 1991 to 1992. In a 2002 interview, Takahashi later called much of his early manga work a "total flop".

In 1996, Takahashi launched ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' under the pen name "Kazuki Takahashi" in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'', where it was serialized until 2004. The series became a huge success and has sold more than 40 million copies. The series has also received several media adaptations, notably an anime television series and a trading card game developed by Konami, which holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling trading card game in history, with more than 25.1 billion cards sold as of 2011. Takahashi continued to supervise the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' franchise following the end of the original manga's run.

In 2013, his one-shot manga ''Drump'' was released in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. In 2015, Takahashi received the Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International for his outstanding contributions to comics. In 2018, Takahashi published the limited series '' The Comiq'' in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''. Takahashi also wrote a two-part manga, titled ''Secret Reverse'', for the '' Marvel × Shōnen Jump+ Super Collaboration'', which was released on ''Shōnen Jump+'' in September 2019.

Personal life

Takahashi liked to play games such as shogi, mahjong, card games, and tabletop role-playing games. In an interview with '' Shonen Jump'', Takahashi stated that his favorite manga from other authors included '' Akira'' by Katsuhiro Otomo, ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' by Hirohiko Araki, and '' Dragon Ball'' by Akira Toriyama. He also enjoyed reading American comics, with Hellboy being his favorite American comic book character. His pet dog, a shiba inu named , was the basis for the ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' Trading Card Game monster card ; the card's artwork was personally drawn by Takahashi.

He occasionally expressed political opinions with his art. For instance, he once posted a drawing on Instagram of ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' characters criticizing the Shinzo Abe government and asking his followers to "vote for justice" in the 2019 House of Councillors election, for which he later apologized.

Death

On July 6, 2022, Takahashi was found dead in the water off the shore of Nago, Okinawa, by Japan Coast Guard officers following a civilian report from a passing boat. He was found wearing snorkeling gear, and his cause of death was determined to be drowning.

It was subsequently reported, first in the American military newspaper '' Stars and Stripes'' on October 11, that Takahashi had died in the afternoon of July 4 while assisting in the rescue of three others who were caught in a rip current.

Works

* (1981; one-shot, published in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'')
* (1986; serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'')
* (1990; one-shot, published in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'')
* (1991–1992; serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'')
* (1996–2004; serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'')
* ''Drump'' (2013; one-shot, published in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'')
* '' The Comiq'' (2018; serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'')
* ''Secret Reverse'' (2019; released on Shueisha's ''Shōnen Jump+'')

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Kazuki
1961 births
2022 deaths
Date of death unknown
Deaths by drowning
Inkpot Award winners
Manga artists from Tokyo
People from Tokyo
Place of death unknown
Yu-Gi-Oh!