is a Japanese
manga artist
A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan.
Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist be ...
, best known for his series ''
Black Cat
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...
'' (2000–2004) and for illustrating ''
To Love Ru
is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tank ...
'' (2006–2009) and ''
To Love Ru Darkness'' (2010–2017) alongside author
Saki Hasemi
is a Japanese anime screenwriter and manga writer, best known for authoring the manga series ''To Love Ru'' (2006–2009) and '' To Love Ru Darkness'' (2010–2017) alongside illustrator Kentaro Yabuki. Together the two manga series have over 1 ...
. Currently, Yabuki writes and illustrates the series ''
Ayakashi Triangle
sometimes abbreviated as is a Japanese fantasy, romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was serialized in publisher Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from June 2020 to April 2022, and has been tr ...
'' (2020–present). His mentor was
Takeshi Obata
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'' (1998–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for '' Death Note'' (2003–2006) ...
, the illustrator of ''
Hikaru no Go
is a Japanese manga series based on the board game Go, written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. The production of the series' Go games was supervised by Go professional Yukari Umezawa. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekl ...
'', ''
Death Note
''Death Note'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to May ...
'' and ''
Bakuman
is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, the same creative team responsible for '' Death Note''. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from August 2 ...
''.
Overview
Yabuki has stated that everything he learned about drawing manga, he learned from
Akira Toriyama
is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for his highly successful manga series ''Dr. Slump'', before going on to create ''Dragon Ball'' (his best-known work) and acting as a character design ...
's ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
''. He even admitted that his first publication in ''Jump'' was not his own work but actually an illustration combining, or rather fusing together, its characters
Gohan
is a fictional character in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga series, created by Akira Toriyama. Gohan is introduced as the first son of the protagonist Goku, and his wife Chi-Chi, in chapter #196 "Kakarrot", published in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' maga ...
and
Trunks that he sent in to a 1995 contest and won a prize for. Yabuki was an
extra
Extra or Xtra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper
* ''Extra!'', an American me ...
in the 2003 movie ''
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.'', running through the streets of
Roppongi Hills
is a List of development projects in Tokyo, development project in Tokyo and one of Japan's largest Real estate development, integrated property developments, located in the Roppongi district of Minato, Tokyo.
Constructed by building tycoon Mi ...
.
Yabuki's first popular series, ''
Black Cat
A black cat is a domestic cat with black fur that may be a mixed or specific breed, or a common domestic cat of no particular breed. The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) recognizes 22 cat breeds that can come with solid black coats. The Bombay b ...
'', was serialized in ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' between July 2000 and June 2004. It sold over 12 million copies in Japan and was adapted into an
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
television series by
Gonzo
Gonzo may refer to:
People
* Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname
* Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo
* Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose stage ...
.
Both were released in North America. Upon its ending, Yabuki expressed desire to make a sequel or make its characters reappear in another work. Yabuki then teamed up with
Saki Hasemi
is a Japanese anime screenwriter and manga writer, best known for authoring the manga series ''To Love Ru'' (2006–2009) and '' To Love Ru Darkness'' (2010–2017) alongside illustrator Kentaro Yabuki. Together the two manga series have over 1 ...
and illustrated the ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' series ''
To Love Ru
is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tank ...
'' (2006–2009) while Hasemi wrote it. It was released in North America and adapted into several anime television series and
original video animations
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
(OVAs), which have also been released internationally.
In January 2010, Yabuki began illustrating a manga adaptation of
Tomohiro Matsu
was a Japanese light novelist, who also authored work in manga and anime. His real name was . He was married.
Life and career
Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Matsu was well known as the author of the light novel series ''Mayoi Neko Overrun!'' (1 ...
's ''
Mayoi Neko Overrun!
is a Japanese light novel series by Tomohiro Matsu, with illustrations by Peco. Twelve volumes have been published by Shueisha under their Super Dash Bunko imprint. "Mayoi Neko" translates as "Stray Cats", referring the name of the cafe aroun ...
''
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
series for ''
Jump SQ.
, also written as , is a Japanese monthly ''shōnen manga, shōnen'' Manga#Magazines, manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for ''Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shu ...
'' before it changed to ''
Jump SQ.19
, also written as , is a Japanese monthly '' shōnen'' manga magazine. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for '' Monthly Shōnen Jump'', another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of ...
'' in May 2010. At the end of the year, Yabuki and Hasemi began ''
To Love Ru Darkness'' in ''Jump SQ.''. In August 2011 the editorial department suddenly announced that ''Mayoi Neko Overrun!'' had ended without giving an explanation. ''To Love Ru Darkness'' ran until 2017 and, like the original, the sequel series was released in North America and adapted into several anime television series and OVAs, which have also been released internationally. Together, the ''To Love Ru'' and ''To Love Ru Darkness'' manga series have over 16 million copies in circulation.
In 2014, Yabuki began providing the illustrations for a different Matsu light novel series, ''
Hatena Illusion
is a Japanese light novel series by Tomohiro Matsu, with illustrations by Kentaro Yabuki. A manga adaptation by Pochi Edoya began serialization online via Niconico Seiga website in November 2018. An anime television series adaptation by C ...
''. But the fourth installment released in November 2015 became the last due to Matsu's death in 2016. However, a series titled ''Hatena Illusion R'' began in 2019, and Yabuki continues his role as illustrator of the novels. From 2018 to 2020, he illustrated a manga adaptation of the ''
Darling in the Franxx
, abbreviated as , is a 2018 Japanese science fiction monster romance anime television series co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Trigger and animated by Trigger and CloverWorks that premiered in January 2018. The series was announced at Trigger ...
'' anime for the ''
Shōnen Jump+
is a Japanese online magazine for manga created by Shueisha, spin-off from its ''Jump'' line of magazines. Launched on September 22, 2014, the magazine operates as a free mobile app and website. The magazine serializes original titles and titles ...
'' app and website. Yabuki launched a new manga series titled ''
Ayakashi Triangle
sometimes abbreviated as is a Japanese fantasy, romantic comedy manga series written and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It was serialized in publisher Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from June 2020 to April 2022, and has been tr ...
'' in the June 15, 2020 issue of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''.
Personal life
Yabuki said he was born in
Okayama
is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per km2. The total area is .
The city is ...
but "formed
ispersonality" in
Kōchi. Yabuki and his first wife were divorced as of June 2009. They have a daughter. In August 2015, Yabuki announced in the September 2015 issue of ''Jump SQ.'' that he had gotten remarried. He is the brother-in-law of fellow manga artist
Kenta Shinohara
is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his manga series ''Sket Dance'', which was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 2007 to 2013 and won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 2010. His next series, ''Astra Lost in Space'', serialized ...
. In June 2022, Yabuki announced the birth of his son.
Works
Manga
*
*
*
* – Illustrator, written by
Saki Hasemi
is a Japanese anime screenwriter and manga writer, best known for authoring the manga series ''To Love Ru'' (2006–2009) and '' To Love Ru Darkness'' (2010–2017) alongside illustrator Kentaro Yabuki. Together the two manga series have over 1 ...
* – Illustrator, written by
Tomohiro Matsu
was a Japanese light novelist, who also authored work in manga and anime. His real name was . He was married.
Life and career
Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Matsu was well known as the author of the light novel series ''Mayoi Neko Overrun!'' (1 ...
*
* – Illustrator, written by Saki Hasemi
* – Illustrator, written by Code:000
*
Other work
*
– Illustrations,
light novel
A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
written by Kaya Kizaki
* – Illustrations, light novel series written by Tomohiro Matsu
* – Illustrations, light novel series written by Tomohiro Matsu and StoryWorks
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yabuki, Kentaro
1980 births
Living people
Manga artists from Okayama Prefecture