was a Japanese
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
and science fiction writer from
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
, the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region.
The city ...
. He graduated from
Yokosuka Industrial High School and the law department of
Chuo University
, commonly referred to as or , is a private flagship research university in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1885 as Igirisu Hōritsu Gakkō (the English Law School), Chuo is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutions in the country. The univer ...
. Hirai is well known for his
SF-manga work. He is the creator of
8 Man
or or is a manga and superhero anime created in 1963 by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Jiro Kuwata. 8 Man is considered Japan's earliest cyborg superhero, pre-dating '' Kamen Rider.''
The manga was published ...
(aka ''
8th Man'' in the USA) and was well known as the story creator of the 1960s manga series "Genma Taisen" (''Genma Wars'') about a hero with psychokinetic powers and his battle against a space villain called Genma.
Hirai wrote stories for the ''Wolf Guy'' comic series, and also published comics co-authored with cartoonist Shotaro Ishinomori that were later adapted into an animated film in 1983.
["Sci-fi writer Kazumasa Hirai dies at 76". Mainichi Shimbun. January 19, 2015. Archived from the original on January 19, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.]
Works available in English translation
;Novel
* ''Wolfcrest 1,'' translated by Edward Lipsett. Tokyo:
Kodansha
is a Japanese privately-held publishing company headquartered in Bunkyō, Tokyo. Kodansha is the largest Japanese publishing company, and it produces the manga magazines ''Nakayoshi'', ''Afternoon'', ''Evening'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' an ...
English Library. 1985. . (The anterior half of ''Ookami no Monshō'')
* ''Wolfcrest 2,'' translated by Edward Lipsett. Tokyo: Kodansha English Library. 1985. . (The latter half of ''Ookami no Monshō'')
;Short story
* "A Time for Revolution," translated by David Aylward. ''Speculative Japan: Outstanding Tales of Japanese Science Fiction and Fantasy,'' Tokyo: Kurodahan Press. 2007. (original title: Kakumei no Toki)
Works
Novels
* Megalopolis no Tora (1968)
* Android Oyuki (1969)
* Wolf Guy Series
ルフガイ・シリーズ:*''Adult Wolf Guy Series''
1 volumes::# Ookamiotoko da yo (He's a Werewolf!, 1969)
::# Ookami yo, kokyou wo mi yo (1973)
::# Rio no Ookamiotoko (1973)
::# Jinrou Jigoku (Wolf Guy Inferno, 1974)
::# Jinrou Sensen (Wolf Guy Front, 1974)
::# Ookami wa nakazu (1974)
::# Jinrou Hakusho (Wolf Guy Report, 1976)
::# Jinrou Tenshi (Wolf Angel, 1978–1980)
::# Wakaki Ookami no Shouzou (Portrait of a Young Wolf, 1979)
:*''Wolf Guy Series''
9 volumes::# Ookami no Monshō (Wolfcrest, 1971)
::# Ookami no Enka (1972)
::# Ookami no Requiem (1975)
::# Ougon no Shoujo (Golden Girl, 1985–1994)
::# Inugami Akira (1994–1995)
:*''Gekkou Majutsudan Series''
0 volumes::# Gekkou Majutsudan (Moonlight Magic, 1996–1998)
::# Wolf Guy DNA (1999–2000)
::# Genma Taisen DNA (Genma Wars DNA, 2002)
:*''Wolf Guy Extra Volumes''
::# Wolfrando ~ Ookami no Sekai (Wolfland ~ The World of the Wolf, 1976)
::# Megami Henshou (1988)
* Cyborg Blues (1971)
* ''
Zombie Hunter
is a dark and violent novel series published in the 1970s by Japanese writer, Kazumasa Hirai.It is about an ex-race car driver who hunts down and kills zombies.
Plot
The main character, Toshio Tamura, was once a grand prix
Grand Prix ( ...
''
霊狩り(ゾンビー・ハンター):*Zombie Hunter (1972)
:*Zombie Hunter 2 (1976)
:*Zombie Hunter 3 (1978)
* Akuryō no Joō (1976)
* ''Genma Wars Séries''
魔大戦シリーズ:*New Genma Wars (1978)
:*Real Genma Wars (1980-1985)
:*Genma Wars (1979-1983)
:*Armageddon (1987)
:*Armageddon Girl（
The Girl in Harmagedon (closet screenplay) ハルマゲドンの少女） (1986)
:*Genma Wars deep (2005)
:*Genma Wars deep Toltec (2008)
* Chikyuuju no Megami
球樹の女神:*Chikyuuju no Megami (1988-1992)
:*Crystal Child (1997)
:*Sono hi no gogo, Hôdaiyama de (2004)
* Bohemian Glass Street (1995)
* 21st Century 8 Man
:*Infinity Blue (2002)
:*Blue Series
::# Blue Highways (2002)
::# Blue Lady (2005)
* Abduction Series
:*Jikuu bôsô kimagure Bus (2001)
:*Wayward Bus (2003)
:*Stray Sheep (2003)
:*Abduction (2003)
:*Silence (2003)
:*Shade (2003)
:*Capricious (2003)
Manga
* ''
8 Man
or or is a manga and superhero anime created in 1963 by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Jiro Kuwata. 8 Man is considered Japan's earliest cyborg superhero, pre-dating '' Kamen Rider.''
The manga was published ...
'' (artist:
Jiro Kuwata
was a Japanese mangaka, manga artist.
Biography
A gifted artist, Kuwata started out as a manga artist at the young age of 13, when he created in 1948. His turning point came in 1957, when he created (which was adapted into a tokusatsu TV seri ...
)
* ''Elite'' (artist: Jiro Kuwata)
* ''Chou ken Leap'' (artist: Jiro Kuwata)
* ''
Genma Taisen
is a Japanese science fiction manga and novel franchise that began in 1967. It was a collaboration in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It was adapted into a 1983 an ...
'' (artist:
Shotaro Ishinomori
was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and , creating several immensely popular long-running series such as ''Cyborg 009,'' the ''Super Sentai'' series (later adapted into the ''Power Rangers'' series), an ...
)
* ''Death Hunter'' (artist: Jiro Kuwata)
* ''
Wolf Guy
is a Japanese manga series of two volumes published in 1970 by Bunkasha. Originally written by Kazumasa Hirai and illustrated by Hisashi Sakaguchi (坂口尚), the series has been readapted with a more violent and mature setting in 2007 ...
'' (artist:
Hisashi Sakaguchi)
* ''
Spider-Man: The Manga'' (artist:
Ryoichi Ikegami
is a Japanese manga artist that usually works as the illustrator in collaboration with a writer. He is best known for ''Crying Freeman'' (1986–1988), written by Kazuo Koike, and ''Heat'' (1999–2004), written by Buronson. The latter won the 2 ...
)
* ''Shin Genma Taisen'' (artist:
Shotaro Ishinomori
was a Japanese manga artist who became an influential figure in manga, anime, and , creating several immensely popular long-running series such as ''Cyborg 009,'' the ''Super Sentai'' series (later adapted into the ''Power Rangers'' series), an ...
)
* ''Crystal Child'' (artist: Ayumi Izumitani)
* ''Bachigami'' (artist: Yuuki Yogo)
* ''8 Man Infinity'' (
8 Man
or or is a manga and superhero anime created in 1963 by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Jiro Kuwata. 8 Man is considered Japan's earliest cyborg superhero, pre-dating '' Kamen Rider.''
The manga was published ...
sequel: Kyôichi Nanatsuki, artist: Takayuki Takashi)
* ''Genma Taisen Rebirth'' (Kyôichi Nanatsuki, artist: Masato Hayase,
Ishimori Productions
is a Japanese production company that develops works created by, and also serves as the literary estate of manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori, headquartered in Yoyogi, Tokyo. Such works include '' 009-1'', ''Kikaider'', ''Inazuman'', '' Ganbare!! R ...
)
* ''8 Man vs Cyborg 009'' (Kyôichi Nanatsuki, artist: Masato Hayase, Ishimori Productions)
References
External links
Kazumasa Hiraimanga works at Media Arts Database
1938 births
Chuo University alumni
2015 deaths
Japanese writers
People from Yokosuka, Kanagawa
Manga writers
{{Japan-writer-stub