'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Kazuo Takahashi, who created the Yu-Gi-Oh manga under the penname Kazuki Takahashi, passed away on Wednesday, July 6, at the age of 60. The Japanese Coast guard and the police confirmed the death on Thursday, July 7.
Takahashi’s body was found by the Japanese Coast Guard near the coast of Awa, Nago city, Okinawa Prefecture. According to reports, Takahashi was visiting the city alone and sported snorkeling gear at the time his body was retrieved.
Yu-Gi-Oh mangaka Kazuki Takahashi passed away on Wednesday, July 6
According to the Okinawa Times, around 10:30 JST on July 6, a passing boat called the Japanese Maritime Hotline 118 to report the sighting of an unidentified body floating about 300 meters off the coast of Awa, Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture. Upon retrieving the body, the Japanese Coast Guard found that the man had passed away 1-2 days prior.
On July 7, the police confirmed the identity of the deceased as Kazuki Takahashi, author of the Yu-Gi-Oh manga series. Takahashi was 60 years old and had been visiting Okinawa alone, presumably for leisure.
According to NHK, a rental car with Takahashi’s license had been found 12 km away from where his body was found. While no unusual signs of a struggle have been found on Takahashi yet, the police are still investigating the case.
Works of Kazuki Takahashi
Kazuki Takahashi was renowned in the animanga community for creating the Yu-Gi-Oh series. His first work, Tokio no taka (The Fighting Hawk), was published in 1990. This was followed by a few lesser-known works, the most prominent of which is Tennenshoku Danji Buray, which was serialized from 1991 to 1992 and consisted of two volumes.
Takahashi struggled until he started writing his magnum opus in 1996. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump from September 1996 to March 2004. The manga went on to become a multi-media franchise that includes an anime adaptation, multiple spin-off series, numerous video games, and most notably, a trading card game of the same name.
The game was initially distributed by Bandai and was later transferred to Konami. Takahashi originally intended for the game to be introduced for a single segment in his manga, but after a tremendous fan response, Shueisha urged him to feature it more in the series.
Takahashi received the Inkpot Award from Comic-Con International in 2015. Apart from Yu-Gi-Oh, Takahashi has written the celebratory series, The Comiq, and a one-shot based on a newly launched game, Drump, both of which were published in the Weekly Shonen Jump.
No matter what the investigation finds regarding the circumstances of his passing, Kazuki Takahashi was one of the most well-known mangakas across the world, and his absence will be dearly felt by fans and creators alike.
