The creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga, anime, and card game, Kazuki Takahashi, has passed away at the age of 60.
Public broadcaster NHK noted that Takahashi was found wearing snorkeling gear approximately 300 meters off the Nago coast in the Okinawa Province. An investigation into the cause of his death has been opened, with the Coast Guard saying that Takahashi traveled to Okinawa alone.
Prior to Yu-Gi-Oh!, Takahashi made the manga series Fighting Hawk and Tennenshoku Danji Buray. The Yu-Gi-Oh! manga ran from September 1996 through March 2004 in Weekly Shonen Jump, while the anime came to the West in 2002. The series followed Yugi Muto, a young student who solves an Egyptian puzzle and finds himself imbued with the spirit of an ancient Pharaoh. Together, Yugi, the Pharaoh, and his friends battle evil and play Duel Monsters — the game that would inspire the real Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.
Outside of Yu-Gi-Oh!, Takahashi had created one-shots and limited series like Drump and The Comiq. He had also collaborated with other artists like Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy — a character that Takahashi stated was his favorite American comic character.
ComingSoon sends condolences to Kazuki Takahashi’s friends and family during this tough time.
