was a prolific Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

writer ( gensakusha), novelist, screenwriter, lyricist and entrepreneur. He is best known for his violent, artful ''

seinen is an editorial category of Japanese comics marketed toward young adult men. In Japanese, the word means "youth", but the term " manga" is also used to describe the target audience of magazines like '' Weekly Manga Times'' and '' Weekly Man ...

'' manga, notably ''

Lone Wolf and Cub is a Japanese manga series created by writer Kazuo Koike and artist Goseki Kojima. It was serialized in Futabasha's manga magazine '' Weekly Manga Action'' from September 1970 to April 1976, with its chapters collected in 28 ' volumes. ...

'' (with

Goseki Kojima was a Japanese manga artist. He is known for his collaborations with manga writer Kazuo Koike, the most famous of them being ''Lone Wolf and Cub''. Biography Kojima was born in Yokkaichi, Mie, on the same day as Osamu Tezuka. After getting out ...

, 1970–6), '' Lady Snowblood'' (with

Kazuo Kamimura was a Japanese manga artist born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. He was best known as the illustrator of '' Lady Snowblood'', which was adapted into film in 1973. Hitoshi Iwaaki, a manga artist was his assistant. He has been called "the ukiyo-e master of ...

, 1972–3) and ''

Crying Freeman is a Japanese manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami. ''Crying Freeman'' follows a Japanese assassin hypnotized and trained by the Chinese mafia (called the "108 Dragons") to serve as its agent and covered ...

'' (with

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 ...

, 1986–8), which – along with their numerous media adaptations − have been credited for their influence on the international growth of

Japanese popular culture Japanese popular culture includes Cinema of Japan, Japanese cinema, Japanese cuisine, cuisine, Television in Japan, television programs, anime, manga, Video gaming in Japan, video games, Music of Japan, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain ol ...

Career

Early in Koike's career, he studied under

Takao Saito was a Japanese manga artist, although he rejected the term and considered his work gekiga. He was best known for '' Golgo 13'', which has been serialized in '' Big Comic'' since 1968, making it the oldest manga still in publication. ''Golgo 1 ...

(the creator of ''

Golgo 13 is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Saito, published in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Big Comic'' since October 1968. The series follows the title character, a professional assassin for hire. ''Golgo 13'' is ...

),'' and served as a writer on the series. Koike, along with artist

, made the

''Kozure Okami'' (''

''), and Koike also contributed to the scripts for the 1970s film adaptations of the series, which starred famous Japanese actor

Tomisaburo Wakayama , born Masaru Okumura (奥村勝),Leous, G. (''c.'' 2003)Tomisaburo WakayamaRetrieved on May 23, 2010. was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling '' ronin'' warrior in the six ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' samurai films.Stout ...

. In 1992 he himself produced a Lone Wolf and Cub's film Lone Wolf and Cub: Final Conflict which starred

Masakazu Tamura was a Japanese film and theatre actor. Profile Masakazu Tamura was born 1 August 1943 in Kyoto, Japan to Japanese actor Tsumasaburō Bandō. Tsumasaburō Bandō died when Tamura was only nine years old. His brothers Takahiro and Ryō are also ...

. Koike and Kojima became known as the "Golden Duo" because of the success of ''Lone Wolf and Cub''. Another series written by Koike, ''

'', which was illustrated by

, was adapted into a 1995 live-action film by French director

Christophe Gans Christophe Gans (born 11 March 1960) is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter who specializes in horror and fantasy movies. Life and career Christophe Gans went to film school Institut des hautes études cinématographiques (IDHEC ...

. In addition to his more violent, action-oriented manga, Koike, an avid golfer, has also written golf manga. He has also written

mahjong Mahjong (English pronunciation: ; also transliterated as mah jongg, mah-jongg, and mahjongg) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is played ...

manga, as he himself is a former professional mahjong player. In the early 2000s, he wrote a

Wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...

story for Marvel. In 2011, Koike announced his intention to write a magical girl manga series titled '' Maho Shojo Mimitsuki Mimi no QED.'' Koike started the ''Gekiga Sonjuku'', a college course meant to teach people how to be a manga artist.

Death

On April 17, 2019, Kazuo Koike died due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

at the age of 82. His death happened just five days after the death of the fellow prolific manga author

Monkey Punch , known by the pen name , was a Japanese manga artist, best known for his series ''Lupin III''. Life and career Katō was born in Hamanaka, Hokkaido; he began drawing at a very young age, but did not draw manga until junior high school, when ...

on April 11, who also died of pneumonia and who Koike considered his rival in the ''

Weekly Manga Action is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Futabasha. It is currently published twice a month, on the first and third Thursday. The magazine was originally formed as and began publishing weekly from July 7, 1967. It is considered the f ...

'' magazine.

Graduates of Koike's ''Gekiga Sonjuku''

Rumiko Takahashi is a Japanese manga artist. With a career of several commercially successful works, beginning with ''Urusei Yatsura'' in 1978, she is one of Japan's best-known and wealthiest manga artists. Her works are known worldwide, where they have been tra ...

– manga artist: ''

Urusei Yatsura is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were collected in 34 ''tankōbon'' volum ...

'', ''

Ranma ½ is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from August 1987 to March 1996, with the chapters collected in 38 volumes by Shogakukan. The story revolves a ...

'', '' InuYasha'' *

Akira Sakuma (also known by the abbreviated name ''Momotetsu'') is a long-running board game-style video game series in Japan; in which players travel by rail transport, rail, ship, and airplane; attempting to acquire wealth through business transactions buyi ...

– game designer, freelance writer: '' Momotaro Densetsu'' series *

Hideyuki Kikuchi is a Japanese author known for his horror novels. His most famous works include the ''Vampire Hunter D'' series, ''Darkside Blues'' and ''Wicked City (novel), Wicked City''. Biography Kikuchi was born in Chōshi, Chiba, Chōshi, Japan on Septe ...

– horror writer: ''

Vampire Hunter D is a series of novels written by Japanese author Hideyuki Kikuchi and illustrated by Yoshitaka Amano since 1983. As of January 2025, 56 novels have been published in the main series, with some novels comprising as many as four volumes. They h ...

'' *

Tetsuo Hara is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for co-creating the post-apocalyptic martial arts series ''Fist of the North Star'' (1983–1988) with writer Buronson, which is one of the best-selling manga in history with over 100 million copies ...

– manga artist: ''

Fist of the North Star is a Japanese manga series written by Buronson and illustrated by Tetsuo Hara. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' for 245 issues published from 1983 to 1988 and initially collected in 27 volumes ...

'' *

Yuji Horii is a Japanese author, video game designer, writer and director best known as the creator of the ''Dragon Quest'' franchise, supervising and writing the scenario for ''Chrono Trigger'', and '' The Portopia Serial Murder Case'', released in 1983 ...

– game designer, freelance writer: ''

Dragon Quest previously published as ''Dragon Warrior'' in North America until 2005, is a series of role-playing video games created by Japanese game designer Yuji Horii (Armor Project), character designer Akira Toriyama (Bird Studio), and composer Koi ...

'' series *

Keisuke Itagaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is known for his martial arts series ''Grappler Baki'' (1991–1999) and its four sequels, which have sold over 100 million volumes. In 1996, he began working on '' Garōden'', an original work by Baku Yumemakura. ...

– manga artist: ''

Baki the Grappler is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Keisuke Itagaki. It was originally serialized in the ''shōnen'' manga magazine '' Weekly Shōnen Champion'' from 1991 to 1999 and collected into 42 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Akit ...

'' * Naoki Yamamoto – manga artist: ''

Dance till Tomorrow is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Yamamoto (manga artist), Naoki Yamamoto. It is a romantic comedy which details the life of Suekichi Terayama, a student who will inherit a fortune when he graduates from college an ...

'' * Takayuki Yamaguchi – manga artist: ''

Apocalypse Zero ''Apocalypse Zero'', known in Japan as , is a manga series written and illustrated by Takayuki Yamaguchi. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''Weekly Shōnen Champion'' from July 1994 to August 1996. The manga was adapted into a two episod ...

'' and '' Shigurui''

Bibliography

* ''

'', with artist

, 1970–1976 * '' Hulk: The Manga'', with artist Yoshihiro Morifuji, November 24, 1970 – January 6, 1971 * '' Lady Snowblood'', with artist

, 1972–1973 * '' Samurai Executioner'', with artist

, 1972–1976 * The script to the film '' Lady Snowblood'', 1973 * '' Musashi'', with artist

Noboru Kawasaki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for illustrating the series '' Star of the Giants''. He won the 14th Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most ...

, 1974–1977 * '' Kei no Seishun'',, with artist

, 1978–1980 * '' Adolescent Zoo'', with artist Hiromi Yamasaki, 1978–1981 * '' Nijitte Monogatari'', with artist , 1978–2003 * '' Path of the Assassin'', with artist

, 1978–1984 * '' Hanappe Bazooka'', with artist

Go Nagai , better known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and a prolific author of Japanese science fiction, science fiction, fantasy, Japanese horror, horror, and erotica. He made his professional debut in 1967 with ''Meakashi Polikichi'', b ...

, June 7, 1979 – January 7, 1982 * '' Wounded Man'', with artist

, 1983–1986 * ''

Mad Bull 34 is a Japanese manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by . It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' between 1985 and 1991; Shueisha collected its chapters in 19 volumes and later published it in 27 ...

'', with artist Noriyoshi Inoue, 1985–1991 * ''

'', with artist

, 1986–1988 * ''

Kawaite sōrō is a Japanese jidaigeki or period drama that was broadcast in prime-time in 1984. It is also known as "A Samurai's Sorrow." It is based on Goseki Kojima and Kazuo Koike's manga of the same title. The lead star is Masakazu Tamura. Masakazu Tamur ...

'', with artist

, 1995–1999 * ''

X-Men Unlimited ''X-Men Unlimited'' is the name of several comic book titles published by Marvel Comics. An anthology title, it features stories that focus less on the main continuity and more on peripheral events occurring with the X-Men characters. The first t ...

'' #50, 2003 * ''

Kajō , also romanized as Kashō, was a after '' Chōji'' and before ''Tennin.'' This period spanned the years from April 1106 through August 1108. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * February 6, 1106 : The new era name was created to ...

'', with artist Hideki Mori, 2003–2006 * '' New Lone Wolf and Cub'' (Shin Kozure Okami), with artist Hideki Mori, 2003–2006 * '' Yume Genji Tsurugi no Saimon'', with artist

Natsuki Sumeragi is a Japanese manga artist. She graduated from Ritsumeikan University with a degree in Japanese literature. She is famous for portraying Chinese and Korean history in her works. She currently lives in Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, J ...

, 2006–? * '' Shura Yukihime Gaiden'', with artist

, 2009–? * ''

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

'', with artist

, ?-? * '' Offered'', with artist

, ?-? * '' Color of Rage'', with artist Seisaku Kano, ?-? * Goyokiba, with artist Takeshi Kanda, ?-?

Awards

* 2004: Won the Hall of Fame

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

2004 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards
Comic Book Awards Almanac

Notes

References

External links

* * * Macias, Patrick (June 2008). . Manga Hell! Archived via the

Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...

. Retrieved October 3, 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Koike, Kazuo 1936 births 2019 deaths People from Daisen, Akita Writers from Akita Prefecture Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees Manga writers Gekiga creators