is the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

of a Japanese manga writer, best known for authoring the ''

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, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to ...

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 ...

series with illustrator

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'' (1999–2003) with Yumi Hotta, but is better known for '' Death Note'' (2003–2006) ...

from 2003 to 2006, which has 30 million collected volumes in circulation. The duo's second series, ''

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, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from Augus ...

'' (2008–2012), was also successful with 15 million in circulation. In 2014, Ohba collaborated with ''

My Little Monster is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Robico about the relationship between a girl named Shizuku Mizutani and a boy named Haru Yoshida. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''Dessert'' magazine from August 23, 2008 to June 24, 2013. An ...

'' creator

Robico is a Japanese manga artist from Kagoshima Prefecture, best known for ''My Little Monster''. Robico is a pen name and the author's real name is unknown. Biography Robico attended vocational school with the thought of becoming an illustrator. In ...

for the

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'', a ...

"Skip! Yamada-kun". Another series with Obata, ''

Platinum End is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's monthly manga magazine ''Jump Square'' from November 2015 to January 2021, with its chapters collected in 14 volumes. Th ...

'', was serialized in the monthly ''

Jump SQ , also written as , is a Japanese monthly 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 that year. ...

'' from November 4, 2015, to January 4, 2021.

Identity

Ohba's real identity is a closely guarded secret.

, Volume 2. Inside cover profiles, Ohba's gender was previously unknown to the general public. Bakuman, volume 3- "His current series is Bakuman, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump Ohba said they never thought of becoming a manga creator, expecting the ''Death Note'' pilot to be passed on by ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...

''. They have since cited

Shotaro Ishinomori , né , was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, writer and director. Known as the "King of Manga" (漫画の帝王 (''Manga no Teiou)'' or 漫画の王様 (''Manga no Ousama)''), he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential mang ...

Fujiko Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They debuted in 1951 as a duo under their real names. The Fujiko Fujio name was used for their respective works from 1953 until 1987, when Fujimoto was too ill to work consist ...

, and

Fujio Akatsuka was a Japanese manga artist. Known as the Master of Gag Manga, he created many popular manga such as ''Osomatsu-kun'', ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'', and ''Tensai Bakabon''. Biography He was born in Rehe Province, Rehe, Manchuria, the son of a Ke ...

as manga creators by whom they are heavily inspired. Despite being an author, Ohba does not read much, instead they watch a lot of movies, being especially fond of those by

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker who List of works by Akira Kurosawa, directed 30 feature films in a career spanning six decades. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the History of film, history of cinema ...

and

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

. They cited comedy as their favorite genre, and prefer Japanese films to American ones. The author described themselves as a "clean freak" and usually cleans once a day. Ohba is fond of art

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

s, collects

teacup A teacup is a cup for drinking tea. It generally has a small handle (grip), handle that may be grasped with the thumb and one or two fingers. It is typically made of a ceramic material and is often part of a set which is composed of a cup and ...

s, and develops manga plots while holding their knees on a chair, the last being similar to a habit of L, one of the main characters of ''Death Note''. There is speculation that Tsugumi Ohba is a pen name of manga artist Hiroshi Gamo, notably by

Toshio Okada is an anime producer, author, and lecturer. He is a co-founder and former president of the production company Gainax. He is portrayed by actor Gaku Hamada in the 2014 TV Drama '' Aoi Honō'' based on the autobiographical manga by his fellow K ...

. Among other supposed hidden clues in Ohba's works, supporters of the theory point out that in ''Bakuman'' the main character's uncle was a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music performers with ...

manga artist who worked on a gag superhero manga, similar to Gamo and ''

Tottemo! Luckyman is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiroshi Gamo. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from August 1993 to July 1997, with its chapters collected in 16 volumes. The series follows the ...

'', and also that the storyboards drawn by Ohba resemble ''Tottemo! Luckyman'' in style.

Works

* ''

'' with

(2003–2006) :Centers on high school student

Light Yagami is the main protagonist of the manga series '' Death Note'', created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is portrayed as a brilliant but bored genius who finds the Death Note, a supernatural notebook that allows the user to kill anyone by ...

, who discovers a

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

notebook that allows him to kill anyone by writing the victim's name (and knowing their face). The plot follows his attempt to create and lead a world "cleansed of evil" which he will rule as "

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

" using the notebook, and the conflicts between himself and anyone he sees as an obstacle, from law enforcement to the mafia to the greatest detective in the world. * ''

'' with Takeshi Obata (2008–2012) :Revolves around two high school students who team up to try to create a successful manga, so it will be made into an anime in order for the artist of the group, Moritaka Mashiro, to fulfill the promise he made to a girl named Miho Azuki, whose dream is to become a voice actress for anime, as well as the dream of Akito Takagi, the writer of the duo. * with

(2014) * ''

'' with Takeshi Obata (2015–2021)

Awards and nominations

* 2007 Nominated –

Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Current ...

Grand Prize for ''Death Note'' * 2008 Nominated –

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (AICF; ) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after Lucca Comics & Games and the Comiket of Japan. It has occur ...

Official Selection for ''Death Note'' * 2008 Won – Eagle Award for Favourite Manga for ''Death Note'' * 2010 Nominated –

Manga Taishō The is a Japanese List of comics awards, comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer Tankōbon, collected volumes in length. The Manga Taish� ...

for ''Bakuman.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohba, Tsugumi Death Note Living people Manga artists from Tokyo 21st-century pseudonymous writers Unidentified manga artists Year of birth missing (living people) Manga writers