Yoshihiro Togashi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga artist
. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college
, the publisher Shueisha
recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres
during the past three decades. He is perhaps best known for writing and illustrating the YuYu Hakusho
and Hunter × Hunter
series, both of which have been published in the popular Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine. Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi
, the author of Sailor Moon
.
, Togashi began drawing manga casually in his first to second year of elementary school. In high school, Togashi joined the fine-arts club; he later enrolled at Yamagata University
where he studied education in the hope of becoming a teacher. During college he submitted some of his manga work to Weekly Young Jump
, published by Shueisha
. In 1986, at age 20, he authored a manga titled for which he received the Tezuka Award
, the most prestigious award for new comic artists in Japan. Another manga by Togashi titled was an honorable mention in Shueisha's annual Hop Step Award Selection magazine in 1987. After having given up his goal of becoming a teacher, Togashi was contacted by an editor of Weekly Shōnen Jump
during his senior year of college, who asked him to move to Tokyo
.
release in 1989. Between 1989 and 1990, Togashi authored , a four-volume romance manga involving the relationship between a normal, human boy and a beautiful, devil girl.
In 1990, Togashi made a name for himself with his next series . Based on his interests in the occult
and in horror film
s, the plot features the character Yusuke Urameshi, who is killed and brought back to life as an "Underworld Detective". The manga, which lasted 175 chapter over 19 tankōbon from 1990 to 1994, went on to sell 40,000,000 copies in Japan, earned Togashi a Shogakukan Manga Award
in 1994, and received a hit anime
adaptation. In 1995, he created , a science fiction
-comedy manga. Comprising three volumes, it was first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1995 and ran until 1997. Level E was adapated into an anime television series in 2011.
Togashi's next major series , an action-adventure manga, began serialization in 1998. The story revolves around the protagonist Gon Freecss, a young boy in search of his father, who is a legendary, elite member of society called a "Hunter". This manga also performed very well commercially, with the first 20 volumes selling nearly 55,000,000 copies in Japan as of August 2011. In 2008, Togashi tied with One Piece
author Eiichiro Oda
as the fifth favorite manga artist from a poll posted by the marketing research firm Oricon
.
, the manga artist of Sailor Moon
, in 1999. The two were introduced at a party hosted by Kazushi Hagiwara
in August 1997. The following year, Takeuchi assisted Togashi for short time by adding screentone
to his manga Hunter × Hunter. Togashi and Takeuchi were married on January 6, 1999. In attendance for the ceremony were several fellow manga artists and voice actors from both the Sailor Moon and YuYu Hakusho anime series. The couple has two children and have collaborated on a children's book titled , which Takeuchi wrote and Togashi illustrated. Togashi is good friends with Masashi Kishimoto
, the author of Naruto
.
Togashi enjoys board-game
-style video games and bowling
with his family. He also likes watching horror movies, and considers Don't Look Up
and Dawn of the Dead his favorites. Togashi cites visual effects designer H. R. Giger
as a major influence. Togashi suffered from an immense amount of stress while working on YuYu Hakusho, which caused him inconsistent sleep patterns and chest pain. Togashi has taken numerous breaks in recent years while writing Hunter × Hunter, the first of which was due to illness. On March 29, 2011, Togashi and his fellow manga artist posted messages on the official Shōnen Jump website in support of the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
.
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, the publisher Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres
Literary genre
A literary genre is a category of literary composition. Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone, content, or even length. Genre should not be confused with age category, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children's. They also must not be confused...
during the past three decades. He is perhaps best known for writing and illustrating the YuYu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...
and Hunter × Hunter
Hunter × Hunter
, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon, who discovers that his father, whom he was told was dead, is actually alive and well...
series, both of which have been published in the popular Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
magazine. Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi
Naoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime and manga fans worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon, rose to become one of the most recognized manga and anime products to date.-Early life:...
, the author of Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
.
Early life
Born in Shinjō, YamagataShinjo, Yamagata
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 39,535 and the density of 177 persons per km². The total area is 223.08 km².The city was consolidated from several smaller villages on April 1, 1949....
, Togashi began drawing manga casually in his first to second year of elementary school. In high school, Togashi joined the fine-arts club; he later enrolled at Yamagata University
Yamagata University
is a national university located in the Japanese cities of Yamagata, Yonezawa and Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture.The university was established in 1949 but its origin can be traced back to the , a public teacher-training institution, founded in 1878 in Yamagata City.The university also has other...
where he studied education in the hope of becoming a teacher. During college he submitted some of his manga work to Weekly Young Jump
Weekly Young Jump
, launched in 1979, is a weekly Japanese magazine that publishes various seinen manga in each issue. It is published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines.- History :...
, published by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
. In 1986, at age 20, he authored a manga titled for which he received the Tezuka Award
Tezuka Award
The is a semi-annual manga award offered by the Japanese publisher Shueisha , under the auspices of its Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. It awards new comic artists in the Story Manga category. Its counterpart award, Akatsuka Award, awards new comic artists in the Comedic Manga category...
, the most prestigious award for new comic artists in Japan. Another manga by Togashi titled was an honorable mention in Shueisha's annual Hop Step Award Selection magazine in 1987. After having given up his goal of becoming a teacher, Togashi was contacted by an editor of Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
during his senior year of college, who asked him to move to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
Career
Togashi's earliest published works for Shueisha included , a collection of comedy manga short-stories. Weekly Shōnen Jump published some of the stories prior to a tankōbonTankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
release in 1989. Between 1989 and 1990, Togashi authored , a four-volume romance manga involving the relationship between a normal, human boy and a beautiful, devil girl.
In 1990, Togashi made a name for himself with his next series . Based on his interests in the occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
and in horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
s, the plot features the character Yusuke Urameshi, who is killed and brought back to life as an "Underworld Detective". The manga, which lasted 175 chapter over 19 tankōbon from 1990 to 1994, went on to sell 40,000,000 copies in Japan, earned Togashi a Shogakukan Manga Award
Shogakukan Manga Award
The is one of Japan's major manga awards, sponsored by Shogakukan Publishing. It has been awarded annually for serialized manga since 1955 and features candidates from a number of publishers.The current award categories are:...
in 1994, and received a hit anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation. In 1995, he created , a science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
-comedy manga. Comprising three volumes, it was first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1995 and ran until 1997. Level E was adapated into an anime television series in 2011.
Togashi's next major series , an action-adventure manga, began serialization in 1998. The story revolves around the protagonist Gon Freecss, a young boy in search of his father, who is a legendary, elite member of society called a "Hunter". This manga also performed very well commercially, with the first 20 volumes selling nearly 55,000,000 copies in Japan as of August 2011. In 2008, Togashi tied with One Piece
One Piece
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997; the individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997, and the 64th volume released as...
author Eiichiro Oda
Eiichiro Oda
is a Japanese manga artist, best known as the creator of One Piece.-Early life:As a child, Oda was inspired by Akira Toriyama's works and aspired to become a manga artist. He recalls that his interest in pirates was probably sparked by the popular TV animation series titled Vicky the Viking...
as the fifth favorite manga artist from a poll posted by the marketing research firm Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
.
Personal life
Togashi married Naoko TakeuchiNaoko Takeuchi
is a Japanese manga artist who lives in Tokyo, Japan. Takeuchi's works have a wide following among anime and manga fans worldwide. Her most popular work, Sailor Moon, rose to become one of the most recognized manga and anime products to date.-Early life:...
, the manga artist of Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
, in 1999. The two were introduced at a party hosted by Kazushi Hagiwara
Kazushi Hagiwara
is a Japanese manga artist best known for creating the manga Bastard!!. He originally began as an assistant to hentai manga artist Dirty Matsumoto, and then as an assistant to manga artist Izumi Matsumoto in the production of Kimagure Orange Road, creating his own stories in his spare time. He...
in August 1997. The following year, Takeuchi assisted Togashi for short time by adding screentone
Screentone
Screentone is a technique for applying textures and shades to drawings, used as an alternative to hatching. In the conventional process, patterns are transferred to paper from preprinted sheets, but the technique is also simulated in computer graphics...
to his manga Hunter × Hunter. Togashi and Takeuchi were married on January 6, 1999. In attendance for the ceremony were several fellow manga artists and voice actors from both the Sailor Moon and YuYu Hakusho anime series. The couple has two children and have collaborated on a children's book titled , which Takeuchi wrote and Togashi illustrated. Togashi is good friends with Masashi Kishimoto
Masashi Kishimoto
is a Japanese manga artist, well known for creating the manga series Naruto. His younger twin brother, Seishi Kishimoto, is also a manga artist and creator of the manga series 666 Satan and Blazer Drive...
, the author of Naruto
Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become the Hokage, the ninja in his village who is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
.
Togashi enjoys board-game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
-style video games and bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
with his family. He also likes watching horror movies, and considers Don't Look Up
Don't Look Up
Don't Look Up is a 1996 Japanese horror film directed by Hideo Nakata.-Plot:Don't Look Up is about a film director and his crew who slowly go insane when the film set is haunted by the ghost of an actress who died while filming a TV show in the 1960s.On the set of a dark war time drama at an old...
and Dawn of the Dead his favorites. Togashi cites visual effects designer H. R. Giger
H. R. Giger
Hans Rudolf "Ruedi" Giger is a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor, and set designer. He won an Academy Award for Best Achievement for Visual Effects for his design work on the film Alien.-Early life:...
as a major influence. Togashi suffered from an immense amount of stress while working on YuYu Hakusho, which caused him inconsistent sleep patterns and chest pain. Togashi has taken numerous breaks in recent years while writing Hunter × Hunter, the first of which was due to illness. On March 29, 2011, Togashi and his fellow manga artist posted messages on the official Shōnen Jump website in support of the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, also known as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, or the Great East Japan Earthquake, was a magnitude 9.0 undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST on Friday, 11 March 2011, with the epicenter approximately east...
.
Manga
- Sensēha Toshishita!! (1986, later featured in Ten de Shōwaru Cupid Volume 4)
- Jura no Miduki (1987, featured in Hop Step Award Selection Volume 1)
- Ōkami Nante Kowakunai!! (1989, tankōbon published by Shueisha)
- Buttobi Straight (1987)
- Tonda Birthday Present (1987, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- Occult Tanteidan (1988–1989, two parts published in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- Horror Angel (1988, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- Ōkami Nante Kowakunai!! (1989, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- Ten de Shōwaru Cupid (1989–1990, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- YuYu HakushoYuYu Hakushois a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...
(1990–1994, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- Level ELevel Eis a comic science fiction manga series by Yoshihiro Togashi. The plot follows an alien prince who crash lands on Earth and begins living with a high school student...
(1995–1997, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump) - Hunter × HunterHunter × Hunter, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The story focuses on a young boy named Gon, who discovers that his father, whom he was told was dead, is actually alive and well...
(1998–ongoing, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
Other
- Yoshirin de Pon! (1994, YuYu Hakusho dōjinshiDojinshiis the Japanese term for self-published works, usually magazines, manga or novels. Dōjinshi are often the work of amateurs, though some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular industry. The term dōjinshi is derived from and . Dōjinshi are part of a wider...
distributed at 1994 Summer Comic Market) - Official Hunter × Hunter Guide (2004, published by Shueisha)
- YuYu Hakusho Who's Who Underworld Character Book (2005, published by Shueisha)
- YuYu Hakusho Illustrations (2005, published by Shueisha)
- Oobo— Nu— Tochiibo— Nu— (2005, published by KodanshaKodansha, the largest Japanese publisher, produces the manga magazines Nakayoshi, Afternoon, Evening, and Weekly Shonen Magazine, as well as more literary magazines such as Gunzō, Shūkan Gendai, and the Japanese dictionary Nihongo Daijiten. The company has its headquarters in Bunkyō, Tokyo...
) - Hetappi Manga Kenkyujo R (2011, published by Shueisha)