Hiroaki Samura

Hiroaki Samura, born February 17, 1970, in Japan, is a manga artist best known for the long-running samurai epic *Blade of the Immortal*. He entered the comics field in the mid-1990s, quickly establishing a distinctive visual style that blends meticulous, dynamic linework with a raw, expressive energy. His art often incorporates elements of ero guro (erotic grotesque), lending a visceral, unsettling quality to his fight scenes and character designs. Samura is the sole creator of *Blade of the Immortal*, writing and drawing the entire series, which ran from 1993 to 2012. He has also collaborated with other writers on projects like *Wave, Listen to Me!*, where he handled the art, and produced shorter works such as *Ohikkoshi* and *Die Wergelder*. His signature approach—detailed, kinetic, and unflinching—has made him a respected figure in seinen manga. Samura’s work on *Blade of the Immortal* earned him a 2000 Japan Media Arts Festival Excellence Prize and an Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia in 2000. He continues to work, with credits spanning from 1996 to 2023, leaving a legacy as a master of period action and psychological horror.