Naoki Urasawa

Naoki Urasawa was born on January 2, 1960, in Tokyo, Japan. He began drawing manga at age four and built a career defined by ambitious, often simultaneous serials. His first major work was illustrating the action series *Pineapple Army* (1985–1988), written by Kazuya Kudo. Urasawa then wrote and drew his first solo success, the sports manga *Yawara!* (1986–1993), followed by the adventure series *Master Keaton* (1988–1994), co-written with Hokusei Katsushika and his frequent collaborator, former editor Takashi Nagasaki. His thriller *Monster* (1994–2001) brought international acclaim, as did the science-fiction mystery *20th Century Boys* (1999–2006). He reimagined Osamu Tezuka’s *Astro Boy* in *Pluto* (2003–2009) and co-created the mystery *Billy Bat* (2008–2016) with Nagasaki. His ongoing *Asadora!* began in 2018. Urasawa’s work is characterized by intricate plotting, humanistic themes, and a clean, expressive style. He has won the Shogakukan Manga Award three times, the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize twice, and the Kodansha Manga Award once. By 2021, his manga had sold over 140 million copies worldwide. He is also a musician.