Tsutomu Nihei

Tsutomu Nihei, born February 26, 1971, in Japan, is a manga artist best known for his sprawling, architectural science-fiction epics. He began drawing comics professionally in the mid-1990s, and his career took off when his one-shot *Blame* won the Jiro Taniguchi Special Prize in the 1995 Afternoon Four Seasons Award. After working as an assistant to veteran artist Tsutomu Takahashi, Nihei launched his debut series, *Blame!*, in *Monthly Afternoon* in 1997. The series established his signature style: dense, cyberpunk-influenced artwork with massive, decaying cityscapes and minimal dialogue, relying on visuals and backgrounds to tell the story. Following *Blame!*, he wrote *Wolverine: Snikt!* for Marvel Comics and the post-apocalyptic *Biomega*. In 2009, he returned to *Monthly Afternoon* to launch *Knights of Sidonia*, which became his most commercially successful series. A former architectural student, Nihei’s work has a distinct structural feel, and he has gained a strong cult following worldwide. His other notable works include *Abara* and *Tower Dungeon*. He is credited as artist, writer, and inker on over fifty issues from 2003 to 2026.