“Yugio!” Manga creator Kazuki Takahashi found dead off the coast of Japan-nationwide

Kazuki Takahashi, a Japanese cartoonist and creator of an internationally popular series Yu-Gi-Oh!Was found dead in the sea off the coast of Japanese Okinawa main island on Wednesday.

According to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, the artist’s body was found in the sea area about 300 meters from the coastline. Outlet claimed that he wore snorkeling equipment at the time of his death.

Kazuki was 60 years old.

According to NHK, local citizens reported Kazuki’s body underwater after seeing Kazuki “floating on his stomach.”

Firefighters responded to the report and Kazuki was declared dead at the scene. He was visiting Okinawa alone.

Kazuki’s body was not identified until Thursday, when the Japanese Coast Guard found a rental car used by an artist on a nearby farm road.

The Japan Coast Guard is currently investigating Kazuki’s death.

“We are investigating the case as both an accident and a possible crime,” said a Coast Guard spokesman.

There are conflicting reports of his physical condition. NHK reported that the artist had no noticeable scratches. Alternatively, NBC News, who spoke to the 11th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters in Okinawa, wrote that there was “damage to his body that appears to have been caused by certain marine animals.”

Kazuki, whose real name is Kazuo Takahashi, has been a major figurehead in the manga world for decades.

He began his career as an artist in Japanese manga in the early 1980s.

Creation Yu-Gi-Oh! Serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine — it was his greatest success. The manga revolves around ancient puzzles and a young, pointed-haired hero who awakens another personality in the game.

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Manga was produced from 1996 to 2004. NHK reported that more than 40 million copies were sold.

Yu-Gi-Oh! It received international acclaim when the success of manga led to the creation of the animated television series and the popular trading card game.

The game was certified by the Guinness Book of Records in 2009 as one of the best-selling trading card games of all time.Konami, an entertainment company that produces card games, has an estimated 35 billion or more people. Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards are sold all over the world.To date, international Yu-Gi-Oh! The tournament is still going on.

On social media, many enthusiastic fans of manga, anime and trading cards paid tribute and mourned the loss of influential artists.

To celebrate the artist’s death, Takahashi’s agency, Studio Dice, has suspended and blackened the brand’s website.