Creator of Yu-Gi-Oh! manga found dead at sea

TOKYO • A Japanese artist who created the hit manga comic series Yu-Gi-Oh!, which spawned a worldwide media franchise including a trading card game, has been found dead in the sea, media reported yesterday.

Mr Kazuki Takahashi, 60, whose real first name was Kazuo, was discovered wearing snorkelling gear and floating in the sea near Nago, in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, early on Wednesday and identified a day later, NHK public broadcaster reported.

The authorities are investigating his death. "We are investigating the case as either a possible accident or crime," an official in the city of Nago said. Japanese media including NHK said Mr Takahashi was found around 300m offshore and pulled from the water.

Yu-Gi-Oh!, which means "King of Games", ran in the Japanese weekly comic magazine Shonen Jump between 1996 and 2004.

It told the story of Yugi, a teenager who receives an ancient puzzle that awakens in him the alter ego of an Egyptian pharaoh.

The manga gave rise to a media franchise including a trading card game and several long-running anime series and films.

It was later published as a series of 38 books by Japanese publishing powerhouse Shueisha, which did not issue any immediate statement on Mr Takahashi's death.

At the time of his death, Mr Takahashi was still involved in creative decisions on Yu-Gi-Oh! and a collaboration with Marvel that involved the characters Iron Man and Spider-Man was just published two weeks ago.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE