The 18 best mangakas of all time
In Japan they have a very particular way of making graphic stories and comics. Known as the best mangakas, the authors of this type of publication have been sharing their art and talent all over the world since the beginning of the 19th century.
These types of artists are highly recognized throughout Japan, due to the great value that manga comics have within their society.
Both outside and within the Japanese country a lot of manga is consumed, with dozens of daily publications among which only a few stand out.
What do mangakas have to do to be recognized around the world? Which are the most influential that have become the history of Japanese culture and why?
Discover what is the profession of mangaka and which ones are considered the best mangakas of all time through this complete compilation.
From the oldest to the most modern manga comics, we take a tour of the history of famous mangakas. And also where to buy the best sleeves at a good price.
Mangaka is the Japanese word used to designate a comic creator in Japan. It is made up of two words: 'sleeve' which in Japanese means 'comic' or 'cartoon', and 'ka' which translates to 'creator of'.
The history of the creation of Japanese manga dates back to the year 1814, when the artist Katsushika Hokusai began to capture on paper short stories represented with drawings and with hardly any text.
It was this author who first used the term 'sleeve', which in turn is composed of two different kanji: 'man' which means 'informal', and 'ga' which means 'drawing'.
These 'informal drawings' were originally starred by samurai warriors, and represented events of the time.
Slowly Japanese graphic art was evolving, taking references from western comics to form a unique technique in the world that is only reproduced in Japan.
Today a Japanese mangaka is trained for many years in a art school or specialized academy, working as an assistant to the best mangakas until achieving his own success.
The prominence of the manga is such within the Japanese culture, that some of the creators are considered as important characters of Japan.
There are many who try, but very few young people who achieve success in this tough race to reach the top.
To be a good mangaka, it is not enough to draw good pencil drawings. The best sleeves require a innovative and different story, that attracts attention, and that knows how to follow the plot to hook millions of followers around the world.
Do you know which are the best mangakas, men and women, who have reached the world top in Japan? If you also want to know how to be mangaka, the first step is to have the best as a reference to learn from them.
Akira toriyama (1955 - present) - Dragonball, Dr. Slump
Toriyama is one of the mangakas of shonen, and of the best known artists inside and outside his country.
As a young man he worked in an advertising agency, until he was encouraged to participate in a contest for aspiring mangakas, in which he did not win but was worth his jump to fame.
His first success was with the Dr. Slump comic, characterized by following a totally different aesthetic from the sleeves of the time. It was released in Spanish by the Planeta Cómic publishing house.
Little time later created Dragon Ball, his great masterpiece that became popular especially outside of Japan, becoming the third best-selling manga of all time.
Since the 80s when it began its journey drawing manga and animeUntil today, he is one of the most influential Japanese painters due to the revolution that his work brought about.
Dr. Slump Manga
Manga Dragon Ball
Masashi Kishimoto (1974 - present) - Naruto, Boruto
Another of the kings of the shonen, a type of manga created for young men that is based on fighting and sparring, Kishimoto is another of the best mangakas in the world for their star work: Naruto.
The way to create the characters, to present the comics, and to continue the thread of action in their comics without lowering the level over the years, is an art that very few mangakas have achieved.
Although began working on his series in 1999Kishimoto was always clear about what he wanted to do since he was a child.
Self-taught from the beginningHe tried other themes by making female characters and appearing in different mangaka contests until he realized what his path was and where he could put all his potential. And boy, has he succeeded!
Manga Naruto
Boruto Manga
Eiichiro Oda (1975 - present) - One Piece, Wanted!
Eiichiro Oda is the name of one of the best mangakas in the world, creator of the One Piece saga.
Until now, the best-selling manga series of all time, far above other Japanese comics that do not even come close in sales numbers.
Ode began his career at the age of 17 old, training from a young age to be a great artist.
He was the winner of many awards, getting to enter as assistant in the study Weekly Shonen Jump, where it premiered with One Piece in 1997.
Inspired by the work style of Toriyama, his mentor in the shonen manga, he has managed to surpass his teachers by becoming one of the richest mangakas.
With astronomical sales, it is a manga that still active today, for the excellent quality of the characters and their stories.
Manga One Piece
Manga Wanted!
Naoki Urasawa (1960 - present) - Monster, 20th Century Boys
Naoki Urasawa is one of the Japan's greatest artists, and one of the best mangakas drawing.
He started drawing manga since he was 4 years old, creating during his youth one of the Most famous manga of all time: 20th Century Boys.
Expert in horror, suspense and thriller genre, has a great ability to invent stories and create very complex characters.
He has also worked as a screenwriter for different movies and series, wearing some of his older classics to television and cinemaHow are the animes of Yawara! or from Monster.
Today he works in Nagoya University giving manga classes to his students. In addition to having a YouTube channel where it teaches the basic rules for drawing:
It is also a excellent musician and guitarist, an artistic branch in which he has focused for some years under the nickname of Bob Lennon.
Manga Monster
Manga 20th Century Boys
Yoshihiro Togashi (1966 - present) - Hunter x Hunter (HxH), Yu Yu Hakusho
Winner of multiple awards within the manga universe in Japan, Yoshihiro is one of the best mangakas of the 20th century who has not stopped improving his technique over the years.
More than for the creation of the characters, the work of this Japanese mangaka stands out for the plot of their stories.
Among his most famous works we find Hunter x Hunter (HxH) and Yu Yu Hakusho, published for years in the magazine Weekly Shonen Jump, which has thousands of followers around the world.
Togashi's entire universe revolves around the manga creation and illustration.
Is married to mangaka Naoko Takeuchi, and his brother, Hideaki Togashi, is also a cartoonist, from whom he has taken some references to reflect them in his exquisite work.
Hunter x Hunter Manga
Buy Yu Yu Hakusho
Rumiko Takahashi (1957 - present) - Ranma 1/2, InuYasha
Born in the 50's, at the time when Japanese manga began to flourish, this chemistry student girl combined her love of drawing with college.
Gekiga Sonjuku Manga School Student, and influenced by the publications of the best male mangakas of the time, Takahashi made his work known without any rush.
It was not until the 1980s that he began to publish regularly, putting large pieces on paper. works like Ranma 1/2, InuYasha or Maison Ikkoku.
With an unstoppable career, thanks to his success he has earned the title of 'The Queen of Manga' in Japan.
Unlike other female mangakas, Takahashi's works are not focused exclusively on women.
In it he deals with different themes, laying the foundations of the new style of manga that has triumphed in the United States and Europe, without neglecting the Japanese culture that continues to tie it to its roots.
Ranma 1/2 Sleeve
InuYasha Manga
Hirohiko araki (1960 - present) - Baoh, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Known for being the creator of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, published since 1987 in Shonen Jump magazine, Araki is one of the best mangakas of the golden age who continues to work at full capacity.
Manga fan since childhood, and with a clear artistic influence within his family, he began to secretly draw manga to be encouraged years later to participate in different contests.
It was then that they discovered his great talent, encouraging him to pursue his true dream after drop out of college to focus on manga.
With a style when it comes to drawing of the most particular, the stories of his comics focus on the young male audience, although he also has many female followers.
This is due to the large amount of detail it puts into the appearance of their characters, dressed with great glamor and with lots of color.
Manga Baoh
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Manga
Hajime isayama (1986 - present) - Shingeki no Kyojin
With a marked classical style in his artistic work, Isayama is one of the best young mangakas that takes us back to the origins of the manga.
His best known work is Shingeki no Kyojin, or 'Attack on Titan', with more than 100 million copies sold in Japan.
Young Isayama trained at the Kyushu Designer Gaukin manga design school, demonstrating a great mood since his first year.
Although initially unsuccessful in his publications, in 2009 he was recognized for his masterpiece, winning the first prize of the Magazine Grand Prix that opened different doors for him.
Has published other small works, but none as successful as the one that brought him fame.
In the United States 'Attack on Titan' is a sales phenomenon, being the best-selling manga of the last decades in the American continent.
Manga Attack on Titan
Kentaro miura (1966 - 2021) - Berserk
Tragically passed away In 2021 at 54 years of age, Kentaro Miura has left a great legacy behind him, making him one of the best mangakas of modern times.
Although it has other publications, the most important is Berserk, a popular fantasy manga that hooks from the first page. In Spain it was translated by Marc Bernabé.
Started to publish your own strips with the help of his high school classmates in his teens.
With a overflowing imagination, this young man was gaining followers little by little until he decided to draw the first volume of Berserk in 1988.
Thanks to this story he got win various national awards, published in Young Animal magazine in 1990.
From then on, the series' journey has been unstoppable, with its version taken to anime and video game of the same name for the Dreamcast console and for PlayStation.
Manga Berserk
Koyoharu Gotouge (1989 - present) - Kimetsu no Yaiba
Koyoharu Gotouge is the name of the creator of the manga series Kimetsu no Yaiba (Demon Slayer or Guardians of the Night), which has been hitting hard in Japan for some years.
He started his in 2013, although at first it was not known if it was male or female, using neutral pronouns to refer to it.
At present still his face is not known, although its publications already exceed one million sales.
From 2016 to 2020 there are already more than 200 chapters of the manga series, which has been taken to television in the anime series of the same name in 2018, and to the movie in 2020 that has been the highest grossing in the history of Japan.
The young mangaka who is barely thirty years old is already working on new manga where she is also mix science fiction and romantic comedy.
With a overflowing imagination, we do not doubt that he will hit a pitch as incredible as his first work.
Manga Kimetsu no Yaiba
Osamu Tezuka (1928 - 1989) - Astroboy, Phoenix, Kimba
From a modern manga author, we go back in time to honor one of the best mangakas ever.
Pioneer in current manga and Japanese animation, Osamu Tezuka is the author of different series that have marked the childhood of the Japanese such as Astroboy, Phoenix or Kimba.
Born in Osaka in the late 1920s, he is known as 'The God of Manga' for being one of those responsible for the popularization of comics in Japan.
Drawing inspiration from Walt Disney's drawing and animation techniques, he was the first to create the current 'story manga', going from short comics to much more complex publications that were presented in installments.
Although he began to draw since he was a child, it was not until the 1950s, after World War II, that it emerged his first great work: Kimba, the white lion.
Their stories intended for children They are very complete and loaded with symbolism, with a very characteristic drawing style that no one has dared to imitate.
Manga Astroboy
Manga Phoenix
Takehiko Inoue (1967 - present) - Slam Dunk, Vagabond
Manga related to sports themes.
A basketball player since childhood, Takehiko Inoue is the author of the Slam Dunk manga series, known around the world for the incredible realism of the drawings.
Due to the meticulousness of his work, and the way this artist draws, he is very well valued within your profession.
From the best mangakas in the industry, respected by his classmates and students, has continued to publish other highly successful series such as Piercing or Vagabond.
In his career he has different participations for the japanese video game character creation, and of course as a teacher and lecturer.
It has different awards to his credit, with a career that is in its creative maturity.
Manga Slam Dunk
Vagabond Manga
Hayao Miyazaki (1941 - present) - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Between the Japan's most popular mangakas We could not fail to mention this film director, animator, illustrator and manga artist.
It is famous because together with Isao Takahata he founded Studio Ghibli, producing such famous anime films as 'Spirited Away', 'The Castle in the Sky', 'My Neighbor Totoro' or 'Princess Mononoke'.
Miyazaki's career started at a very young age, taking an interest in manga and anime that was beginning to emerge in the country.
One of his most famous manga works is Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, created in 1982, to later take it to the cinema by the author himself in 1982. It has 7 volumes.
With a very particular artist drawing style, Miyazaki is interested in warlike and realistic stories, with a touch of fantasy.
Many of the Studio Ghibli films are inspired by the graphic novels previously written by himself, presenting different styles of drawing according to the date of creation.
Manga Nausicaä
Takeshi obata (1969 - present) - Death Note, Bakuman
With a humorous twist, a sinister point, and stories that focus on the lives of troubled teenagers, Takeshi Obata is the creator of Manga comics as famous as Bakuman or Death Note. You sure know them!
Under the wing of his teacher Makoto Miwano, the most important mangaka of the 80s in Japan, Obata took his first steps in the industry by publishing weekly in the magazine Cyborg Jii-chan.
He has always consumed a lot of manga and has dreamed of dedicating himself to it, training in the creation of original stories to surprise your readers.
He has collaborated in multiple magazines, such as Videogame designer, and also in anime adaptations of many of his own works and of other colleagues.
Today is mentor new manga artists who begin to immerse themselves in this world, learning from the best mangakas like Obata.
Manga Death Note
Manga Bakuman
Hiromu Arakawa (1973 - present) - Fullmetal Alchemist
Did you know that the creator of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga series is it actually a woman? An action-adventure story that stars Edward and Alphonse Elric, two young brothers who have to protect their Amestris country.
With a fantastic background very good, the author deals with a theme mainly designed for men, who are equally enjoyed by women.
Arakawa moved from her small town to Tokyo to become a mangaka being Hiroyu Eto's assistant, author of Mahojin Guru Guru.
In 1999 he was able to start his career publishing in different Young Aspiring Magazines, which led him to win several awards.
In 2001 he published the first chapter of Fullmetal Alchemist, with a great reception among the young public.
Today it has 108 chapters in total, in addition to the anime adaptation of the series, in which he participated to give life to his characters.
Manga FullMetal Alchemist
Naoko takeuchi (1967 - present) - Sailor Moon
Known for the Sailor Moon series, Takeuchi was the best female mangaka of the 90s.
Graduated in Pharmacy, she began her career as a cartoonist no studies to be a mangaka or artistic training prior, until gradually improving the technique.
Considered one of the best shojo writers, a type of manga for adolescent female audiences, its story was so successful that it was decided to take it to anime.
It was from there when the different characters were created that later would go on to form the warrior girl group.
During the creation of the chapters of the anime series, Takeuchi met Yoshihiro Togashi, the famous mangaka, getting married and starting a family.
Has written other romantic and adventure-themed women's sleeves, although none has come to have the fame of his great masterpiece.
Manga Sailor Moon
Katsuhiro Otomo (1954 - present) - Akira, The Legend of Mother Sarah
Film director and screenwriter manga today, Otomo's career began as a mangaka in the mid-1980s and 1990s.
His most important work is Akira, one of the most famous comics in Japan, converted into a manga series some years after the publication of the first volume.
Since he was young, he has actively participated in the political movements of his country, taking the social problems as the main reference for the stories of your comics.
With clear American influences, Otomo's characters are characterized by being young rebels who fight against repression.
He has participated in the aadaptation and direction of Japanese cinema films as important as Roujin Z, Metropolis and Steamboy, as well as original manga that have been published around the world, translated into several languages.
Akira Manga
Manga The Legend of Mother Sarah
Jiro Taniguchi (1947 - 2017) - My Father's Almanac, Far Neighborhood
Deceased in 2018, Taniguchi has left us as a legacy two great works of Japanese manga such as Far neighborhood and my father's storehouse.
In his works he shows traditional stories very real, with a nostalgic air that allows you to connect with the characters.
Cult author in your country, is one of the best mangakas in history who has managed to promote the manga outside of Japan.
His precious works shows Japanese culture in the most natural way, translated into several languages and becoming a sales phenomenon in America and Europe.
Taniguchi was an example of how the student sometimes surpasses his teacher in talent.
It was Kyota Ishikawa's drawing assistant, who prompted him to publish for the first time in 1970 to launch his career in style. Quite lucky for manga lovers that this man ever existed!
Manga The Almanac of my Father
Far Neighborhood Manga
Everything you need to know about manga in Japan
What lovers of Japanese culture, Manga is an art that we have been passionate about since we are young.
If you are also starting to immerse yourself in this world, in our blog Alternative Japan you will find much more information of interest:
And for you, who are the best mangaka of all time? What is your favorite manga series and your fetish author? Share your opinions with us!
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