Takahashi Kazuki, the manga artist who created the cultural sensation Yu-Gi-Oh, passed away at the age of 60 on Wednesday. The details of his death are still under investigation, but according to public broadcaster NHK, the artist’s body was found out at sea, nearly 1000 feet off the coast of Nago in Okinawa Province. He was reportedly wearing snorkeling equipment.
Takahashi’s body was identified on Thursday when the Japan Coast Guard found an abandoned white rental car under Takahashi’s name about 12 kilometers away. According to the Coast Guard, Takahashi had traveled to Okinawa alone, and his body had no noticeable signs of injury. In response to the tragic death, Takahashi’s agency Studio Dice turned his personal website black.
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Takahashi began creating manga in the early 1980s, but he remained relatively obscure until he started Yu-Gi-Oh in 1996. The immensely popular series followed a boy who discovers and solves a magical puzzle which awakens a gaming alter-ego within him. The manga appeared in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and only increased in popularity. It was then made into an anime series and a feature film.
Yu-Gi-Oh also expanded into other media, including a trading card game which became an international phenomenon. The game was first published by Bandai and then by Konami, and has players battle each other with their respective cards. It has now been certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-selling trading card game in the world. Takahashi remained involved in the property, overseeing the manga and receiving Comic-Con International’s Inkpot Award, which celebrates an individual who has made outstanding contributions to science fiction and fantasy media.
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