Japanese 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' Creator Kazuki Takahashi Found Dead at Sea

Discovered on the 6th in the waters off Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture

Kazuki Takahashi (59), the author of the popular Japanese manga "Yu-Gi-Oh," was found dead in the sea. Photo by Wikipedia Japan

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Kazuki Takahashi (59), the author of the popular Japanese manga 'Yu-Gi-Oh,' was found dead in the sea.

NHK reported on the 7th that around 10:30 AM the previous day, a male body equipped with snorkeling gear was found off the coast of Nago City, Okinawa Prefecture. According to the Nago Coast Guard Station, the man was identified as Kazuki Takahashi.

Japanese police suspect that Kazuki Takahashi drowned while snorkeling and are investigating the exact circumstances of his death.

Kazuki Takahashi's representative work, Yu-Gi-Oh, was first published as a standalone volume in 1996. The story features a boy playing a card game against a demon to save the Earth, and it was first aired as an animated series on TV Tokyo in 2000. It entered the U.S. market in 2001 and gained tremendous popularity, ranking among the top 5 TV ratings nationwide in the United States.