Kazuki Takahashi Creator Of Anime And Trading Card Game 'Yu-Gi-Oh' Passes Away At Age 60
Kazuki Takahashi, the creator behind the worldwide phenomenon of Yu-Gi-Oh, has passed away tragically at the age of 60. His body, according to a report from NHK via The Japan Times, was found off the shore of Okinawa wearing snorkeling gear. No official cause of death has been reported.
Kazuki Takahashi, real name Kazuo Takahashi, began his career as a manga artist in 1982. His first published work was Tokio no taka, published in 1990. The artist did not find success, however, until he created Yu-Gi-Oh in 1996. The manga follows the story of a young boy named Yugi Muto who loves all sorts of games. He lives with his grandfather, Sugoroku Muto (Solomon Muto in the English anime), who runs a game shop. Yugi solves an ancient puzzle, known as the Millennium Puzzle, and he becomes possessed by the spirit of an ancient pharaoh. This spirit comes out during times of trouble and challenges his opponents to a deadly game known as a Shadow Game, where the loser will face serious consequences. Though initially focusing on various types of games, the series was soon dominated by a card game called “Magic and Wizards” (or Duel Monsters in the anime adaptation). The manga was adapted into two anime television series, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Yu-Gi-Oh: Duel Monsters, the latter being the more successful and the one that was brought over to the west by 4kids Entertainment. Furthermore, the card game featured in the franchise spawned a real-life trading card game that has gone on to be wildly successful, being featured in tournaments around the world. The anime would spawn several spin-offs, with the latest being Yu-Gi-Oh Sevens.
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Several people involved with the franchise paid tribute to the legendary manga artist. Eric Stuart, the English voice actor for Seto Kaiba, recounted a story on his Facebook page about the time he and the English voice actor for Yugi Muto Dan Green got the chance to meet Takahashi at a convention. He stated that during a live duel, he and Green were told that “Sensei” (the term he uses to refer to Takahashi) wanted to meet them. Stuart and Green were told to play it by ear and follow the artist's lead, but after they got the normal photos out of the way, he asked Takahashi if he wanted to do “an Anime pose” like he and Green did with the fans. The translator, wide-eyed, whispered this to him, and he responded “YES!”
Other voice actors from the English version of the series paid their respects, with the English voice of Mai Valentine Erica Schroeder posting on Facebook that she was “deeply saddened by the tragic loss” of the Yu-Gi-Oh creator, continuing by stating that “his creation brought together millions of people.” Veronica Taylor, who in addition to being the original English voice actress for Pokémon's Ash Ketchum voiced several characters in the Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, posted this tribute on Twitter:
“This is stunningly sad news. The talents and influence of Kazuki Takahashi have played a monumental part in our lives for so long. His legacy will live on as we all deal with this incredible loss. My sincere sympathies to his family and the many lucky enough to work with him.”
Even LittleKuriboh, the man behind Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series, took to Twitter to pay his respects, stating that the franchise “brought so many of the people” in his life together and that he “didn't feel alone anymore” when he found it. The world lost an amazing artist whose work has and continues to touch the lives of everyone. May he rest in peace.
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