Kazuo Koike facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kazuo Koike小池 一夫 |
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Koike at New York Comic Con, 2013
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| Born | May 8, 1936 Daisen, Akita, Japan |
| Died | April 17, 2019 (aged 82) |
| Area(s) | Writer |
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Notable works
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Lone Wolf and Cub Lady Snowblood Crying Freeman |
| Awards | Hall of Fame Eisner Award (2004) |
Kazuo Koike (小池 一夫, Koike Kazuo, May 8, 1936 – April 17, 2019) was a very famous Japanese writer. He wrote many manga comics, novels, and movie scripts. He was known for his exciting and sometimes violent manga stories. These stories often influenced Japanese culture around the world. Some of his most famous works include Lone Wolf and Cub, Lady Snowblood, and Crying Freeman.
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Koike's Career in Manga
Early in his career, Koike learned from Takao Saito. Saito is the creator of the popular manga series Golgo 13. Koike even worked as a writer for that series.
The "Golden Duo"
Kazuo Koike teamed up with artist Goseki Kojima. Together, they created the manga Kozure Okami, also known as Lone Wolf and Cub. This manga became very successful. Koike also helped write the scripts for the movies based on the series in the 1970s. These movies starred the famous Japanese actor Tomisaburo Wakayama. Later, in 1992, Koike himself produced a Lone Wolf and Cub movie called Lone Wolf and Cub: Final Conflict. Because of their great success with Lone Wolf and Cub, Koike and Kojima were called the "Golden Duo."
Other Popular Works
Another well-known series written by Koike is Crying Freeman. This manga was drawn by Ryoichi Ikegami. It was even made into a live-action movie in 1995 by French director Christophe Gans.
Besides his action-packed manga, Koike also wrote about other topics. He loved golf, so he wrote manga about golf. He was also a professional mahjong player, so he wrote manga about mahjong too!
In the early 2000s, Koike even wrote a story for Marvel Comics about the superhero Wolverine. In 2011, he announced plans to write a magical girl manga series. It was going to be called Maho Shojo Mimitsuki Mimi no QED.
Teaching Manga Artists
Koike also started a special college course called Gekiga Sonjuku. This course was created to teach people how to become manga artists. Many successful artists learned from him.
His Passing
Kazuo Koike passed away on April 17, 2019, at the age of 82. He died from pneumonia. His death happened just five days after another famous manga author, Monkey Punch, also died from pneumonia. Koike saw Monkey Punch as his friendly rival in the Weekly Manga Action magazine.
Artists Who Studied with Koike
Many talented people learned from Kazuo Koike at his Gekiga Sonjuku course. Here are some of them:
- Rumiko Takahashi – A famous manga artist known for Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, and InuYasha.
- Akira Sakuma – A game designer and writer, famous for the Momotaro Densetsu series.
- Hideyuki Kikuchi – A horror writer, known for Vampire Hunter D.
- Tetsuo Hara – A manga artist who created Fist of the North Star.
- Yuji Horii – A game designer and writer, known for the Dragon Quest series.
- Keisuke Itagaki – A manga artist who created Baki the Grappler.
- Naoki Yamamoto – A manga artist known for Dance till Tomorrow.
- Takayuki Yamaguchi – A manga artist known for Apocalypse Zero and Shigurui.
Awards and Recognition
- 2004: Kazuo Koike was honored with the Hall of Fame Eisner Award. This is a very important award in the comics world.
See also
In Spanish: Kazuo Koike para niños
