Koyoharu Gotouge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Koyoharu Gotouge吾峠 呼世晴 |
|
|---|---|
| Born | May 5, 1989 Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Area(s) | Manga artist |
|
Notable works
|
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba |
| Awards |
|
| Signature | |
 |
|
Koyoharu Gotouge (born May 5, 1989) is a famous Japanese manga artist. A manga artist is someone who draws Japanese comics. Gotouge is best known for creating the super popular manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. This series was published from 2016 to 2020.
By early 2021, over 150 million copies of Demon Slayer were sold. This includes both physical and digital copies. This huge success makes it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Gotouge was even named one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People." This was a big deal because they were the first manga artist to get this honor.
Contents
Early Life and Secret Identity
Koyoharu Gotouge was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on May 5, 1989. The artist uses a special name called a pen name. This means they use a different name for their work. They do this to keep their real identity private.
Amazing Career Journey
In 2013, Gotouge started their career with a short comic story called a "one-shot." This first story was named Kagarigari (過狩り狩り). After that, three more one-shots followed. These were Monju Shirō Kyōdai (文殊史郎兄弟) in 2014, Rokkotsu-san (肋骨さん) also in 2014, and Haeniwa no Zigzag (蠅庭のジグザグ) in 2015. These were published in popular Japanese manga magazines.
After Haeniwa no Zigzag didn't become a full series, Gotouge's editor gave them an idea. He suggested making a series with a clear and easy-to-understand theme. Gotouge used their first one-shot, Kagarigari, as a starting point. This idea became the basis for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
The Demon Slayer series was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine. It ran from February 2016 to May 2020. It quickly became a massive hit! As mentioned, over 150 million copies were sold by February 2021. This made it one of the most successful manga series ever. In 2021, Gotouge shared that their next project might be a science fiction romantic comedy story.
Creative Inspirations
Gotouge has shared some of the artists and works that inspired them. These include:
- Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
- Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto
- Tite Kubo's Bleach
- Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama
These are all very famous manga series that might have influenced Gotouge's unique style.
Awards and Special Honors
Koyoharu Gotouge has received many important awards for their work. In 2020, they won the 2nd Noma Publishing Culture Award. This award celebrates people who help "reinvent publishing." Gotouge won because Demon Slayer's huge sales helped the entire publishing industry. In the same year, they also won an award for best story at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.
In February 2021, Gotouge was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People. This was a very special honor, as they were the first manga artist to be on this list. In March 2021, Gotouge won the Newcomer Award in fine arts from the Japanese Ministry of Education. In 2021, they also received a Special Prize at the 25th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. This award is named after a very famous manga artist. Finally, in 2021, Gotouge won the grand prize in the Comic division of the 50th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards.
List of Works
Here are some of Koyoharu Gotouge's published works:
- Kagarigari (過狩り狩り) (2013; a one-shot comic)
- Monju Shirō Kyōdai (文殊史郎兄弟) (2014; a one-shot published in Jump Next!)
- Rokkotsu-san (肋骨さん) (2014; a one-shot published in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- Haeniwa no Zigzag (蠅庭のジグザグ) (2015; a one-shot published in Weekly Shōnen Jump)
- Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (鬼滅の刃, Kimetsu no Yaiba) (2016–2020; this was a full series in Weekly Shōnen Jump. It was collected into 23 tankōbon volumes, which are like graphic novels.)
- Koyoharu Gotouge Before Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (吾峠呼世晴短編集, Gotōge Koyoharu Tanpenshū) (2019; this is a collection of Gotouge's four earlier one-shot stories.)
