Hiroyuki Takei

The unconventional author/artist Hiroyuki Takei began his career by winning the coveted Hop Step Award (for new manga artists) and the Osamu Tezuka Award (named after the famous artist). After working as an assistant to the renowned artist Nobuhiro Watsuki, Takei made his debut in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997 with Butsou Zone, an action series based on Buddhist mythology. His multicultural manga adventure Shaman King, which first appeared in 1998, became a hit and was adapted into an anime series. Takei cites Osamu Tezuka, American comics, and robot anime among his influences.