The recent death of legendary manga creator Akira Toriyama at the age of 68 on March 1, 2024 from an acute subdural hematoma has shed light on a worrying trend in the longevity of manga creators in Japan.
The 2020s have proven to be a particularly brutal decade for the manga industry. In 2021, Kentaro Miura, the creator of “Berserk,” passed away at the age of 54.
The following year, “Yu-Gi-Oh!” author Takahashi Kazuki passed away at the age of 60, and Terasawa Buichi, the author of the manga series “Cobra”, passed away at the age of 68. Now, in 2024, the manga world has lost another legend.
One thing that stands out among these mangaka deaths is that their average lifespan is significantly shorter than that of their fellow Japanese men.
A Japanese blog “Yaraon” compiled the birth and death dates of 219 mangakas, revealing that on average, they only lived to be 62.6 years old, compared to an average lifespan of 83 years for Japanese men.
Suite à la mort d’Akira Toriyama j’ai chercher à savoir si les mangakas mourraient réellement plus jeune que le Reste des japonais.
l’info n’est pas trouvable in français ni anglais, mais en cherchant bien je suis tomber par Chance sur un blog japonais qui faisais une liste. pic.twitter.com/JF0uDYrwh7— Niho Ame – Sang noir 1 dispo (@niho_ame) March 10, 2024
It’s important to note that this list only includes mangakas who died of natural causes, excluding those who passed away due to accidents.
One of the main factors leading to the premature death of mangakas is the stressful workload they endure. For example, Eiichiro Oda, one of the most famous mangakas and the creator of “One Piece”, only sleeps 3 to 4 hours a day. Even though Oda takes a full day off every week to catch up on sleep, this grueling schedule is still not ideal.
Other famous mangakas have also faced health problems due to their demanding jobs. “My Hero AcadeKaren” author Kohei Horikoshi has taken several breaks to deal with health issues, while “Hunter x Hunter” author Yoshihiro Togashi had to take a long break from drawing and writing manga due to have severe back pain.
The industry’s stressful work culture, coupled with the immense pressure to meet deadlines and maintain high-quality products, has taken a significant toll on the health and well-being of its creators. , shortening their average lifespan to 20 years.
As fans, it’s important to recognize the sacrifices these artists have made to bring us the stories we love as well as advocate for better working conditions and support welfare for them.
Source: Yaraon