Manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, creator of Ashita no Joe, dies

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 12:08 · Archive

Tetsuya Chiba, creator of the influential boxing manga Ashita no Joe, has died aged 87.

Tetsuya Chiba, the manga artist behind the boxing series Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow, has died aged 87. His publisher Kodansha Ltd. said Tuesday that Chiba died at a Tokyo hospital last Thursday. No cause of death was given.

Chiba's series, which focuses on an orphan becoming a professional boxer, became a national sensation in Japan in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The work became so popular that fans attended a mock funeral for the protagonist Joe Yabuki's rival. Chiba was born in Tokyo in January 1939 and was the first manga artist to receive the Order of Culture, one of Japan's highest cultural honours.

Chiba drew on his harrowing childhood memories for his work. After his birth, his family moved to northeastern China, where he spent his early childhood under Japan's occupation. The family fled to the Chinese port city of Huludao and returned to Japan in 1946. He began working as a manga artist in 1956, initially drawing comic books for girls before moving to boys' works in the early 1960s. His debut in a boys' comic magazine in 1961 with a baseball manga paved the way for a new genre of sports-themed manga in Japan.

How it is being reported

• Legendary Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba creator of 'Ashita no Joe' dies at 87Tetsuya Chiba was a highly influential figure in Japanese manga who drew on his harrowing childhood memories for his workIndependent World · 27 Oct, 11:50
• Manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, creator of ‘Ashita no Joe,’ dies at 87Born in Tokyo in 1939, Chiba was the first manga artist to receive the Order of Culture, one of Japan's highest cultural honors.The Japan Times · 27 Oct, 04:02

In this story: Tetsuya Chiba · Kodansha Ltd. · Tokyo · China · Japan

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem