Kazuki Takahashi, the Japanese artist has died, aged 60.
Takahashi was discovered floating in shallow waters off the coast of Nago City, Okinawa Island by the Japan Coast Guard on Wednesday morning, June 6
He was wearing snorkeling equipment when found. Police and the Coast Guard are currently investigating the circumstances around Takahashi’s death
Originally from Tokyo, Takahashi became a star among manga artists thanks to Yu-Gi-Oh!, his first serialized work
The series was first published in 1996 and ran until 2004. Following the story’s success in print, Yu-Gi-Oh! became a multimedia franchise
Following the story’s success in print, Yu-Gi-Oh! became a multimedia franchise, with a hit anime series, numerous video games
Takahashi remained a key part of the series throughout his life, having most recently written the original story for the Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions anime film, released in 2017
The physical card game even has a Guinness World Record for the “trading card game with the highest number of sales in the world