Masami Kurumada
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese manga artist
and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen
and/or mahō shōnen. He is famous as the creator/author of popular manga, such as Ring ni Kakero
, Fūma no Kojirō
, Saint Seiya
and B't X
. His male protagonists are a reflection of the classical and modern society's archetype of the true men. The male characters in his works often display very masculine qualities and traits, and pursue to achieve courage and manhood perfection through sacrifice, selflessness and true heroism. He has won the best success award with Saint Seiya
and the best inspiration award with Ring ni Kakero
.
, which brought him recognition as a popular manga author, and lasted five years, and he considers it his favorite creation. A practicer of the martial arts in his younger days, the influence this has exerted on his various works is worthy of mention.
Also, in the same manner as many manga artists today, Kurumada employs the revered Osamu Tezuka's Star System
manga technique, which is essentially resorting to the use of a stable cast of characters in his various works (characters keep the same appearance and personality, but sometimes the author gives them new personalities and different roles than in previous works). Because of this, the main characters of his works most of the time bear a resemblance to Takane Ryūji, the protagonist of Ring ni Kakero
. The main characters of his subsequent works have almost the same appearance and personality of Ryūji, specifically Jingi Kikukawa (Otoko Zaka), Kojirō (Fūma no Kojirō), Seiya (Saint Seiya), Teppei Takamiya (B't X), Shō (Silent Knight Shō), Aoi Tendō (Aoi Tori no Shinwa), Rindō Kenzaki (Ring ni Kakero 2), among others. Besides Kurumada, other renowned manga artists that resort to the master Tezuka's technique include legendary authors Leiji Matsumoto
, Monkey Punch
and Shōtarō Ishinomori, and lesser authors such as Clamp
. Clamp was heavily influenced by Kurumada's works, and they began their career as manga authors creating doujinshi based on Kurumada's characters. It is also known that anime adaptations aren't much to his liking, he prefers manga. He agreed that his works Fūma no Kojirō, Saint Seiya, Ring ni Kakero and B't X were adapted to anime, to follow the long-time tradition of popular manga having an animated adaptation.
His drawing style is very classic, reminiscent from the manga/anime aesthetics more predominant in the 1960s and 1970s, albeit a constant flaw in his art is an inconsistent trace and proportion unbalance. He often draws his characters as if seen from a low perspective. His drawings can sometimes seem rough, but the improvement in his artistic technique is evident when comparing older works to more recent ones. The detail in his drawings is painstakingly and beautifully executed, and his designs for his characters' attire in some of his works, is elaborate, rich and elegant. His coloring style is almost exclusively realistic, unlike the vast majority of manga artists, who often resort to the use of non-natural colors for the hair or eyes of their characters, although with the publication of Saint Seiya Next Dimension volumes totally in color, the addition of new characters with non-natural hair colors occurs often. His stories are moving and inspiring, though they tend to suffer from plotholes and understimation of critical details, which lead to a loss of plot coherence to a degree and discontinuity tends to creep into his storylines.
Certain graphics elements characteristic of his style can be found all over his works, mostly during fight sequences, having become widely known. Fans have created terms to refer to them such as , meaning "Kurumada Fall", which designates the typical head-first falling characters, and , meaning "Kurumada Launch", which refers to characters that are projected high into the air by opponents, to name a few.
A recurrent theme in his works is friendship, courage and sacrifice. Masculine virtue and qualities, honesty and honor are also traits often found in his characters. Female characters in his works mostly play a much lesser role, but several ones with key roles can also be found, such as Rei Kojinyama (Sukeban Arashi), Kiku Takane (Ring ni Kakero) and Saori Kido (Saint Seiya).
Kurumada has stated in interviews that he obtains some creative influence from yesterday's authors considered masters of the manga medium today, such as Hiroshi Motomiya, Sanpei Shirato
and Mitsuteru Yokoyama
. He specially considers that Motomiya's works had a very strong impact and influence on him.
Kurumada also draws inspiration from universal knowledge and folklore, such as Greek mythology, Japanese and Chinese mythology, Buddhist and Hinduist doctrine, Trascendental philosophies, and classic works of literature, such as Dante Alighieri
's The Divine Comedy
, and Outlaws of the Marsh, to name a few.
His interest in boxing, wrestling and martial arts is well known, and he maintains close relations with renowned personalities of those circles. As he states in his website, he likes to drink with friends and to practice photography while jogging.
Unfortunately, during his career, several of his works have suffered from a decrease of popularity that led them to be cancelled by his publisher, and some have failed to capture an audience. Among his works that have been cancelled due to failing to attract fans: Otoko Zaka, Silent Knight Shō and Aoi Tori no Shinwa. His works that suffered popularity decrease: B't X (which he successfully concluded without facing cancellation), and Saint Seiya. In Saint Seiyas case, Kurumada was forced by Shueisha
, his publisher, to finish the manga after the Hades Arc, in 1991. He put his manga in hiatus after he finished the mentioned arc, and resumed it in 2006 with Saint Seiya Next Dimension. The popularity decrease of his manga Saint Seiya affected its anime adaptation as well, the anime back in 1989, was in pre-production of the episodes that would adapt the Hades arc of the manga. Because of low popularity, the project was suspended and remained so until 2003, when it was resumed and the Hades arc of the manga finally was adapted to animation. The episodes that adapted the two final volumes of the manga were aired in between May and August 2008, finally leaving Kurumada's manga completely adapted to anime.
In 2004, Kurumada celebrated 30 years as a professional manga artist, and that same year two of his older and best known works experienced a resurfacing. The original Ring ni Kakero
was adapted to anime, 27 years after its manga debut, and as mentioned before, the Saint Seiya
anime adaptation was resumed in 2003 and an attempt to start the Zeus Chapter was made with the release of the Saint Seiya Tenkai-Hen Josō ~Overture~ movie in 2004, which was planned to continue the story with the subsequent release of OVAs, but due to discrepancies between Kurumada and Toei Animation, the project failed and was abandoned, although Kurumada still plans to publish the Zeus Chapter, written and drawn by him, in manga form; in the near future.
Kurumada's works have had influence on manga authors and related media. Worthy of mention is Yudetamago
's Kinnikuman
, Hiroshi Kawamoto's Tenkū Senki Shurato
, Clamp
's Magic Knight Rayearth
, Kōichi Tokita
's Mobile Fighter G Gundam
, Hajime Yatate
and Ryuichi Hoshino's Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Yoshihiro Togashi
's YuYu Hakusho
, videogames such as the World Heroes
series and The King of Fighters series, among others. References to his works by other authors can be found in the mentioned videogames and in popular manga, such as Kōsuke Fujishima
's Aa! Megami-sama, Kenjirō Hata
's Hayate no Gotoku, Chika Umino's Honey & Clover, Tite Kubo
's BLEACH
, and their respective anime adaptations, among others.
French director Louis Leterrier
has cited Kurumada and his manga Saint Seiya having a great impact on him since his youth. In 2010, Masami Kurumada was contacted by Warner Brothers to collaborate in a project for Leterrier's mythologically themed motion picture Clash of the Titans
, remake of the original 1981 film. Kurumada authored promotional illustrations depicting pivotal scenes from the film.
His fans are usually referred to as "Masamists".
-Books:
-Anime Adaptations of his works:
-Anime Movie adaptations of his works:
Live-Action adaptations of his works:
Out of all of them, Saint Seiya is his most famous work in the western world but not in Japan, its popularity there is surpassed by that of Ring ni Kakero (1 and 2), which is the longest of Kurumada's works, at 51 collected volumes. Saint Seiya, is collected in 28 volumes to date, and has been resumed by Kurumada with Saint Seiya Next Dimension, the continuation to his original manga, ending the hiatus the work remained in since 1991, and add four more volumes to the original Saint Seiya manga. the third longest is B't X, collected in 16. As stated before, Anime adaptations have been made for Saint Seiya, Fūma no Kojirō, B't X, and Ring ni Kakero, all closely follow his source manga works. Saint Seiya videogames have been released for old consoles such as Famicom/NES
, Gameboy and more recently for PlayStation 2
. Recently, Ring ni Kakero has also been the theme for Pachinko
game machines, as well as Saint Seiya, on which a recently released pachinko machine is based.
Currently, he is working on Saint Seiya Next Dimension (a prequel and continuation to his classic manga series in which Hades recalls his fight with the previous Pegasus Saint in the 18th century). It was revealed by Kurumada and Akita Shōten that Next Dimension holds a canonical status in the universe of Saint Seiya, and it is also its legitimate continuation. He recently finished Ring ni Kakero 2, in 2009, after a successful run of 9 years. A live-action series of Fūma no Kojirō was released on Japanese TV. He recently started working on a new manga series Raimei-ni Kike.
He also has authorized two manga authors to write and draw sidestories for his manga Saint Seiya, specifically Saint Seiya Episode G
, written and drawn by Megumu Okada, and Saint Seiya Lost Canvas, written and drawn by Shiori Teshirogi. Since these two works aren't authored by Kurumada, but only authorized and supervised by him, the events depicted in them and the characters created for them are still considered non-canonical, unlike Next Dimension which holds an official canonical status.
Kurumada had most of his works published by Shueisha
, in the prestigious Shūkan Shōnen Jump
manga magazine. After Kyōfu Taiken, he began publishing his works with Kadokawa Shoten
, in their magazine Gekkan Shōnen Ace
. In 1995 he resumed his relations with Shueisha and began publishing with them again, and his latest works and the current ones have been published by that company to date, excluding Saint Seiya Lost Canvas, published by Akita Shoten
in the Weekly Shōnen Champion
manga magazine, Saint Seiya Next Dimension, published in the Shōnen Ace
manga magazine and Raimei-ni Kike, published by Akita Shoten
in the Champion Red manga magazine.
The following songs are included
Though, after the CD was released Kurumada wrote the lyrics to the intro and ending song of the credits sequence of the 'Inferno' stage of the Hades arc of the Saint Seiya anime adaptation (Episodes 128 to 145).
Also, he wrote the lyrics to the ending theme of the second season of the Ring ni Kakero 1 anime adaptation, in 2006:
For the final episodes that completed the adaptation of the Hades arc of his Saint Seiya manga to anime, a new song for the credits roll was composed with Kurumada authoring the lyrics. The episodes aired in mid 2008
Also, Kurumada had a short role as a voice actor in the anime adaptation of his manga Ring ni Kakero
. He appeared in the first episode, as himself and as the Jitsuroku! Shinwakai protagonist, who shares his name, and he provided his voice to both.
Continuing his contributions as lyricist, Kurumada wrote the lyrics to the ending theme of the first and second season of the Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas anime:
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
and writer, known for specializing in fighting manga featuring bishōnen
Bishonen
is a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
and/or mahō shōnen. He is famous as the creator/author of popular manga, such as Ring ni Kakero
Ring ni Kakero
, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
, Fūma no Kojirō
Fuma no Kojiro
is a manga series by Japanese author Masami Kurumada, later adapted to anime. It tells the story of sword legends and rivalry between ninja clans. The main character Kojirō is a young boy who is a member of the Fūma clan...
, Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
and B't X
B't X
, pronounced "beat X", is a science fiction mecha manga series, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It ran for 16 volumes in manga and was later adapted to anime with 25 episodes, then concluded with a 14 episode OVA . The manga was released in America by Tokyopop. The anime was released in...
. His male protagonists are a reflection of the classical and modern society's archetype of the true men. The male characters in his works often display very masculine qualities and traits, and pursue to achieve courage and manhood perfection through sacrifice, selflessness and true heroism. He has won the best success award with Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
and the best inspiration award with Ring ni Kakero
Ring ni Kakero
, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
.
Profile
Kurumada's first work was Otoko Raku, which earned him an award in a manga contest for aspiring manga artist, and became assistant to professional manga artists. Some time later, he debuted as a professional manga artist in 1974 with his manga Sukeban Arashi, and achieved his first hit three years later when he started writing and drawing Ring ni KakeroRing ni Kakero
, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
, which brought him recognition as a popular manga author, and lasted five years, and he considers it his favorite creation. A practicer of the martial arts in his younger days, the influence this has exerted on his various works is worthy of mention.
Also, in the same manner as many manga artists today, Kurumada employs the revered Osamu Tezuka's Star System
Osamu Tezuka's Star System
Over the course of his career, Osamu Tezuka reused the same characters in different roles in different stories. The way that Tezuka used the characters in his "star system" can be seen as somewhat analoguous to a film director frequently casting members of a regular "stable" of actors in different...
manga technique, which is essentially resorting to the use of a stable cast of characters in his various works (characters keep the same appearance and personality, but sometimes the author gives them new personalities and different roles than in previous works). Because of this, the main characters of his works most of the time bear a resemblance to Takane Ryūji, the protagonist of Ring ni Kakero
Ring ni Kakero
, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
. The main characters of his subsequent works have almost the same appearance and personality of Ryūji, specifically Jingi Kikukawa (Otoko Zaka), Kojirō (Fūma no Kojirō), Seiya (Saint Seiya), Teppei Takamiya (B't X), Shō (Silent Knight Shō), Aoi Tendō (Aoi Tori no Shinwa), Rindō Kenzaki (Ring ni Kakero 2), among others. Besides Kurumada, other renowned manga artists that resort to the master Tezuka's technique include legendary authors Leiji Matsumoto
Leiji Matsumoto
is a well-known creator of several anime and manga series. His wife is also known as a manga artist.-Space opera:Matsumoto is famous for his space operas such as Space Battleship Yamato...
, Monkey Punch
Monkey Punch
Monkey Punch is the pen name of Japanese manga artist Kazuhiko Katō , creator of the successful Japanese manga series Lupin III...
and Shōtarō Ishinomori, and lesser authors such as Clamp
Clamp (manga artists)
, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,...
. Clamp was heavily influenced by Kurumada's works, and they began their career as manga authors creating doujinshi based on Kurumada's characters. It is also known that anime adaptations aren't much to his liking, he prefers manga. He agreed that his works Fūma no Kojirō, Saint Seiya, Ring ni Kakero and B't X were adapted to anime, to follow the long-time tradition of popular manga having an animated adaptation.
His drawing style is very classic, reminiscent from the manga/anime aesthetics more predominant in the 1960s and 1970s, albeit a constant flaw in his art is an inconsistent trace and proportion unbalance. He often draws his characters as if seen from a low perspective. His drawings can sometimes seem rough, but the improvement in his artistic technique is evident when comparing older works to more recent ones. The detail in his drawings is painstakingly and beautifully executed, and his designs for his characters' attire in some of his works, is elaborate, rich and elegant. His coloring style is almost exclusively realistic, unlike the vast majority of manga artists, who often resort to the use of non-natural colors for the hair or eyes of their characters, although with the publication of Saint Seiya Next Dimension volumes totally in color, the addition of new characters with non-natural hair colors occurs often. His stories are moving and inspiring, though they tend to suffer from plotholes and understimation of critical details, which lead to a loss of plot coherence to a degree and discontinuity tends to creep into his storylines.
Certain graphics elements characteristic of his style can be found all over his works, mostly during fight sequences, having become widely known. Fans have created terms to refer to them such as , meaning "Kurumada Fall", which designates the typical head-first falling characters, and , meaning "Kurumada Launch", which refers to characters that are projected high into the air by opponents, to name a few.
A recurrent theme in his works is friendship, courage and sacrifice. Masculine virtue and qualities, honesty and honor are also traits often found in his characters. Female characters in his works mostly play a much lesser role, but several ones with key roles can also be found, such as Rei Kojinyama (Sukeban Arashi), Kiku Takane (Ring ni Kakero) and Saori Kido (Saint Seiya).
Kurumada has stated in interviews that he obtains some creative influence from yesterday's authors considered masters of the manga medium today, such as Hiroshi Motomiya, Sanpei Shirato
Sanpei Shirato
, known by the pen name , is a Japanese manga artist and essayist known for his social criticism as well as his realistic drawing style and the characters in his scenarios. He is considered a pioneer of gekiga. The son of the Japanese proletarian painter Toki Okamoto, his dream to become an artist...
and Mitsuteru Yokoyama
Mitsuteru Yokoyama
was a Japanese manga artist born in Suma-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo. His personal name was originally spelled , with the same pronunciation. His works include Tetsujin 28-go, Giant Robo, Akakage, Babel II, Sally, the Witch, Princess Comet, and adaptations of the Chinese classics Outlaws of the Marsh and...
. He specially considers that Motomiya's works had a very strong impact and influence on him.
Kurumada also draws inspiration from universal knowledge and folklore, such as Greek mythology, Japanese and Chinese mythology, Buddhist and Hinduist doctrine, Trascendental philosophies, and classic works of literature, such as Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
's The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy
The Divine Comedy is an epic poem written by Dante Alighieri between 1308 and his death in 1321. It is widely considered the preeminent work of Italian literature, and is seen as one of the greatest works of world literature...
, and Outlaws of the Marsh, to name a few.
His interest in boxing, wrestling and martial arts is well known, and he maintains close relations with renowned personalities of those circles. As he states in his website, he likes to drink with friends and to practice photography while jogging.
Unfortunately, during his career, several of his works have suffered from a decrease of popularity that led them to be cancelled by his publisher, and some have failed to capture an audience. Among his works that have been cancelled due to failing to attract fans: Otoko Zaka, Silent Knight Shō and Aoi Tori no Shinwa. His works that suffered popularity decrease: B't X (which he successfully concluded without facing cancellation), and Saint Seiya. In Saint Seiyas case, Kurumada was forced by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
, his publisher, to finish the manga after the Hades Arc, in 1991. He put his manga in hiatus after he finished the mentioned arc, and resumed it in 2006 with Saint Seiya Next Dimension. The popularity decrease of his manga Saint Seiya affected its anime adaptation as well, the anime back in 1989, was in pre-production of the episodes that would adapt the Hades arc of the manga. Because of low popularity, the project was suspended and remained so until 2003, when it was resumed and the Hades arc of the manga finally was adapted to animation. The episodes that adapted the two final volumes of the manga were aired in between May and August 2008, finally leaving Kurumada's manga completely adapted to anime.
In 2004, Kurumada celebrated 30 years as a professional manga artist, and that same year two of his older and best known works experienced a resurfacing. The original Ring ni Kakero
Ring ni Kakero
, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
was adapted to anime, 27 years after its manga debut, and as mentioned before, the Saint Seiya
Saint Seiya
, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
anime adaptation was resumed in 2003 and an attempt to start the Zeus Chapter was made with the release of the Saint Seiya Tenkai-Hen Josō ~Overture~ movie in 2004, which was planned to continue the story with the subsequent release of OVAs, but due to discrepancies between Kurumada and Toei Animation, the project failed and was abandoned, although Kurumada still plans to publish the Zeus Chapter, written and drawn by him, in manga form; in the near future.
Kurumada's works have had influence on manga authors and related media. Worthy of mention is Yudetamago
Yudetamago
is the pen name of the Japanese manga artists duo consisting of story writer Takashi Shimada and artist Yoshinori Nakai. They are best known for the popular manga Kinnikuman, Ultimate Muscle , and Tatakae!! Ramenman...
's Kinnikuman
Kinnikuman
is a manga created by the duo of Yudetamago , which is composed of Yoshinori Nakai and Takashi Shimada. The manga was published in Shueisha's Weekly Jump, and received the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga in 1985...
, Hiroshi Kawamoto's Tenkū Senki Shurato
Legend of Heavenly Sphere Shurato
, is a Japanese manga created, written and illustrated by Hiroshi Kawamoto and later adapted to anime by Tatsunoko Production. It ran 38 episodes on TV Tokyo from April 6, 1989 to January 18, 1990 and also spawned a 6-episode OVA series named , that ran from August 16, 1991 to March 16, 1992...
, Clamp
Clamp (manga artists)
, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,...
's Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth
is a Japanese manga series created by Clamp, a manga artist team made up by Satsuki Igarashi, Ageha Ohkawa, Tsubaki Nekoi and Mokona. Rayearth combines elements from the magical girl and mecha anime genres with parallel world fantasy....
, Kōichi Tokita
Koichi Tokita
is a Japanese manga artist that is best known for his Gundam manga. Most of his works deal with the alternate universe Gundam series such as Mobile Fighter G Gundam, and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing....
's Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Mobile Fighter G Gundam
Mobile Fighter G Gundam, known in Japan as , is a Japanese animated television series directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa . Created to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the franchise in 1994, it is the first of the Gundam series to be set in an alternate continuity from the original "Universal Century"...
, Hajime Yatate
Hajime Yatate
is a pseudonym for the collective contributions of the Sunrise animation staff.-Name:"Hajime Yatate" is considered named after a quote of Matsuo Bashō's Oku no Hosomichi:-Credited series:...
and Ryuichi Hoshino's Yoroiden Samurai Troopers, Yoshihiro Togashi
Yoshihiro Togashi
is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age; while he attended college, the publisher Shueisha recognized his talent. Togashi has authored numerous manga series in different genres during the past three decades...
's YuYu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Togashi. The name of the series is spelled YuYu Hakusho in the Viz Media manga and Yu Yu Hakusho in other English distributions of the franchise. The series tells the story of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is struck and...
, videogames such as the World Heroes
World Heroes
is a series of fighting games created by ADK originally created for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinets with the assistance of SNK, though some of the games in the series were also ported to the Neo Geo AES and Neo-Geo CD platforms, as well as some non-SNK platforms such as the Super NES and the Sega...
series and The King of Fighters series, among others. References to his works by other authors can be found in the mentioned videogames and in popular manga, such as Kōsuke Fujishima
Kosuke Fujishima
is a Japanese manga artist.Born in Chiba, Japan, he first came to public attention as an editor of Puff magazine, his first job after completing high school. Fujishima originally intended to be a draftsman, but took the editorial role after failing to get a drafting apprenticeship...
's Aa! Megami-sama, Kenjirō Hata
Kenjiro Hata
is a Japanese manga author. He is notable for the creation of the series Hayate the Combat Butler. He likes to collect anime related items, such as figurines. He was once an assistant of Kōji Kumeta.- Works :* Hayate the Combat Butler...
's Hayate no Gotoku, Chika Umino's Honey & Clover, Tite Kubo
Tite Kubo
, known by his pen name , is a Japanese manga artist. His most significant work is the manga series Bleach.-Biography:Kubo was the son of a town council member in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima. He never took drawing seriously until he was 17, and after reading the manga Saint Seiya which...
's BLEACH
Bleach (manga)
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
, and their respective anime adaptations, among others.
French director Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier
Louis Leterrier is a French film director whose notable films include the first two Transporter movies, Unleashed , The Incredible Hulk , and Clash of the Titans .-Life and career:...
has cited Kurumada and his manga Saint Seiya having a great impact on him since his youth. In 2010, Masami Kurumada was contacted by Warner Brothers to collaborate in a project for Leterrier's mythologically themed motion picture Clash of the Titans
Clash of the Titans (2010 film)
Clash of the Titans is a 2010 fantasy and action remake of the 1981 film of the same name . The story is very loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus. Directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Sam Worthington, the film was originally set for standard release on March 26, 2010...
, remake of the original 1981 film. Kurumada authored promotional illustrations depicting pivotal scenes from the film.
His fans are usually referred to as "Masamists".
Works
-His manga works listed chronologically and their duration :- Otoko Raku (Simple Man, 1974)
- Sukeban Arashi (DelinquentSukebanmeans delinquent girl or boss girl in Japanese, equivalent to the male banchō. A dictionary of says that sukeban only refers to the leader of a girl gang, not any member of the girl gang.-Characteristics:...
Storm, 1974–1975) - Mikereko Rock (1975, short story)
- Ring ni KakeroRing ni Kakero, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
(Put it all in the Ring, 1977–1983) - Mabudachi Jingi (True friend Jingi, 1979, short story)
- Shiro Obi Taishō (White-Belt General, 1979, short story)
- Jitsuroku! Shinwakai (Authentic gathering of gods, 1979–1981)
- Fūma no KojirōFuma no Kojirois a manga series by Japanese author Masami Kurumada, later adapted to anime. It tells the story of sword legends and rivalry between ninja clans. The main character Kojirō is a young boy who is a member of the Fūma clan...
(Kojirō of the Wind Spirits Clan, 1982–1983) - Saigo! Jitsuroku Shinwakai (Final Authentic Gathering of gods, 1983)
- Raimei no Zaji (Lightning Zaji, 1983, short story)
- Otoko Zaka (Man's Hill, 1984, cancelled unfinished)
- Saint SeiyaSaint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
(1986–1991, 2006-ongoing - unconcluded, resumed by Kurumada with Saint Seiya Next Dimension) - Aoi tori no Shinwa: 〜Blue Myth〜 (The myth of the Blue Bird, 1991-1992)
- Silent Knight ShōSilent Knight Shois a manga written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It was published in 1992 after Kurumada finished his popular manga series Saint Seiya.-Plot summary:...
(1992, on hiatus) - Kyōfu Taiken (Dreadful Experience, 1993)
- B't XB't X, pronounced "beat X", is a science fiction mecha manga series, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It ran for 16 volumes in manga and was later adapted to anime with 25 episodes, then concluded with a 14 episode OVA . The manga was released in America by Tokyopop. The anime was released in...
(1994–2000) - Akaneiro no kaze (Crimson Wind, 1995)
- Shin Samurai Shodown (True Samurai Shodown, 1995, manga adaptation of SNK's videogame)
- Evil Crusher Maya (1996)
- Ring ni Kakero 2 (Put it all in the Ring 2, 2000–2009)
- Fūma no Kojirō : Ryūsei Ansatsuchō (2003)
- Saint Seiya: Next DimensionSaint Seiya: Next Dimension, also known as simply Next Dimension, is an ongoing manga written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It is a prequel and continuation to his manga series Saint Seiya; placed during the previous "Holy War" between the deities Hades and Athena and their respective minions; the Specters and the...
(2006–present) - Saint Seiya Episode GSaint Seiya Episode Gis an ongoing shōnen manga written and illustrated by Megumu Okada. A side-story and a derivative work of Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya, it first started being serialized in the monthly magazine Champion Red on January 19, 2003 and was later compiled into volumes by Akita Shoten, with the first...
(2002–present, commissioned by Kurumada to Megumu Okada) - Saint Seiya Lost Canvas (2006–2011, commissioned by Kurumada to Shiori Teshirogi)
- Raimei-ni Kike (Listen in the Lightning, 2006–present)
-Books:
- Burning Blood (1996, artbook)
- Saint Seiya Encyclopedia (2001, Artbook and character data collection)
- Saint Seiya Sora Kurumada Masami Illustrations (2004, Artbook and issues data collection)
- Saint Seiya : Gigantomachia (2002, a non-canonical sidestory novel co-written by Hamazaki Tatsuya and Kurumada, illustrated by Kurumada.)
-Anime Adaptations of his works:
- Saint SeiyaSaint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
(1986–2008, 145 episodes) - Fūma no Kojirō (1989–1990, released as 13 OVA episodes)
- B't XB't X, pronounced "beat X", is a science fiction mecha manga series, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It ran for 16 volumes in manga and was later adapted to anime with 25 episodes, then concluded with a 14 episode OVA . The manga was released in America by Tokyopop. The anime was released in...
(1996, 25 episodes) - B't NeoB't X, pronounced "beat X", is a science fiction mecha manga series, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It ran for 16 volumes in manga and was later adapted to anime with 25 episodes, then concluded with a 14 episode OVA . The manga was released in America by Tokyopop. The anime was released in...
(1997, complementary to B't X, 14 OVA episodes) - Ring ni Kakero 1: Carnival ChampionRing ni Kakero, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
(2004, 12 episodes) - Ring ni Kakero 1: Nichibei Kessen HenRing ni Kakero, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
(2006, complementary to Ring ni Kakero, 12 episodes) - Ring ni Kakero 1: Eidō HenRing ni Kakero, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
(2010, complementary to Ring ni Kakero, ongoing) - Saint Seiya: The Lost CanvasSaint Seiya: The Lost Canvas, also known as simply The Lost Canvas, is a manga by Japanese author Shiori Teshirogi, a spin-off based on the manga series Saint Seiya, which was created, written and illustrated by Japanese author Masami Kurumada...
(2009, animated adaptation of the spin-off work of the same name, 26 OVA episodes to date.)
-Anime Movie adaptations of his works:
- Saint Seiya : GekijōbanSaint Seiya: The Movie, retitled on its home video release, is the first in a series of anime films produced by Toei Animation based on the manga Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada...
(1987) - Saint Seiya : Kamigami no atsuki tatakaiSaint Seiya: The Heated Battle of the Godsis the second anime film by Toei Animation based on the Saint Seiya manga. It premiered on March 12, 1988 in the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival along with the movie versions of Lady Lady!!, Bikkuriman and Kamen Rider Black....
(1988) - Saint Seiya : Shinku no shōnen densetsuSaint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youthis the third anime film by Toei Animation based on the Saint Seiya manga. Unlike its predecessors, which premiered on the Toei Manga Matsuri film festivals, this installment was instead shown at the Weekly Jump 20th Anniversary Festival along with the animated movie version of Sakigake!!...
(1989) - Saint Seiya : Saishū seisen no senshitachi (1989)
- Saint Seiya : Tenkai-Hen Josō ~Overture~Saint Seiya Heaven Chapter: Overtureis a 2004 animated film adaptation of the anime and manga series Saint Seiya. Directed by Shigeyasu Yamauchi and written by Michiko Yokote and Akatsuki Yamatoya, the film was first released in Japanese theaters on February 14, 2004....
(2004) - Fūma no Kōjirō: Fūma Hanran-Hen (1992)
- Untitled Saint Seiya CGI motion picture (announced 2011)
Live-Action adaptations of his works:
- Fūma no Kojirō (TV tokusatsuTokusatsuis a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
dramaJapanese television drama, also called , are a staple of Japanese television and are broadcast daily. All major TV networks in Japan produce a variety of drama series including murder romance, comedy, detective stories, horror, and many others...
of 13 episodes for the Fūma VS Yasha arc)
- Saint Seiya Musical: A short-lived adaptation of the Sanctuary arc and the Poseidon arc from Kurumada's manga for the musical theatreMusical theatreMusical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, 1991.
- Saint Seiya - Super Musical: A live-action adaptation of the first Saint Seiya film for the musical theatre, 2011.
Out of all of them, Saint Seiya is his most famous work in the western world but not in Japan, its popularity there is surpassed by that of Ring ni Kakero (1 and 2), which is the longest of Kurumada's works, at 51 collected volumes. Saint Seiya, is collected in 28 volumes to date, and has been resumed by Kurumada with Saint Seiya Next Dimension, the continuation to his original manga, ending the hiatus the work remained in since 1991, and add four more volumes to the original Saint Seiya manga. the third longest is B't X, collected in 16. As stated before, Anime adaptations have been made for Saint Seiya, Fūma no Kojirō, B't X, and Ring ni Kakero, all closely follow his source manga works. Saint Seiya videogames have been released for old consoles such as Famicom/NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, Gameboy and more recently for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
. Recently, Ring ni Kakero has also been the theme for Pachinko
Pachinko
is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...
game machines, as well as Saint Seiya, on which a recently released pachinko machine is based.
Currently, he is working on Saint Seiya Next Dimension (a prequel and continuation to his classic manga series in which Hades recalls his fight with the previous Pegasus Saint in the 18th century). It was revealed by Kurumada and Akita Shōten that Next Dimension holds a canonical status in the universe of Saint Seiya, and it is also its legitimate continuation. He recently finished Ring ni Kakero 2, in 2009, after a successful run of 9 years. A live-action series of Fūma no Kojirō was released on Japanese TV. He recently started working on a new manga series Raimei-ni Kike.
He also has authorized two manga authors to write and draw sidestories for his manga Saint Seiya, specifically Saint Seiya Episode G
Saint Seiya Episode G
is an ongoing shōnen manga written and illustrated by Megumu Okada. A side-story and a derivative work of Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya, it first started being serialized in the monthly magazine Champion Red on January 19, 2003 and was later compiled into volumes by Akita Shoten, with the first...
, written and drawn by Megumu Okada, and Saint Seiya Lost Canvas, written and drawn by Shiori Teshirogi. Since these two works aren't authored by Kurumada, but only authorized and supervised by him, the events depicted in them and the characters created for them are still considered non-canonical, unlike Next Dimension which holds an official canonical status.
Kurumada had most of his works published by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
, in the prestigious Shūkan Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
manga magazine. After Kyōfu Taiken, he began publishing his works with Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
, in their magazine Gekkan Shōnen Ace
Shonen Ace
is a monthly shōnen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big shōnen weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, Ace is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular emphasis on anime tie-ins...
. In 1995 he resumed his relations with Shueisha and began publishing with them again, and his latest works and the current ones have been published by that company to date, excluding Saint Seiya Lost Canvas, published by Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
in the Weekly Shōnen Champion
Weekly Shonen Champion
is a weekly shōnen manga magazine published by Akita Shoten.- History :Shōnen Champion was first published 15 July 1969. It has had numerous popular series by manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, Shinji Mizushima, and Keisuke Itagaki...
manga magazine, Saint Seiya Next Dimension, published in the Shōnen Ace
Shonen Ace
is a monthly shōnen manga magazine in Japan published by Kadokawa Shoten, started in 1994. Unlike the big shōnen weeklies with circulation figures in the millions, Ace is aimed at a less mainstream audience, and has a particular emphasis on anime tie-ins...
manga magazine and Raimei-ni Kike, published by Akita Shoten
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company established on August 10, 1948 in Chiyoda, Tokyo. Its main editorial target has always been teenagers , and it currently publishes mostly manga...
in the Champion Red manga magazine.
Music Lyrics
During the course of his career, Masami Kurumada has written the lyrics to many of the songs used in the anime adaptations of his manga series. A CD compiling the songs was released in December 2005 with an extra song to Otoko Zaka, the CD is called Kurumada: The Complete Works.The following songs are included
- 01. いかなる星の下に〜We're fearless warriors〜
- 02. 星よ流れるな〜Stop the fate〜
- 03. 少年記 I〜Burning Blood〜
- 04. 少年記 II〜Leave my heart〜
- 05. 風の戦士
- 06. あの日風の中で・・・
- 07. 君を守りたい
- 08. 信じる心
- 09. 光を探して
- 10. いつか聞いた風の歌
- 11. 風に向かって走れ〜standing & fight〜
- 12. 名も無き野の花〜fullfill your dream〜
- 13. 純情ケンカチャンピオン〜one way boy〜
- 14. いばらの旋律〜Melody〜
- 15. 覇道のディスタンス〜Distance〜
- 16. ｢明日への闘志｣
- 17.男坂
Though, after the CD was released Kurumada wrote the lyrics to the intro and ending song of the credits sequence of the 'Inferno' stage of the Hades arc of the Saint Seiya anime adaptation (Episodes 128 to 145).
- "Megami no Senshi, Pegasus Forever"
- "Takusu mono he~My Dear"
Also, he wrote the lyrics to the ending theme of the second season of the Ring ni Kakero 1 anime adaptation, in 2006:
- Shining like Gold 〜思い出の欠片〜 (Omoide no kakera)
For the final episodes that completed the adaptation of the Hades arc of his Saint Seiya manga to anime, a new song for the credits roll was composed with Kurumada authoring the lyrics. The episodes aired in mid 2008
- "Kami no Sono - Del Regno"
Also, Kurumada had a short role as a voice actor in the anime adaptation of his manga Ring ni Kakero
Ring ni Kakero
, or Put It All in the Ring, is a manga created by Masami Kurumada. A total of 25 volumes were published in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1977 and 1981.- Plot :...
. He appeared in the first episode, as himself and as the Jitsuroku! Shinwakai protagonist, who shares his name, and he provided his voice to both.
Continuing his contributions as lyricist, Kurumada wrote the lyrics to the ending theme of the first and second season of the Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas anime:
- "Hana no Kusari"