Fujio Akatsuka

Fujio Akatsuka was a Japanese manga artist born in Rehe, Manchuria (present-day China), the son of a Japanese military police officer. After World War II he grew up in Niigata before moving to Tokyo in 1954, where he lived in the Tokiwa-so apartment building alongside Osamu Tezuka, Shotaro Ishinomori, and the Fujiko Fujio duo.

Akatsuka made his professional debut with Arashi o Koete in 1956. His first hit, Osomatsu-kun, began in Shonen Sunday in 1962 and established his reputation for fast-paced, absurdist humor. He followed it with Himitsu no Akko-chan and Tensai Bakabon, the latter of which debuted in 1967 and helped define gag manga as a distinct genre.

In 1965 he established Fujio Productions Ltd. to manage his growing output. Many of his series became known for supporting characters who overshadowed their protagonists, including Papa from Tensai Bakabon and Iyami and Chibita from Osomatsu-kun. He is widely recognized as a founding figure of comedic manga in Japan.