The renowned Mangaka, known for being one half of the legendary mangaka duo Fujiko Fujio alongside Fujiko F. Fujio (real name: Fujimoto Hiroshi), is said to have collapsed at his home on the morning of April 7. Police were dispatched to the scene after a report about the incident was received at around 8:40 AM JST. The cause of death has yet to be determined.

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Fujiko A. Fujio worked alongside Fujiko F. Fumio from 1951 to 1987, spawning several celebrated titles, like Ninja Hattori-kun (1964), The Laughing Salesman (1968), and Doraemon (1969). To this day, Doraemon remains a cultural icon of Japan. Fujiko A. Fujio’s signifies the end of Fujiko Fujio, since Fujiko F. Fujio passed on almost thirty years before his partner in 1996.

The two Mangaka begin their partnership in elementary school, where they were classmates who then became attached to each other for life. In this incubation stage of what was to become an extremely decorated career in the industry of anime and manga, the two found inspiration in the work of the legendary Tezuka Osamu, namely the manga series Shin Takarajima (New Treasure Island). They debuted in 1951 when they were in high school, with Tenshi no Tama-chan, which was serialized in the Mainichi Shogakusei Shimbun, and later that year, they got the opportunity to meet Tezuka himself at his Takarazuka residence. After showing the legend their illustrations for their manga “Ben Hur”, Tezuka complimented them and several years later he admitted that even back in 1951, he knew that Fujiko Fujio would be major figures in the industry.

In 1963, Fujiko Fujio established Studio Zero together with Ishinomori Shotaro (Cyborg 009) and a few other mangaka, and produced several animated movies. Their most celebrated work is Doraemon, which grew immensely in popularity, becoming the only one of Fujiko Fujio’s works to be officially licensed for release in English.

The dissolution of Fujiko Fujio happened in 1987 due to Fujiko F. Fujio’s health issues. Fujiko A. Fujio was 88 at the time of his passing.

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Source: Crunchyroll