Japanese author Fujiko A. Fujio has died at the age of 88, several local media reported on Thursday (April 7th). The artist, whose real name was Motoo Abiko, was found unconscious at his home, and the police confirmed his death, according to the TBS television channel and the Kyodo news agency, quoted by Agence France- Hurry. He is known for creating the ninja Hattori-kun and the ghost Q-Taro, two very popular children’s manga heroes in Japan, as well as co-creating the famous cat-robot Doraemon.
Born in 1934, the eldest son of the superior of a Buddhist temple in the department of Toyama (central Japan), Motoo Abiko grew up in this religious place until the death of his father, when he was only ten years old. of years. “My father’s death is the event that changed my life the most. If he hadn’t died, I think I would have become a monk.”he said daily Asahi shinbun in 2020.
A duet at the origin of “Doraemon”
Fujiko A. Fujio then befriended Hiroshi Fujimoto, who would later draw the world famous Adventures of Doraemon. The two young artists began to collaborate under the common pen name of Fujiko Fujio and shared an apartment in Tokyo with several famous mangakas, including Osamu Tezuka, considered the father of modern manga.
One of the first works of the duo Fujiko Fujio is the manga Q-Taro, featuring a mischievous little ghost living in a family of humans. The series will meet with success in Japan and abroad, and its animated adaptation will even be broadcast in the United States. Solo, Motoo Abiko will also create several manga series, including Ninja Hattori-kunas well as other titles aimed at mature audiences.
Despite his long association with Hiroshi Fujimoto, who died in 1996, Motoo Abiko admitted to having always been reluctant to delve into the series. Doraemon ” for [se] protect “.
“When I read it, it influences me, and I think to myself, ‘I can’t draw like that'”he joked.