Kazuki Takahashi and Yugi, the protagonist of 'Yu-Gi-Oh!'.
The creator of the popular
manga
Yu-Gi-Oh!
, Kazuki Takahashi, has died this Tuesday at the age of 60 in the city of Nago, Okinawa prefecture (Japan).
The developer was found dead some 300 meters off the coast of Awa, but has not been identified as of Thursday, the Nago Coast Guard has confirmed.
More information
Everybody wants the manga
As NHK has collected, Takahashi was visiting Okinawa and was
snorkeling
.
It is therefore investigated whether he died of drowning.
According to the first investigations, the 60-year-old
mangaka
had rented a vehicle, and the responsible company contacted the police on Wednesday, assuring that they were unable to locate him.
It is suspected, therefore, that Takahashi could have died days before, according to
TBS
and the local media
Japan Times
.
The Japanese-born author, who debuted as a manga artist in 1986, was recognized worldwide for being the creator of
Yu-Gi-Oh!,
as well as his popular card game.
In it, two people duel each using their custom deck of fantastical creatures.
His work led to different animated series thanks to the film production company Toei, as well as movies, various
spin-offs
, card games, board games and video games, such as
Yu-Gi-Oh!
Master Duel
.
His influence on the manga universe has been such that this franchise has become one of the highest-grossing multimedia licenses in history.