Who Was Leiji Matsumoto? Revered Manga Artist And Director Dies At 85

A prominent name with a major contribution to the anime and manga industry, Leiji Matsumoto passed away at the age of 85.

The revered mangaka, or professional manga artist, died due to heart failure in Tokyo, Japan, on Feb. 13, Reuters reported.

Matsumoto was highly recognized and rewarded for his work by the Japanese and French governments. The news of his passing became public Sunday following which fans of his work took to social media to pay their respects.

"Saddened to hear of the passing of Leiji Matsumoto. As a young boy, he showed me a train going into space, and I have never been the same since. It has been my great honor to translate his works and bring them into English," tweeted author Zac Davisson, referring to Matsumoto's "Galaxy Express 999" manga series from the 70s, which was later adapted into several anime films and television series.

Who was Leiji Matsumoto?

Leiji Matsumoto was born in Kurume city in Japan's Fukuoka Prefecture on Jan. 25, 1938. He stepped into the industry in 1953 under his birth name Akira Matsumoto, when he was only 15 years old. However, his big break came much later when he was in his 30s, with "Otoko Oidon," a slice-of-life manga series released in 1971.

Before its release, Matsumoto created shōjo manga, with young girls as the target audience. "Otoko Oidon" was his first time creating shonen manga, an editorial category of Japanese comics written for adolescent boys. It was published between 1971 and 1973 in a weekly magazine and bagged the Kodansha Publishing Award for Children's Manga in 1972.

The influential artist also created "Space Battleship Yamato," and "Space Pirate Captain Harlock", both of which were adapted into movies and TV series and found success across the world between the 70s and 80s era.

Matsumoto also directed several animated movies including "Star Blazers" which achieved raging success in the U.S. Some of his other directorial movies include, "Interstella 555," "Farewell to Space Battleship Yamato", and "Be Forever Yamato."

Not much is known of Matsumoto's parents except that his father was an aviator who reportedly "trained in inter-war France with aggressor squadrons." His brothers went on to become engineers while Matsumoto pursued a different career path. He is survived by his wife Miyako Maki, one of the most popular shōjo mangaka, an artist who writes for adolescent females, of her generation.