Photo: SoraNews24
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'Yu-Gi-Oh!' creator’s body found floating in ocean off coast of Okinawa

15 Comments
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24

At roughly 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, a call was placed to the emergency number for the Japan Coast Guard in Okinawa. A marine leisure business operator had spotted a dead body floating in the ocean about 300 meters off the coast of the city of Nago.

After recovering the body, investigators were able to determine the deceased man’s identity as Kazuo Takahashi, a 60-year-old Tokyo resident. That name might not be familiar to many people, as he was much more widely known by his pen name, Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" manga/anime/game franchise.

Takahashi had been vacationing by himself in Okinawa, and less than two hours before his body was discovered the police had received a call from the company he had rented a car from, saying that Takahashi had not returned the vehicle and they had been unable to contact him. The car was later found parked near the beach in the town of Onna, about 12 kilometers away from where the coast guard recovered his body.

Takahashi, who wrote and drew the original "Yu-Gi-Oh!" manga and whose concepts served as the inspiration for the associated trading card and video games, was wearing a snorkel, mask, and swim fins when his body was found, suggesting that he met with some sort of fatal mishap while snorkeling, with initial examinations indicating he had been dead for one or two days.

Japanese media outlet TBS reports that Takahashi had bite-like wounds on his abdomen and lower body, and Nikkan Sports says, in addition, that his lower-body clothing was missing, but these claims have not been confirmed and no official cause of death has yet been given.

Sources: NHK, Mainichi Shimbun, Nikkan Sports, Okinawa Times

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Dead body found in car in parking lot in Japan, police say it may have been there over two years

-- Headless corpse found floating in Osaka harbor

-- Yu-Gi-Oh! Creator Draws His Characters Playing Pokémon Go

© SoraNews24

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

15 Comments
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May he rest in peace. He brought a lot of happiness and enjoyment for children when the card game was at it's peak of fame.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Japanese media outlet TBS reports that Takahashi had bite-like wounds on his abdomen and lower body, and Nikkan Sports says, in addition, that his lower-body clothing was missing, but these claims have not been confirmed and no official cause of death has yet been given.

It's a sad day for all his fans! The missing clothing and bite marks could easily be explained by the fish, sharks and other sea life that lives in those waters. I hope no one thinks anything otherwise.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Thank you Kazuki Takahashi for all of your great works, they have formed an indelible part of my childhood. May you find peace in the afterlife. I guess Yugioh cards will be selling like hotcakes from now on.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

RIP

News this morning suspected sharks which has been seen much in that area of late.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Quite possible some sharks got him, but all the time I spent in the water there, I never saw a single one, but I have seen sea snakes. Extremely poisonous.

WRONG. Seasnakes are venomous, not poisonous.

If something bites you and you die, it is venomous. If you bite something and you still die, it is poisonous.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Rest In Peace..

4 ( +4 / -0 )

But after the ongoing US base construction, like what happened with the Hong Kong new airport construction shark attacks, this points most likely to the actions of US military. They should stop and be held accountable.

Is there any situation you don’t have a conspiracy theory about?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

OMG RIP , horrible way to go

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Quite possible some sharks got him, but all the time I spent in the water there, I never saw a single one, but I have seen sea snakes. Extremely poisonous.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Rest In Peace.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What a tragedy. RIP. Si much talent lost.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

You never go scuba diving or snorkeling alone. Always with two - three friends and a boat.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don't know much about the Yu-Gi-Oh! phenomena (maybe that's my Generation X talking) but I know enough that a great iconic giant has passed away today. And it's always a sad and tragic occurrence when somebody who has enriched so many lives and brought joy to so many children is gone.

It was that way for all of us when I was in college when Jim Henson, Dr. Seuss and others died. It was the same way when Masaya Nakamura ('Father of Pac-Man') passed away of old age in early 2018.

And so it is with Kazuki Takahashi. Domo arigato for the cheer and joy you've bestowed for so many and may you RIP.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This is unusual for this area. I have been snorkeling there many times, never seen a shark. But after the ongoing US base construction, like what happened with the Hong Kong new airport construction shark attacks, this points most likely to the actions of US military. They should stop and be held accountable.

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Okinawa’s waters have taken so many lives. It is beautiful but dangerous. Nago City is home to many witches and there are a lot of demonic activities in Okinawa.

-7 ( +2 / -9 )

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