Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, creator of the boxing classic Ashita no Joe, has died aged 87, his publisher Kodansha announced on 27 October. Chiba died at a hospital in Tokyo on 22 October; no cause of death was disclosed. A private family funeral has been held, with his wife, Yukiko Chiba, serving as chief mourner.

A career spanning seven decades

Chiba was one of the most influential figures in post-war manga, described as a major contributor to the rise of sports manga. He made his magazine debut in 1958 and went on to draw stories across boxing, sumo, golf and kendo, including Notari Matsutarō and Ashita Tenki ni Naare. In 2024 he became the first manga artist to receive Japan's Order of Culture, one of the country's highest honours, and the Tetsuya Chiba Award for aspiring artists, established by Kodansha 46 years ago, continues to bear his name. He also led the Japan Cartoonists Association and taught at university level.

Why Ashita no Joe endured

Ashita no Joe, serialised from 1968 and illustrated by Chiba, follows Joe Yabuki, an orphan from Tokyo's slums who rises through professional boxing. The series sold more than 20 million copies and became a cultural phenomenon: when Joe's rival, Toru Rikiishi, died in the story, fans held a mock funeral for the fictional character. Chiba's childhood in Japanese-occupied north-eastern China, and his family's return to Japan after the Second World War, shaped his work and his public support for peace and freedom of expression, themes that ran through his stories of young athletes fighting poverty and hardship as well as their opponents.

Sources: Associated Press (via KCAU 9) and TBS News (citing The Japan Times and Kodansha).