‘Ashita no Joe’ Creator Tetsuya Chiba Dies at 87

Legendary Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, best known for ‘Ashita no Joe’, has passed away at the age of 87.

Shogakukan announced today (October 27)d away on October 22 at a hospital in Tokyo. His wife, Yukiko Chiba, served as chief mourner for a private family funeral, and she stated that separate visits and condolence money are politely declined

Mourning his death, Shogakukan stated, “Tetsuya Chiba-sensei, who spent 70 years at the forefront of manga and brought numerous masterpieces into the world, supported the growth of postwar Japanese manga and was beloved by many readers for embedding a warm perspective on humanity and a desire for peace into his works.” The publisher added that it is considering holding a farewell ceremony to honor the deceased in the future.

The late Tetsuya Chiba was born in Tokyo on January 11, 1939. After making his professional debut in 1956 with a rental manga volume, he remained active as a manga artist for 70 years until 2026. He began serializing in magazines in 1958 with ‘Mama’s Violin’ and debuted in a weekly shonen magazine in 1961 with ‘Chikai no Magu’, establishing himself as one of Japan’s representative manga artists through numerous hit works such as ‘Ashita no Joe’, ‘Ore wa Teppei’, and ‘Ashita Tenki ni Naare’.

In 1980, Kodansha established the ‘Tetsuya Chiba Award’—a newcomer award for seinen manga named in honor of his achievements—where Chiba personally participated in the final judging to review manuscripts and encourage emerging creators. Over the subsequent 46 years, it produced numerous established and emerging manga artists, including Nobuyuki Fukumoto of ‘Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji’, and became recognized as a major stepping stone in the Japanese seinen manga industry.

In 2001, he received the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award and was awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon, presented by the Japanese government to individuals who have made outstanding achievements in science, technology, academia, sports, and the arts. In 2024, he became the first manga artist to receive Japan’s Order of Culture.