'Yu-Gi-Oh' creator Kazuki Takahashi passes away at the age of 60, his body was found floating off the coast of Nago, Okinana

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https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2022/07/07/entertainment-news/kazuo-takahashi-found-dead/

Kazuki Takahashi, author of the popular manga series "Yu-Gi-Oh!," has been found dead, NHK and other media reported Thursday. He was 60.

Takahashi, whose real name is Kazuo Takahashi, was found floating while wearing snorkeling gear in the waters off Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, on Wednesday morning, NHK quoted authorities as saying. Coast guard officials confirmed that the body was Takahashi's on Thursday, it said.

The coast guard is looking into the cause of death, media reports said.

According to TBS, Takahashi was traveling in Okinawa alone, and a car rental company contacted police on Wednesday night saying it could not reach him, prompting the coast guard to suspect the body was his.

Authorities said there were injuries to the belly and lower parts of the body that were apparently made by bites from a shark or other sea creatures, TBS reported.

Takahashi's works are hugely popular at home and abroad, with his manga turned into a television series, movies and card games.

In 2011, Yu-Gi-Oh! was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's best-selling trading card game after selling more than 25.17 billion sets around the world, according to Kyodo News.

 

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the circumstances seems unclear but point to a potential diving accident

Yu-Gi-Oh is the 22th highest grossing media franchise worldwide, is also the second most played type of card game just behind the standard 52-deck card, saying his work was influential would be an understatement