"Yu-Gi-Oh!" creator Kazuki Takahashi died on Wednesday, July 6, after a civilian found a body off the shore of Nago. He was 60 years old.
As this surprised many, shaking the very core of the manga world, what was the reason for Kazuki Takahashi's sudden death? What really happened to one of the most respected manga artists?
NHK reported, via SportsKeeda, that the game creator's body was seen by a passing boat named the Japanese Maritime Hotline 118 300 meters off the shore of Nago, near the coast of Awa in Okinawa. The Japanese Coast Guard reportedly had to pull out his body from the water.
According to reports, he had been traveling to Okinawa Prefecture alone and had rented a car from a rental company to visit the place. His car was reportedly found about 12 km away from his body.
When the Japanese police retrieved his body, they found out the deceased was Kazuki Takahashi. He was found with all his snorkeling gear attached to his body, wearing a shirt, an underwater mask, snorkel and fins, a Nago official, who refused to be named, said.
After an assessment, the Coast Guard believed he might have died one or two days before the body was found. A thorough inspection revealed that a reef shark attacked his body while snorkeling.
Police have confirmed that Kazuki Takahashi's body has sustained several injuries, mostly to the belly and lower extremity. A marine expert has also confirmed his injuries were caused by a reef shark attack.
Kazuki Takahashi was famously known for creating the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" franchise. The manga used to run weekly on Shonen Jump from 1996 to 2004.
It followed the story of Yugi, a teenager who received an ancient puzzle that awoke the alter ego of an Egyptian pharaoh in him. From a manga, it quickly developed into a huge media franchise that included anime, a trading card and a number of films, per Japan Times.
It was later published as a series of 38 books by Shueisha. His works weren't only popular in Japan; it was also known internationally and even recognized by Guinness World Records for being the world's best-selling trading card game in 2011 after selling more than 25.17 billion sets around the world.
Kazuki Takahashi's real name is Takashi Kazuo, but he's also known as Kazumasa. He also worked on the manga "Tennenshoku Danji Buray" in 1990, but he found success in doing "Yu-Gi-Oh!"
