TOKYO - Tetsuya Chiba, a titan of Japanese manga best known for the legendary boxing series "Ashita no Joe", has died aged 87, his publishers said Tuesday.
Chiba's works often told stories about the physical and mental growth of young athletes across various sports including golf, boxing and the martial art kendo, while also showing the poverty, despair, joy and optimism of ordinary life in postwar Japan.
"Ashita no Joe", published in the 1960s through the 1970s, featured a troubled young man who learns boxing in a juvenile detention centre and rises through the professional ranks to engage in epic rivalries.
The series became a cultural phenomenon.
Fans held a funeral after Joe's main rival died in the story. Older fans can casually recite lines from the work, which also spawned enormously popular anime series, movies, video games, television commercials and theatrical productions.
Chiba, with a seven-decade career, also taught at university level, led the Japan Cartoonists Association, and received a number of Japanese cultural accolades, including the enormously prestigious Order of Culture, given to people who have made a significant contribution to art, science and culture.
Major publisher Kodansha has honoured his legacy with the "Tetsuya Chiba Award" for young manga artists for the past 46 years.
"Countless rookie manga artists took master Chiba's words to heart as they embarked on the path to becoming professionals, and many of them are still active today," the firm said in a statement, adding that he died last Thursday.
"Master Chiba's tremendous contributions to the world of manga are truly irreplaceable."
Another publisher Shogakukan credited him with helping to shape Japan's manga culture and capturing the hearts of generations of fans.
"For seventy years, master Tetsuya Chiba has been at the forefront of the manga world. He created countless masterpieces," it said.
Chiba also often gave media interviews to talk about his commitment to peace and discussed memories of his childhood in China during World War II before returning to Japan after its defeat. - AFP