Hiroya Oku

Hiroya Oku (奥 浩哉, Oku Hiroya, born September 16, 1967) is a Japanese manga artist who is the creator of Gantz, Hen and Inuyashiki, the first two of which have been serialized in Weekly Young Jump. Originally influenced by Katsuhiro Otomo and Ryoichi Ikegami,[1] his manga often contain explicit violence, sexual depictions, and matters that are considered taboo by the public, and he is known as a pioneer in the use of digital processing for manga backgrounds.

Hiroya Oku
Born (1967-09-16) September 16, 1967
Fukuoka, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Pseudonym(s)Kuon Yahiro (久遠 矢広)
Notable works
Hen
Gantz
Inuyashiki
AwardsRunner-up in Young Jump Youth Manga Awards (1988, Hen)

His debut manga Hen was a runner-up in the 1988 Young Jump Youth Manga Awards. The pseudonym he used at the time of its serialization was Kuon Yahiro (久遠 矢広).

Oku designed a character for Namco Bandai's Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 fighting game, Soulcalibur IV named Shura.

Works
  • Hen (1988–1997)
There are two series of Hen; the first, with kanji, ran for 13 volumes—the first three are short story collections, and the remaining ten are a romantic comedy in which both leads are male. The short stories were later repackaged as "Aka" and "Kuro".
The second series, 8 volumes, with the title only in romaji, is a romantic comedy in which both leads are women. This series has been adapted into an anime.
  • Zero One (1999–2000)
There are only three volumes, about a video game tournament. The series was cancelled abruptly due to poor sales figures and reception.
It consists of 37 volumes. The first eight have been adapted into the first 21 episodes of the two seasons of the anime, with the final five episodes consisting of a different story that doesn't follow the manga.
Three volumes in all, about a shut-in or hikikomori falling in love with his young stepmother after the death of his father.
A story about an aging and ill salaryman who is transformed into an unstoppable battle machine after aliens accidentally destroy his body.
  • GANTZ:G (2015–2017)
A spin-off of Gantz with art by Keita Iizuka.[2]
Rei Yokoyamada, a high school boy who falls in love with Papiko, an adult video actress with big breasts who gains the power to become gigantic.
  • GANTZ:E (2020–present)
A historical spin-off of Gantz titled Gantz:E, written by Oku and illustrated by Jin Kagetsu started in the combined 6th–7th issue of Weekly Young Jump on January 9, 2020. The series is being published monthly in the magazine.[3]

References
  1. 奥浩哉の「いぬやしき」特集、山本直樹×奥浩哉の師弟対談（1/4） January 14, 2014
  2. "Hiroya Oku, Keita Iizuka Launch Gantz Spinoff Manga in November". Anime News Network. October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  3. "Hiroya Oku Writes New Gantz:E Historical Spinoff Manga". Anime News Network. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
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