Buichi Terasawa (1955-2023)

Sad news from the anime and manga world, as the death of renowned manga artist Buichi Terasawa has been announced.  He was best known for creating the series Space Adventure Cobra which was later adapted into an animated feature, a TV series and a series of OAVs. 

He was born in 1955 in  Asahikawa, Hokkaido, and entered the world of comics at an early age. While still unknown, he entered comics into a magazine that won him a prize and kicked off his career. In 1976 Terasawa moved to Tokyo to study under "God Of Manga" Osamu Tezuka, working in the manga department of Tezuka Productions. During this time he was awarded the Tezuka Award for his illustration work Mother Earth, Turn Green Again. In 1977, he began to draw Cobra for Weekly Shonen Jump.

Terasawa was also a digital pioneer, seeing the potential of being able to create art with computers long before it came the default. He first published a manga created digitally as early as 1985.

Terasawa is known for his 'macho' comics, which feature manly men and beautiful and dangerous women, earning him the nickname 'Butch'. They're influenced by the likes of James Bond and Barbarella, and have gone on to influence comics and animation that have come after them. Space Adventure Cobra has won legions of fans the world over, proving particularly popular in France.

He also created Goku Midnight Eye, Kabuto and Black Knight Bat. He also worked on the anime adaptations of several of his series in some capacity. He is credited with the screenplay on the original Space Adventure Cobra: The Movie as well as Goku Midnight Eye and writing and directing Raven Tengu Kabuto.

Terasawa had been ill for a number of years, after suffering a malignant brain tumour in 1998, later leaving him paralysed on the left side of his body. He passed away due to a heart attack on September 8.

May he rest in peace.