Legendary Japanese manga and anime creator Leiji Matsumoto, who created classics like “Space Battleship Yamato” and wrote numerous works about the tragedy of war, is dead. Matsumoto, whose real name was Akira Matsumoto, died on February 13 in suffering from acute heart failure at a Tokyo hospital, his office Studio Leijisha announced on Monday.
Many of his manga works, such as “Galaxy Express 999” and “Space Pirate Captain Harlock” have been adapted into anime television series and have won wide popularity both at home and abroad. Born in 1938 in Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, Matsumoto was one of the first manga artists whose comic and animation work attracted fans outside of Japan.
Dedicated fight against war
Leiji Matsumoto was seven years old when World War II ended. His experiences at that time had a lasting influence on his works, which were often marked by conflicts. His anti-war stance dates back to his father, who served as a pilot during the World War and lost many of his subordinates. He taught his son that war should never be waged. “War destroys our future,” Matsumoto said in a 2018 interview.
Matsumoto first rose to prominence in 1954 while he was at school and rose to fame with ‘Otoko Oidon,’ a comedy-manga series that illustrates the story of a poor young man from southern Japan who is preparing for a university entrance exam in Tokyo. Matsumoto has repeatedly been honored by the government of his homeland for his work. France also awarded the Japanese the “Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” in 2012. In a tribute, Matsumoto’s daughter Makiko wrote that he had “headed for the Sea of Stars”.
