God of Horror Kazuo Umezu Died at 88

Manga artist and musician Kazuo Umezu has died. He passed away on October 28, 2024 at the age of 88. [Thanks, Oricon!]

According to a fax from general incorporated foundation UMEZZ, Umezu’s family and friends held a private funeral. Umezu’s wish when he was alive was for his works to reach people all around the world, and that people would continue to read them for generations to come. The fax ends by thanking all of the readers who appreciated Umezu’s work, as well as everyone who supported him over the years. Shogakukan also left a message praising the lasting impact Umezu left on genres like horror, humor, and sci-fi.

Umezu had been diagnosed with stomach cancer in July 2024 and was on hospice care from September 2024. Even at the time, he was thinking of new manga ideas and wanted to work on it after he got better. In a Yomiuri Shimbun article on Umezu’s death, writer Kanta Ishida stated that Umezu believed humans wouldn’t lose to machines, and that he would create a story “that will not bow to quantum computers.”

Kazuo Umezu is “the god of horror manga,” with many series based on Japanese monsters and mythologies. Some of his works include Hebi Obasan, Baptism, and Osore. Aside from his career as a mangaka, he also worked on films, music, and video games. Even if you haven’t read any of Umezu’s work, he made a lasting mark on Japanese pop culture through his influence on other artists. Rumiko Takahashi (Inuyasha, Ranma ½, and more) was one of his assistants. Junji Ito (Tomie, Uzumaki, and more) also read and admired his work.

Other major deaths in the Japanese pop culture world in 2024 include those of Akira Toriyama, Nobuyo Oyama, Atsuko Tanaka, and Sayuri.