Mainichi Shimbun reports that the autopsy of Yu-Gi-Oh! mangaka Kazuki Takahashi has finally been completed and it confirms that drowning was the cause of death. It was also stated that Takahashi’s death was unlikely the cause of foul play. According to NHK, the Nago City Coast Guard reported that Kazuki Takahashi drowned while snorkeling alone near Onna Village. It was confirmed that Takahashi’s body was found in shallow waters off the coast of Nago City on the morning of Wednesday, July 6 about 300 meters away from the shoreline. The mangaka’s snorkelling gear was still attached to his body which still had an underwater mask, a snorkel and fins.
It’s an unfortunate accident that took away one of the most talented manga creators. Since Takahashi’s passing, people have been paying tribute to the mangaka. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 star Megumi Ogata, who voiced Yugi in the original anime, expressed their gratitude to Takahashi for giving them the chance to play the character. Ogata indicated that Takahashi was the one who wanted them to take the role.
“Thank you, Takahashi-sensei. I pray for your souls from the bottom of my heart,” Ogata wrote in their tweet. Takahashi, whose real name is Kazuo Takahashi, started as a manga artist in the early 1980s. His first major work was Fighting Hawk which was published in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1990. Six years later, he started working on Yu-Gi-Oh! which would be serialized on Jump in 2004 and prove to be one of Takahashi’s most successful works. Kazuki Takahashi passed away on July 6, 2022. He was 60 years old.
