Who is Takeshi Obata, creator of Hikaru no Go?

Who is Takeshi Obata

He first gained widespread acclaim as the artist for Hikaru no Go, then reached global fame with Death Note alongside writer Tsugumi Ohba. His refined art style has defined some of the most visually distinctive series in modern manga.

小畑健 Born 1969

Their series in the Jump

3 series, from the first to the last

Hikaru no Go

1998–2003Artist (with Hotta)

Hikaru no Go

Hikaru finds an old board haunted by Sai, the ghost of a go master, and gets hooked on a game he knew nothing about.

23volumes

189chapters

22times it opened the magazine

Sports (Go)DramaSlice of Life

Hikaru no Go debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump No. 2 · 1999, on sale December 7, 1998. That same issue also carried Kochikame, One Piece and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Its last chapter in the magazine, number 189, ran in No. 22 · 2003 (April 28, 2003), after 4 and a half years of serialization.

Full series page Vol. 1

Death Note

2003–2006Artist (with Ohba)

Death Note

Light Yagami finds a notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it and sets out to rid the world of criminals, until the detective L picks up his trail.

12volumes

108chapters

7times it opened the magazine

ThrillerMysterySupernatural

Death Note debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump No. 1 · 2004, on sale December 1, 2003. That same issue also carried Kochikame, One Piece and Naruto. Its last chapter in the magazine, number 108, ran in No. 24 · 2006 (May 15, 2006), after 2 and a half years of serialization.

Full series page Vol. 1

Bakuman.

2008–2012Artist (with Ohba)

Bakuman.

Middle schoolers Mashiro and Takagi team up as a manga duo determined to land a hit series in the Jump.

20volumes

176chapters

14times it opened the magazine

DramaSlice of LifeManga industry

Bakuman. debuted in Weekly Shōnen Jump No. 37 · 2008, on sale August 11, 2008. That same issue also carried Kochikame, One Piece and Naruto. Its last chapter in the magazine, number 176, ran in No. 21 · 2012 (April 23, 2012), after 3 and a half years of serialization.

Full series page Vol. 1

Dates are the day each issue went on sale in Japan. Open one to see the full issue: if it matches your birthday, that is your Jump.