Japanese mangaka Takao Saito (84) who was the creator of the long-running manga series “Golgo 13,” died this week of pancreatic cancer, the publisher Shogakukan Inc. said Wednesday.
Saito passed away previous Friday. He was most famous for his series that follows the adventures of a highly-skilled assassin. The first volume came out in 1968. It was lauded as such by Guinness World Records as setting records for number of volumes in its 201st issue when released in July. The 202nd edition appeared earlier in the month of September.
The manga is read by wide range of adults, which usually contains stories of international politics and the assassin Duke Togo with exceptional shooting abilities for hire and can take on different assignments worldwide.
Even though he was born in Wakayama Prefecture, he grew up in Sakai in Osaka Prefecture. He stepped into the manga world in the year 1955. Saito was a proponent of dividing the work of creating a manga. He also began a manga production business in 1964.
“Golgo 13,” which is a serialization by Shogakukan’s magazine for the manga, Big Comic, will continue to be developed by the company as well as other staff members, the publisher stated.
In the year of 2003, the artist received the Purple Ribbon, for his contribution in artistic advancements from the government.
Finance Minister of Japan, Taro Aso also stated his death as a tragic event and a loss of talent. He mentioned that he admired Golgo 13.
“Are there any other international ‘novels’ like that?” the 81-year-old politician asked.
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