Manga Artists May Have Shorter Life Spans Than Average: Report

03/12/2024 04:46 pm EDT

From Yu-Gi-Oh to Berserk and now Dragon Ball, the manga community has parted with some great creators as of late. In the past decade, a number of top-notch artists have died which has left the manga fandom in shock. For several of those deaths, the creators passed suddenly at a young age to the concern of netizens. Now, a new report has surfaced in Japan detailing the deaths of manga creators in Japan, and it suggests their lifespans are shorter than average.

The report comes from Yaraon Blog in the wake of Aira Toriyma'a death. A group of fans were curious how many manga artists in recent years died at a young age, and that search expanded over time. As you can see here, the data gathered information from 219 manga artists who died from natural causes (i.e. no accidents, disasters, murders). It was there the data suggested the average male manga artist dies at 62.6 years old compared to the higher national average.

After all, Japan has a rather high lifespan average for its citizens. On average, Japanese men live to 83 years old. This new chart doesn't share a bigger picture of the mangaka community, however. It is true that a number of manga artists have died young, but there are many more manga artists who've lived long lives. More research needs to be done into the percentage of mangaka deaths both below and at average. But in the wake of Toriyama's death, this new chart has raised red flags with netizens.

It is no secret that making manga is hard. The industry is incredibly competitive, and the deadlines are almost impossibly difficult. From Yoshihiro Togashi (Hunter x Hunter) to Masaoki Shindo (Ruri Dragon), manga artists have long spoken about the toll work has taken on their health. Even greats like One Piece's Eiichiro Oda have lamented work conditions in the face of manga's global growth. And sadly, fans fear more mangaka deaths will come to pass before the industry revises its conditions. 

What do you think about this new manga report? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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