Manga and Anime Creators Dominate List of Japan's Most Influential Stars

The new year is well underway, but that doesn't mean the world has forgotten what 2023 brought about. For anime fans, they were gifted a stellar lineup of shows, and manga readers were treated just as well with new releases. As we look back on 2023, it is easy to see just how big the industries became with mainstream audiences. Now, a new list from Japan is out noting the nation's most influential people of last year, and it seems manga creators dominated the list.

The information comes from Courier Japan, a popular news and entertainment website. Not long ago, the site released a list of 100 articles from 2023 regarding specific people. These individuals were ranked as the most influential Japanese creators on a global scale. And as expected, some major creators made the list.

Hajime Isayama made the list given the attention Attack on Titan earned last year. After a long wait, the series brought its anime to a close, and the finale was nothing short of epic. Isayama's iconic anime took over social media with its two-part finale, so it is not surprising to see him on this list.

As for other creators, Kuroko's Basketball creator Takehiko Inoue earned a spot alongside One Piece's Eiichiro Oda. The latter was busy in 2023 given his story's return to anime. As for Oda, well – what didn't One Piece do last year? From its live-action TV show to its epic Wano Country finale, One Piece was at its peak last year.

These manga creators were joined by other icons like Yoichi Takahashi, the creator of Captain Tsubasa. The artist just recently announced his retirement. Others like Arsene Lupin's Takashi Marita made the cut with Studio Ghibli's Hayao Miyazaki. Meiji Matsumoto, the late creator of Space Battleship Yamato, was also featured ahead of director Makoto Shinkai. Even Tsukasa Hojo made the cute thanks to City Hunter's success in Europe, so as you can tell, manga creators were all over this list.

Of course, other public figures from Japan made this list. Fictional stars like Ash Ketchum from Pokemon were listed as the anime bid farewell to its longtime protagonist last year. The Super Senatai franchise was also nodded to while other real-life stars commanded the list's top spots. When it came to first place, baseball star Shohei Otani was listed as the athlete's team swap commanded headlines from across the globe.

What do you think about this list of 2023 influencers? 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!