2025 was a highly intriguing year for the world of anime and manga, with numerous series making their mark. As the year has come to an end, fans have naturally been reflecting on what truly stood out. A Japanese media outlet has also weighed in, confirming the most influential manga creator of the year, one whose feats are unparalleled. As expected, the list of the most influential mangaka is dominated by creators with long-running, well-established series, leaving little room for newcomers. Given this, it seemed natural to assume that the author of the world’s best-selling manga, Eiichiro Oda, would top the list.
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However, the top ranking proved to be far more intriguing, as One Piece’s creator placed 10th, at the bottom of the list. The Japanese media outlet Courrier revealed its ranking of the most influential mangaka of the year, with the number one spot claimed by the enigmatic Shonen Jump creator of Chainsaw Man, Tatsuki Fujimoto. Courrier cited multiple reasons for the mangaka’s surge in influence, noting that the release of Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc played a major role in turning Fujimoto into a global sensation in 2025. Still, there remains one more intriguing reason behind Tatsuki Fujimoto being named the most influential mangaka of the year.
Chainsaw Man’s Tatsuki Fujimoto Emerges as the Most Influential Mangaka of 2025
Another possible reason Tatsuki Fujimoto stood out as the mangaka of the year lies in the anime adaptation of his eight one-shots released before Chainsaw Man, collected as Tatsuki Fujimoto 17–26. Their adaptation brought the author’s enigmatic storytelling to a wider audience and further highlighted his creative range. Courrier also points to the release of Look Back in 2024, which went on to become one of the year’s standout anime films, significantly contributing to Fujimoto’s growing influence. However, the most intriguing aspect of his impact is how Chainsaw Man has extended beyond entertainment and into academia.
A fossil of an extinct sawshark discovered in Chile was named Pochita Sera. Fans of the creator would recognize “Pochita” as a reference to Chainsaw Man, while “sera” comes from the Latin word for “saw.” Due to the fossil’s resemblance to Pochita, the discovery was named accordingly, a rare honor that underscores Fujimoto’s cultural reach. This alone helps explain why Courrier ranked him as the most influential mangaka of 2025. Even the second-ranked creator, Ryo Tatsuki, whose manga The Future I Saw prophecies an event in July 2025 that reportedly led to widespread tourist cancellations to Japan, demonstrates a different but equally striking level of influence.
Other notable and popular names on the list include Junji Ito, Vinland Saga’s Makoto Yukimura, and Jujutsu Kaisen’s Gege Akutami, all ranking above One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda. While there may be several reasons Oda did not dominate the list, it is intriguing that Demon Slayer’s Koyoharu Gotouge did not appear at all, despite the massive success of the franchise’s film. Nevertheless, there is little doubt that Chainsaw Man’s Tatsuki Fujimoto fully deserves the top spot, having left a lasting mark on the industry, both through his own work and through former assistants who have gone on to create major hits such as Dandadan and Spy x Family.
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Cover art from the back of the Ultima Online CD jewel case.
