Mangaka Roots – Hometown Facts of your Favorite Artists

The anime and manga is a huge industry, lots of time and effort, investment goes into the creation of the art we all enjoy, but before it makes it to books and the screens it starts in the minds of well known artists and authors known as mangakas.

Some are well known and others not so much but I was interested to find out where they all came from, did mangaka roots all come from specific areas of the country or where they more spread out, did their homes in towns affect their stories, how do their hometowns feel about them.

Eiichiro Oda

Eiichiro Oda was born in Kumamoto, Japan on January 1st of 1975. Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan – the large bottom island.

Growing up and having lived in Kumamoto, Eiichiro Oda has a special feeling for his hometown, and in 2017, he could really show this. In 2016, Kumamoto Prefecture was hit by a strong earthquake. In total, the two earthquakes killed 277 people, injured 2,809, and many structures collapsed, catching fire.The disaster forced more than 44,000 out of their homes. Eiichiro Oda donated ¥800,000,000 on April 14th of 2016 with a message to the city of Kumamoto.

There was a big earthquake in Kumamoto (all of Kyushu). I was born in Kumamoto. It is my hometown. To everyone greatly affected by the damage, I hope you are doing well from the bottom of my heart. I was able to reach my family and friends. They are scared but hanging in there. Everyone I contacted said things to put me at ease. They are so strong!! But there is a limit to human endurance. Before they reach their limit, I want to comfort them somehow. Adults must not worry their children. Most of all, I want the children to laugh! If they laugh, adults can do their best! Right now, it is still hard for us civilians to help. But I will definitely help with the relief effort! Don’t give up!!

Eiichiro Oda (2016.4.17)

After the reconstruction of Kumamoto, its governor Ikuo Kabashima announced that they would build statues of the Straw Hat Pirates in order to send a word of thanks to Eiichiro Oda for his help.

In total, there have been 10 statues depicting Straw Hat Pirates of ONE PIECE installed in Kumamoto: The Luffy statue was the first to be unveiled on November 30th, 2018, with Usopp and Sanji following roughly a year later, and the last was Jinbe’s unveiled on July 23rd, 2022, at Sumiyoshi Kaigan Park in Uto. You can have a look at their website here kumamoto project.

Find out how to read all of one piece here for free

Akira Toriyama

Born April 5, 1955 – March in the town of Nagoya /Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, Akira Toriyama.

The city was formed on 7 July 2005 by the amalgamation of the former town of Kiyosu, with the towns of Shinkawa and Nishibiwajima from Nishikasuga District. There, he spent most of his life; he entered a technical high school in Nagoya to study design, which gave him the opportunity to draw. Toriyama’s house and Bird Studio—a manga and design production studio founded in 1983—are situated in Kiyosu.

This studio became so popular with autograph requests that the studio had to put out a note.

Thank you for coming here, but if you ask me for an interview, meeting, or autograph I will have to decline. Also, I ask that you don’t leave anything at the door. Thank you for your understanding in advance and thank you.

He is deeply connected with his hometown because, in 2025, the Kiyosu City of Aichi Prefecture is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and Akira Toriyama is in support of the celebration by designing an adorable logo. It will be used for promotion in other municipal projects celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Kiyosu City.

Osamu Tezuka

Born in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Although born in Toyonaka, the family soon moved to Takarazuka City, Hyogohis. Tezuka’s prodigious output, innovative techniques, and redefinitions in genre made him such terms as “the Father of Manga.” 

His connection with the place of his birth isn’t as strong as the new city to which he moved at 5 and was to live for the next 20 years. The cities of Takarazuka and its futuristic buildings inspired Tezuka. In turn, his connection with his hometown runs deep, and you can see this in the establishment of the Tezuka Osamu Magna Museum. 

The museum is one where you really have the chance to trace from his birth, all the way through to the last words, “I’m begging you, let me work!” said to a nurse who tried to confiscate his drawing tools. 

The museum, in which he is celebrated, is a permanent retrospective of the popular-in every sense of the word-father of Japan’s globally famous comic and animation arts, showcasing how Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion were created across the Showa Era.

Naoko Takeuchi

Born March 15, 1967, in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan, Takeuchi attended Kofu Ichi High School and went on to graduate from Kyoritsu College of Pharmacy before entering the manga industry.

She is best known for being the creator of Sailor Moon. She is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, the writer and artist of YuYu Hakusho and Hunter × Hunter, and they have a son and daughter.

I couldn’t find much about her hometown, but she does have traveling museums of her art which travel all around Japan.

Hirohiko Araki

Araki Toshiyuki, better known as Hirohiko Araki, was born on June 7, 1960, in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. He attended Komatsushima Elementary School and then Tohoku Gakuin Tsutsujigaoka High School, where he began submitting work to publishers in his first year.

He lost his ancestral home in Sendai during the Tohoku earthquake, as it was destroyed by the tsunami that followed. He is best known for the JoJo series. 

In JoJo, many places have been inspired by Sendai. Setting-wise, Part 4 and Part 8 make use of S-city, Morioh Town, which is modeled after Araki’s hometown in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. 

Many names related to Sendai appear in both places and characters in JoJo. One of the most well-known examples is Jozenji, Morioh Town, where Josuke Higashikata, Part 4’s protagonist, lives. Jozenji Temple can be found on Jozenji-dori Avenue, one of the main streets in Sendai, often referred to as the “City of Trees.”

Masashi Kishimoto

Kishimoto Masashi was born on November 8th, 1974, in Nagi, Okayama. Presumably, his home was not very far away from Hiroshima, as his grandfather lived there, but I cannot find any other connection he may have had to the city. Otherwise, check out more information about him and his brother here.

Tite Kubo

Tite Kubo was born on June 26th, 1977, in Hiroshima Prefecture, his real name being Noriaki Kubo. Not much is mention his hometown but When Kubo was asked through his fanclub whether Karakura Town—the town in Bleach, his popular manga—was based on any real city, he answered, “not really, he just used his hometown of Fuchu Town, Hiroshima as a rough reference.

Rumiko Takahashi

Born October 10, 1957, in Niigata, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. Attending Niigata Chūō High School, she was said to sometimes doodle in the margins of her papers. She is known for her long list of books, Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Mermaid Saga, Ranma ½, nuyasha, Rin-ne, and Mao.

While not in her hometown, a life-size bronze statue of her creation Lum, the lead character in Urusei Yatsura, was placed at Oizumi Gakuen Station in Tokyo’s Nerima district. Closer to home, you can see her work with other popular artists from Niigata at the Niigata Manga Animation Museum. Visitors can run with Lum from the comic *Urusei Yatsura* (1978) in an interactive room.

Yoshihiro Togashi

Born in Shinjō, Yamagata, on April 27, 1966, nothing much connects Togashi to his hometown other than a family-owned paper shop.

Alternatively, you can visit the Shinjo Mogami Manga Museum, where you will find hand-drawn illustrations, his autograph, replicas of original art, figures that are not on sale anywhere, and much more of Togashi’s work.

Some of his artworks have been created in honor of the famous Shinjo festival, held each year in Togashi’s hometown. The works are inspired by the large ornate floats paraded through the streets during this festival

Hiromu  Arakawa

Hiromu Arakawa was born on May 8, 1973, in Hokkaido, Japan. She grew up on a dairy farm. Hiromu Arakawa might be well known for Fullmetal Alchemist, but another of her titles, “Silver Spoon”, actually takes place in an alternative Hokkaido.

The story sets in the fictional Ooezo Agricultural High School in Hokkaido and follows the daily life of Yuugo Hachiken, a high school student from Sapporo who enrolled at Ooezo Agricultural High School fleeing from the demands of his strict father.

Grown and raised in the countryside, most components of the manga are taken from Arakawa’s experiences in her childhood-for example, characters like Ichiko Fuji, a teacher in the piggery,  members of the Holstein fanclub her days on the farm.

A Journey Home: How Hometowns Shape the Worlds of Iconic Mangaka

Exploring the hometowns of beloved mangaka reveals the deep connections these artists maintain with their roots, often influencing both their lives and work.

From Eiichiro Oda’s heartfelt contributions to Kumamoto after the earthquake, to Hirohiko Araki’s portrayal of his hometown in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, it’s clear that the env

ironments these creators grew up in left a lasting imprint on their stories and character development. Even when there is no direct link between the setting of their manga and their real-life hometowns, as seen with Akira Toriyama and Tite Kubo, their sense of place often inspires their broader creative processes.

These hometowns, in return, have embraced the success of their famous natives. Statues, museums, and tributes dedicated to these artists serve as a testament to their influence, not just in the world of manga, but within their communities.

The ongoing celebration of their work in local cultural projects highlights the reciprocal relationship between these creators and their origins.

The hometowns of these renowned mangaka are more than just places of birth—they are touchstones of creativity and memory, forever intertwined with the legacy of Japanese manga and anime.