Yu Yu Hakusho Creator Information

Born in Yamagata, Japan on April 26, 1966, Yoshihiro Togashi is the middle child of two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother. Togashi's debut as a manga artist came after winning a Shonen Jump contest. He is a Taurus with an A blood type.

Togashi's first work was called Tonda Birthday Present, which was followed by Tende Showaru Cupid (An Ill-tempered Cupid in Heaven: 1989, 3 volumes), Okami Nante Kowakunai! (I'm Not Afraid of Wolves: 1989, 1 volume), Yu Yu Hakusho (1990, 19 volumes), Level E (1996, 3 volumes), and Hunter X Hunter (1998, 15+ volumes). Each of these have been published by Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump. Yu Yu Hakusho has sold over 40 million copies in Japan alone.

Togashi is a recipient of the Tezuka Award, named for the famous artist Tezuka Osamu and is married to Naoko Takeuchi, who is the creator and artist behind the Sailor Moon series. Their wedding took place on January 6, 1999 and they have a baby boy.

Togashi's inspiration for Yu Yu Hakusho came from his love of horror films and, as quoted from Shonen Jump, came from "...a manga starting with the scene of the main character's death. Then, later on, I wanted to turn it into a fighting manga. Those are the two points I kept in mind." Some of his artistic influences came from H.R. Giger's Alien movies.