Ryōji Minagawa is a Japanese manga artist born on July 5, 1964, in Sumida, Tokyo. He made his professional debut in 1988 with the work Heaven, which was published in Weekly Shōnen Sunday. Minagawa first gained significant recognition as the illustrator for the manga Spriggan, which was serialized from 1991 to 1996. The series was created in collaboration with writer Hiroshi Takashige and became a foundational work in his career, leading to international fame across North America and Europe. The story of Spriggan involves a secret organization employing elite agents to protect dangerous ancient artifacts, known as OOPArts, from falling into the wrong hands.

Following the completion of Spriggan, Minagawa created the series Kyo in 1996 before beginning work on Project ARMS from 1997 to 2002 in collaboration with writer Kyoichi Nanatsuki. Project ARMS earned him the 44th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 1999, solidifying his status in the industry. In 2003, he launched the series D-Live!!, which continued until 2006. His subsequent works have included titles such as Peace Maker, Adamas, and more recently, Kaiou Dante.

Several of Minagawa’s manga have been adapted into other media. Spriggan was first adapted into an anime film by Studio 4°C in 1998, and later received an original net animation series produced by David Production that premiered globally on Netflix in 2022. Project ARMS was adapted into a television anime series in 2001. Beyond manga, Minagawa has contributed his artistic style to the video game industry, working as a character designer for titles such as Live A Live for the Super Famicom, the Tekken series, and the PlayStation game Tsukiyo ni Saraba, among others.

Minagawa has cited the films of George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, and Steven Spielberg as inspirations for becoming a manga artist. His artistic identity is characterized by dynamic, action-oriented storytelling, and he has noted the influence of manga artists such as Mikiya Mochizuki and Katsuhiro Otomo on his style. He remains an active creator in the manga industry.