Hiroyuki Takei is a Japanese manga artist born on May 15, 1972, in Yomogita, Aomori Prefecture. He began his career by creating fanzine works before gaining attention with the short story Anna the Itako, which received an honorable mention in the 48th Tezuka Award in 1994. Early in his career, he worked as an assistant to manga artists Tamakichi Sakura and Nobuhiro Watsuki, the latter being the creator of Rurouni Kenshin, where Takei worked alongside Eiichiro Oda.

Takei's first serialized work was Butsu Zone, which ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1997. He is best known as the creator of Shaman King, which began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1998. The series became his longest-running and most successful work, spanning 32 tankōbon volumes before concluding in 2004. Following the original series, Takei expanded the Shaman King universe with several sequel and spin-off works. Shaman King Flowers was serialized from 2012 to 2014. Subsequent works set in the same universe include Shaman King The Super Star, which began in 2018, as well as Shaman King Marcos and Shaman King Red Crimson, the latter two created with artist JET草村. Shaman King & a Garden, with art by 鵺泽京 and adaptation by JET草村, further expanded the series.

Beyond the Shaman King franchise, Takei has created a range of other manga series. In 2007, he published Jumbor Barutronica in Weekly Shōnen Jump. He collaborated with American comic book creator Stan Lee on Karakuri Dôji Ultimo, which ran from 2009 to 2015. Other notable works include Nekogahara, a series with a水墨-style aesthetic that ran from 2015 to 2018, and Hyper Dash! Yonkurō, a spin-off based on Zaurus Tokuda's Dash! Yonkuro. He has also contributed character designs for anime productions including GARO: Flame Imprint and Bikkuriman.

The Shaman King franchise has seen multiple anime adaptations. The original anime series aired in 2001. In 2017, Takei revealed on Twitter that he had received an offer for a remake but initially declined because the production was unable to use the original voice actors and soundtrack music. A new anime television series was later announced in June 2020 and aired from April 2021 to April 2022, featuring several returning cast members from the 2001 series.

Takei's artistic identity is shaped by a range of influences. He has cited Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Baoh, as well as American comic books, mecha anime, and Osamu Tezuka as significant influences. Spirituality is a recurring theme in his work, with ghosts, shamans, and religious concepts playing central roles across his stories. His character designs and mechanical illustrations have been noted for their distinctive style, and he has drawn illustrations for trading card games such as Cardfight!! Vanguard and Duel Masters.

Within the manga industry, Takei holds significance both as the creator of a globally recognized franchise and as a artist who emerged from the influential group of assistants who worked under Nobuhiro Watsuki during the 1990s, alongside figures like Eiichiro Oda. His collaboration with Stan Lee on Ultimo represented a notable cross-cultural partnership between Japanese manga and American comics. Following the conclusion of his early work with Shueisha, Takei has continued to create across multiple publishers including Kodansha, maintaining activity across various Shaman King-related projects and original works into the 2020s.