Sōsuke Tōka is the Japanese manga artist and writer best known as the sole creator of the original web manga series Ranking of Kings, known in Japanese as Ōsama Rankingu. He is credited as the author and illustrator of the series, which began serialization in May 2017 on the user-submitted Manga Hack website. The story follows a deaf and physically weak prince named Bojji and his friendship with Kage, a survivor of an assassin clan, as they navigate a fantasy world defined by a system that ranks the power of kings.

Before achieving success with Ranking of Kings, Tōka spent years working as a salaryman. He had long dreamed of becoming a professional manga creator but faced rejections from publishers earlier in his career. In his forties, he decided to pursue the dream again, choosing to self-publish his work online as a webcomic rather than immediately seeking a traditional publishing deal. The online popularity of Ranking of Kings eventually led to a print publication offer from Enterbrain, and the series has since been collected into multiple tankōbon volumes under the Beam Comix imprint. Tōka has cited Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball and the manga Kinnikuman as major influences on his work, and he has also named One Piece, Fullmetal Alchemist, and GeGeGe no Kitarou as favorite series.

Tōka's work gained widespread international recognition following the anime adaptation of Ranking of Kings. The anime television series was produced by Wit Studio and aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block from October 2021 to March 2022. A spin-off anime series, Ranking of Kings: The Treasure Chest of Courage, known in Japanese as Ōsama Ranking: Yūki no Takarabako, aired from April to June 2023, with Tōka again credited as the original creator. The anime adaptations brought his distinctive art style and storytelling to a global audience.

Thematically, Tōka's work is noted for subverting traditional fantasy tropes and challenging initial character impressions. Ranking of Kings frequently presents characters who defy simple heroic or villainous labels, focusing on themes of empathy, perseverance, and the idea that strength takes many forms beyond physical power. The protagonist Bojji, who is deaf and communicates through sign language and lip-reading, was partially inspired by Tōka's own slight hearing problem and his appreciation for silent protagonists in role-playing games. The series is known for its emotional depth, often balancing a deceptively simple fairy-tale aesthetic with complex character drama and moments of intense violence.

Tōka's career trajectory holds significance in the manga industry as a notable late-success story. After abandoning his childhood dream of becoming a manga artist following years of rejection, he returned to the medium in his forties and achieved international success through webcomic self-publishing. His path demonstrates how digital platforms have created alternative routes to publication and audience building, bypassing traditional industry gatekeeping. He reportedly once paused print production on the manga to continue building his online audience, showing a strategic, business-minded approach to his career. Tōka has kept his career as a manga artist a secret from his conservative parents, who banned manga and anime during his childhood. As of the available information, he is not documented as having any voice acting roles.