Hiroshi Shiibashi
Description
Hiroshi Shiibashi is a Japanese manga artist born on June 6, 1980, in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from the Osaka University of Arts, where he studied image arts and cinematic techniques, including screenwriting, a background that distinguishes his approach to visual storytelling. During his time at university, he was a first-generation student in the seminar led by renowned writer Kazuo Koike. His early career included work as an assistant to Hirohiko Araki, the creator of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, an experience that had a notable influence on his artistic style.
Shiibashi began his professional career by publishing one-shot manga in publications such as Business Jump and the Osaka University of Arts’ Kanan Bungei Manga-hen magazine. His breakthrough came in 2006 when he published the one-shot Nurarihyon no Mago in Akamaru Jump, which won the third Gold Future Cup. Following its positive reception, a second one-shot was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2007, leading to the full serialization of the series starting in 2008.
He is best known as the original creator of the manga Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, known in Japan as Nurarihyon no Mago. The manga was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 2008 to June 2012 and later in Jump Next! until December 2012, with its chapters compiled into 25 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Rikuo Nura, a boy who is three-quarters human and one-quarter yōkai, as he navigates his destiny to become the leader of the Nura yōkai clan. The series’ popularity led to two anime television adaptations produced by Studio Deen. The first season, also titled Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, aired for 24 episodes plus a special from July to December 2010. A second season, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan – Demon Capital, aired for 24 episodes from July to December 2011. Both seasons were directed by Junji Nishimura and Michio Fukuda respectively, and were licensed for North American release by Viz Media.
Following the conclusion of his signature work, Shiibashi continued to create manga. He authored Illegal Rare, which was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2014 and compiled into four volumes. In 2019, he published Kamio Yui wa kami o yui, a series that also ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump and was collected in four volumes. From 2021, he began serializing Iwamoto-senpai no suisen in the seinen magazine Ultra Jump. Over a decade after Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan concluded, Shiibashi returned to the franchise with a four-chapter series titled Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan – Shadow, which ran in Ultra Jump from April to July 2023.
Throughout his works, Shiibashi often explores themes of legacy, identity, and the coexistence of the human and supernatural worlds, frequently drawing upon Japanese folklore and yōkai lore. He has cited influences ranging from American superheroes like Batman and Superman in his childhood to manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub and Steel Ball Run. His artistic identity is characterized by a style that he has described as being close to that of his mentor, Hirohiko Araki, and aims for a distinctly Japanese aesthetic reminiscent of ukiyo-e. His professional significance was underscored by ranking tenth on Nikkei Entertainment's 2011 list of most successful manga artists by sales.
Shiibashi began his professional career by publishing one-shot manga in publications such as Business Jump and the Osaka University of Arts’ Kanan Bungei Manga-hen magazine. His breakthrough came in 2006 when he published the one-shot Nurarihyon no Mago in Akamaru Jump, which won the third Gold Future Cup. Following its positive reception, a second one-shot was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2007, leading to the full serialization of the series starting in 2008.
He is best known as the original creator of the manga Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, known in Japan as Nurarihyon no Mago. The manga was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 2008 to June 2012 and later in Jump Next! until December 2012, with its chapters compiled into 25 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Rikuo Nura, a boy who is three-quarters human and one-quarter yōkai, as he navigates his destiny to become the leader of the Nura yōkai clan. The series’ popularity led to two anime television adaptations produced by Studio Deen. The first season, also titled Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, aired for 24 episodes plus a special from July to December 2010. A second season, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan – Demon Capital, aired for 24 episodes from July to December 2011. Both seasons were directed by Junji Nishimura and Michio Fukuda respectively, and were licensed for North American release by Viz Media.
Following the conclusion of his signature work, Shiibashi continued to create manga. He authored Illegal Rare, which was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2014 and compiled into four volumes. In 2019, he published Kamio Yui wa kami o yui, a series that also ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump and was collected in four volumes. From 2021, he began serializing Iwamoto-senpai no suisen in the seinen magazine Ultra Jump. Over a decade after Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan concluded, Shiibashi returned to the franchise with a four-chapter series titled Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan – Shadow, which ran in Ultra Jump from April to July 2023.
Throughout his works, Shiibashi often explores themes of legacy, identity, and the coexistence of the human and supernatural worlds, frequently drawing upon Japanese folklore and yōkai lore. He has cited influences ranging from American superheroes like Batman and Superman in his childhood to manga such as Lone Wolf and Cub and Steel Ball Run. His artistic identity is characterized by a style that he has described as being close to that of his mentor, Hirohiko Araki, and aims for a distinctly Japanese aesthetic reminiscent of ukiyo-e. His professional significance was underscored by ranking tenth on Nikkei Entertainment's 2011 list of most successful manga artists by sales.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview
- Topics: Anime overview