Maki Ōtsubo is a Japanese manga artist born on October 23, 1958, in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. He made his professional debut as a mangaka in 1980 with the series Buchi Maru Outlaw, which was published in Weekly Shounen Jump. In 1983, he received the 9th Chiba Tetsuyashou, also known as Young Magazine's Rookie of the Year Award, for his work Kisetsuhazure Gomennasai.

Following his debut, Ōtsubo created manga across a wide variety of themes and genres, including the mahjong series Mantori, the pachinko series Pachisuro 7, and the baseball manga Bokura no Koshien. He is best known for two specific works that were adapted into original animation videos. The first is Kennel Tokorozawa, a manga that ran for three volumes and was released as an OVA in 1992. The second is Nyūin Bokki Monogatari Odaiji ni!, a four-volume manga that was adapted into a two-episode OVA released in December 1991. For these anime productions, Ōtsubo is credited as the original creator and for providing the original character designs.

Ōtsubo's artistic identity is marked by a versatility across genres, though his most recognized works fall into comedy and ecchi categories aimed at a seinen demographic. His significance in the industry lies in the successful transition of his manga to animated formats during the early 1990s OVA market, a period when direct-to-video anime served as a major platform for adapting manga that were not necessarily mainstream television series.