Etsumi Haruki is a Japanese manga artist born on May 28, 1947, in Osaka’s Nishinari-ku. His true name has never been publicly disclosed. He studied at the Tama Art University, after which he supported himself with various part-time jobs, including painting eyes and lips on mannequins, before making his professional manga debut in 1978 at the age of 31 with the work Sei - Tora Button Ondo.

Haruki is best known as the creator of the long-running manga series Jarinko Chie, which was serialized in Futabasha’s Manga Action magazine from 1978 to 1997 and collected in 67 tankōbon volumes. The series, a comedy centered on a resourceful young girl named Chie Takemoto, her unemployed gambler father, and their talking cat, earned him the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga. The series was a significant commercial success, with over 30 million copies in circulation.

The story was adapted into multiple anime productions. In 1981, a theatrical film directed by Isao Takahata premiered, followed by a 64-episode television anime series, also directed by Takahata, which aired from October 1981 to March 1983. A sequel television series titled Chie-chan Funsenki Jarinko Chie, consisting of 39 episodes and directed by Kazuyoshi Yokota, was broadcast from October 1991 to September 1992. The official English title for the anime is Downtown Story.

Beyond his signature work, Haruki has created other manga such as Youth Sunrise Cafeteria, which was adapted into a live-action television series in 1982. He also worked as a character designer and co-director on an anime television film adaptation of Natsume Sōseki’s novel I Am a Cat in 1982. His later works include the series Kaettekuta Doran Neko, which ran from 2001 to 2002. A recurring element in his work is the presence of cats, influenced by his own life experiences living with stray cats.

Haruki’s artistic identity is rooted in the realistic depiction of working-class life in Osaka, a setting that draws heavily from his own childhood in the Nishinari and Sumiyoshi districts. His work is noted for its portrayal of everyday struggles and strong local character. He is known to be a private individual who rarely gives interviews, preferring a relaxed lifestyle and avoiding modern technology.