Mengo Yokoyari is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator born on February 27, 1988, in Mie Prefecture, Japan. She began her professional career by debuting as a creator of adult manga in 2009. Yokoyari initially worked under the pseudonym Yori for certain projects, including illustrations for Vocaloid music videos.

Yokoyari is recognized as the sole author of the manga series Kuzu no Honkai, also known as Scum's Wish, which was serialized from 2012 to 2017. This work became a significant success and was adapted into a television anime series. She is also the credited illustrator for two other major manga titles. The first is Kimi wa Midara na Boku no Joō, written by Lynn Okamoto, which ran from 2012 to 2017. The second and most prominent is Oshi no Ko, a collaboration with writer Aka Akasaka that began serialization in 2020. The Oshi no Ko manga received a television anime adaptation in 2023. Her other serialized works include Haruwaka, Mega Heart, and Retort Pouch!. The adult manga compilation Mokkai Shiyo? was published in 2011.

Yokoyari’s artistic identity is defined by a drawing style characterized by soft and delicate lines, with particular attention to the depiction of eyelashes and the fluffy texture of hair, especially on female characters. Her works frequently incorporate erotic themes, a direction she has stated she chose deliberately, aiming to portray sexual content in a manner that can be enjoyed by both male and female audiences. Yokoyari is also noted for her strength in directing the psychological portrayal of characters, effectively depicting their inner emotions and dark aspects. She has mentioned dropping out of high school to become a manga artist’s assistant, having harbored the ambition to draw manga since childhood.

In the industry, Yokoyari holds significance both as the creator of a successful original property like Kuzu no Honkai and as the sought-after illustrator for major collaborative projects. Her partnership with Aka Akasaka on Oshi no Ko brought together two prominent creators, resulting in one of the most commercially successful manga series of the early 2020s. Her background in adult manga and her distinctive artistic style have made her a notable figure in the seinen demographic.