Keiji Nakazawa was a Japanese manga artist and writer, born on March 14, 1939, in Hiroshima, Japan. He is best known as a creator who channeled his personal experiences as a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima into powerful works of manga and anime. As a child, Nakazawa was in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. Most of his family members who had not evacuated died as a result of the explosion, leaving him, his mother, and an infant sister as the sole survivors. This traumatic event would become the defining experience of his life and the central theme of his artistic career. After graduating from middle school in 1954, he moved to Tokyo in 1961 to pursue a career as a full-time cartoonist, initially producing short pieces for various manga anthologies. For several years, he did not address the atomic bomb in his work, partly due to the discrimination he witnessed against survivors in Tokyo. However, following the death of his mother in 1966, Nakazawa began to confront his memories of the destruction directly. His first work to tackle the subject was the fictional story Kuroi Ame ni Utarete (Struck by Black Rain), published in 1968, which focused on Hiroshima survivors involved in the postwar black market.

Nakazawa is most renowned for his seminal work, Hadashi no Gen (Barefoot Gen), which he began in 1972. This ten-volume series is a semi-autobiographical account of the bombing and its aftermath, with the young protagonist Gen Nakaoka serving as a stand-in for the author. The manga depicted the horrors of the atomic bomb and the subsequent occupation with unflinching graphic detail, while also offering a sharp critique of the militarization of Japanese society during World War II and the dynamics of the traditional family. Beyond his landmark series, Nakazawa was the original creator for the anime film Kuro ga Ita Natsu (Summer with Kuro), which aired on June 4, 1990. For this film, he is credited with the original concept and script. The story is set in Hiroshima in the summer of 1945 and follows a young girl who saves a starving kitten named Kuro, only for the family to face the tragedy of the atomic bombing. While a lesser-known work compared to Barefoot Gen, it stands as a direct example of his continued focus on the human and civilian experience of World War II.

The adaptation history of Nakazawa's work is significant, with Barefoot Gen being adapted multiple times for different media. It was adapted into a trilogy of live-action movies, two animated films (produced by Madhouse in 1983 and 1986), and a live-action television drama. His recurring artistic identity is inseparable from his identity as a hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor). His work is characterized by stark realism, deep humanism, and a politically charged anti-war and anti-nuclear message. He combined personal testimony with a bold criticism of nationalism and militarism, establishing manga as a medium for historical and political reflection. Visually, his style is known for its blunt and emotionally charged illustrations, often juxtaposing extreme violence with moments of resilience and even humor to underscore the human capacity for regeneration.

Keiji Nakazawa's industry significance is profound. He played a foundational role in shaping the genre of A-bomb manga, transforming the atomic bombing from a peripheral theme into a central, politically conscious narrative in graphic storytelling. His work broke taboos and was among the first Japanese comics to gain international recognition, with Barefoot Gen being the first book-length manga translated into English in the late 1970s. It has since been published in numerous languages worldwide. His contributions have been formally recognized with a posthumous induction into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame in 2024, following nominations in 2020 and 2023. Nakazawa announced his retirement in 2009 due to health issues, and he passed away on December 19, 2012, in Hiroshima, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most important and unflinching chroniclers of the nuclear age in popular culture.