Jun Esaka
Description
Jun Esaka is a Japanese writer born on February 13 in Kanagawa Prefecture. A graduate of Waseda University, Esaka began a professional writing career after completing studies. The creator is known for work across light novels and manga, often contributing original stories to established media franchises.
Esaka has written several novelizations and spin-offs for major shonen properties. In the One Piece franchise, Esaka authored One Piece Novel Heroines, a collection of stories focused on female characters such as Nami, Nico Robin, Vivi, and Perona. This work was published as a novel with illustrations by Sayaka Suwa and later received an English release under the title One Piece: Heroines. Within the Naruto universe, Esaka wrote the light novel Naruto: Sasuke Retsuden—Uchiha no Matsuei to Tenkyuu no Hoshikuzu, which follows Sasuke and Sakura on an undercover investigation. Additional Naruto-related novels by Esaka include Kakashi Retsuden and the Boruto novel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations—Masters and Disciples. Esaka also contributed to the Boruto anime adaptation as a story coordinator for episodes 282 through 286.
Beyond franchise-based work, Esaka has created original manga series. In 2022, Esaka launched she is beautiful, a story about a girl named Kurumi who falls asleep as a child and wakes fourteen years later in a changed world. The manga was illustrated by Takahide Totsuno and published in Young Jump. Esaka's other original manga credits include Yametai!: Anata no Reset, Daikou Shimasu, a corporate drama about a resignation agent; Koukoku no Gekokujou: Shiitage Rareta Choukoushi wa Fuguu no Ouji to Tenka wo Nerau, a Chinese fantasy involving scents with power to change the world; Real Onigokko: Seven Rules, a survival game story; and Risoukyou Joshi Zukan: Watashi no Kekkon Seikatsu, Tottemo Shiawase desu, a marriage story featuring mysterious tools.
Esaka's creative identity frequently involves female protagonists navigating unusual or difficult circumstances, blending mystery with psychological and dramatic elements. The writer has demonstrated versatility by working both within established franchises requiring fidelity to existing characters and worlds, as well as creating entirely original settings and narratives. In the industry, Esaka has gained recognition for contributing to two of the most commercially significant manga franchises, One Piece and Naruto, through official spin-off novels that expand those universes. Esaka also won the Young Jump Anime 1 Cours-bun Plot contest in 2020 with a story titled Beautiful, which later developed into she is beautiful, earning a prize of 500,000 yen. This contest win helped establish Esaka as an original creator capable of generating compelling premises for adaptation.
Esaka has written several novelizations and spin-offs for major shonen properties. In the One Piece franchise, Esaka authored One Piece Novel Heroines, a collection of stories focused on female characters such as Nami, Nico Robin, Vivi, and Perona. This work was published as a novel with illustrations by Sayaka Suwa and later received an English release under the title One Piece: Heroines. Within the Naruto universe, Esaka wrote the light novel Naruto: Sasuke Retsuden—Uchiha no Matsuei to Tenkyuu no Hoshikuzu, which follows Sasuke and Sakura on an undercover investigation. Additional Naruto-related novels by Esaka include Kakashi Retsuden and the Boruto novel Boruto: Naruto Next Generations—Masters and Disciples. Esaka also contributed to the Boruto anime adaptation as a story coordinator for episodes 282 through 286.
Beyond franchise-based work, Esaka has created original manga series. In 2022, Esaka launched she is beautiful, a story about a girl named Kurumi who falls asleep as a child and wakes fourteen years later in a changed world. The manga was illustrated by Takahide Totsuno and published in Young Jump. Esaka's other original manga credits include Yametai!: Anata no Reset, Daikou Shimasu, a corporate drama about a resignation agent; Koukoku no Gekokujou: Shiitage Rareta Choukoushi wa Fuguu no Ouji to Tenka wo Nerau, a Chinese fantasy involving scents with power to change the world; Real Onigokko: Seven Rules, a survival game story; and Risoukyou Joshi Zukan: Watashi no Kekkon Seikatsu, Tottemo Shiawase desu, a marriage story featuring mysterious tools.
Esaka's creative identity frequently involves female protagonists navigating unusual or difficult circumstances, blending mystery with psychological and dramatic elements. The writer has demonstrated versatility by working both within established franchises requiring fidelity to existing characters and worlds, as well as creating entirely original settings and narratives. In the industry, Esaka has gained recognition for contributing to two of the most commercially significant manga franchises, One Piece and Naruto, through official spin-off novels that expand those universes. Esaka also won the Young Jump Anime 1 Cours-bun Plot contest in 2020 with a story titled Beautiful, which later developed into she is beautiful, earning a prize of 500,000 yen. This contest win helped establish Esaka as an original creator capable of generating compelling premises for adaptation.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview