Minami Ozaki is a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist, and illustrator born on February 27, 1968, in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. She began her creative career in the world of dōjinshi (self-published fan works) in 1984, operating under several group names including NTT and Club Doll. Her early work was heavily influenced by the manga Captain Tsubasa, and she quickly became a prominent figure in fan communities. Her old pen name was Ryo Minami, but in 1986 she changed it to Minami Ozaki. She has also occasionally used the pseudonym Minami Himemuro. Her first serialized manga, Chūsei no Akashi (Proof of Loyalty), was published in the magazine Margaret in 1988.

Ozaki is best known as the creator of the landmark manga series Zetsuai 1989. The series, which began serialization in 1989 in the shōjo magazine Margaret, follows the intense and obsessive relationship between a famous rock musician, Koji Nanjo, and a soccer prodigy, Takuto Izumi. The word Zetsuai is a compound created by Ozaki, translated as desperate love or everlasting love. The original Zetsuai 1989 manga was collected into five volumes. Due to popular demand following its open-ended conclusion, Ozaki launched a sequel series titled Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989 in 1992, which was serialized in Margaret Comics and later completed with fourteen volumes. A prequel story, Bad Blood, was also released in 1992.

The Zetsuai franchise has been adapted into multiple anime formats. An original video adaptation of Zetsuai 1989 was produced by the studio Madhouse and released in July 1992. This was followed by a spin-off OVA titled Bronze: Cathexis in 1994. A subsequent OVA, also titled Bronze: Zetsuai Since 1989, was produced by Production I.G and released in December 1996. Beyond the anime, the series has also spawned a collection of soundtrack albums and a series of light novels illustrated by Ozaki.

Ozaki is widely recognized for her significant influence on the yaoi and boys-love genres. Critics have noted that through her early Captain Tsubasa dōjinshi, she played a strong role in revamping the boys-love genre in the 1980s. Her commercial success with Zetsuai 1989 led to the series being one of the first works in its genre to reach an international audience, with official translations released in French, German, Spanish, and Italian. She has been described by some critics as one of the queens of shōjo and shōnen-ai manga.

The artistic identity of Minami Ozaki is characterized by what has been called prolonged erotic psychodramas, earning her a cult following. Her work is known for its extremely stylized character designs and page layouts that create a dream-like quality, with a distinct focus on dramatic atmosphere and emotional intensity over detailed backgrounds. Her hallmark themes revolve around absolute love, obsession, and the fine line between love and destruction, often exploring deep psychological conflict and the concept of an endless ending. This unique aesthetic and thematic approach has had an enormous influence on later shōjo writers and continues to define her legacy in the industry.