Koge Donbo, also known as Kokoro Koharuno, is a Japanese manga artist, illustrator, and character designer born on February 27 in Tokyo. She began her professional career shortly after college, initially working as a doujinshi artist. Her distinctive pen name was inspired by Akira Toriyama, the creator of Dr. Slump; she combined the name of Toriyama's cat, Koge, with the word Donbo, which conveys a sense of crying or misfortune. In April 2008, she formally added an asterisk to her pen name, writing it as Koge Donbo.

Her career gained significant momentum when she created the character Dejiko, a catgirl who became the official mascot for the Akihabara retail store chain, Gamers. This character was the centerpiece of the Di Gi Charat franchise, which she created. Dejiko first appeared in a promotional magazine in July 1998 and proved to be immensely popular, leading to a manga series and multiple anime adaptations. These anime include the Di Gi Charat Christmas Special, the Di Gi Charat Flower Viewing Special, and the Di Gi Charat Summer Special, among several other series, specials, and an original video animation. The Di Gi Charat franchise became a significant multimedia success, spanning manga, anime, video games, and a wide range of merchandise.

In the years following the debut of Di Gi Charat, Koge Donbo created several other major works. From 1999 to 2003, she wrote and illustrated the manga Pita-Ten, which was serialized in MediaWorks Dengeki Comic Gao! magazine. The story follows a young boy and his new neighbor, who claims to be an angel. The series was adapted into a twenty-six episode anime television series that aired in 2002.

Another significant work is Kamichama Karin, a shōjo manga that was serialized in Kodansha Nakayoshi magazine from 2003 to 2006. The story centers on a middle school girl who gains god-like powers from a ring left by her late mother. The manga was a commercial success and was adapted into an anime television series. Koge Donbo later wrote and illustrated a sequel, Kamichama Karin Chu, which ran from 2006 to 2008.

Koge Donbo is also credited as the original character designer for the anime A Little Snow Fairy Sugar, also known as A Little Snow Fairy Sugar Summer Special. The anime, which aired from 2001 to 2002, was an original story produced by J.C. Staff, with the screenplay written by Haruka Aoi. The series is set in a fictional German town and follows a disciplined young girl named Saga who meets a mischievous snow fairy named Sugar. Koge Donbo contribution to this project was primarily in designing its distinctive, cute characters.

Beyond her manga and anime work, Koge Donbo has provided character designs for video games such as Princess Concerto and has been an illustrator for the Aquarian Age trading card game. She has also released several artbooks, including the annual Chocola series. Her artistic style is characterized by a cute and ornate aesthetic, often featuring characters with large, expressive eyes and intricate costume designs. While her work is predominantly bright and charming, some of her series incorporate underlying elements of melancholy or more complex emotional themes.

Koge Donbo has been recognized internationally as a guest of honor at several major anime conventions. She made her first official appearance in the United States at Otakon in 2004 and was a guest of honor at Anime Expo in 2006, where she presented the world premiere of a new Di Gi Charat animation. Her works have been translated and published in multiple languages, including English, German, French, and Spanish, contributing to her lasting influence on the aesthetic of early 2000s cute culture in anime and manga.