Youko Hanabusa is a Japanese manga artist recognized for creating the original works behind the anime series Hello! Lady Lynn and Lady Lady!!. Born on December 29 in Tokyo, she graduated from the literature department of Kokugakuin University. Hanabusa began her professional manga career in 1978 when she submitted her first work to publishers, leading to her debut with Akita Shoten in the magazine Desir before she began publishing in the same publisher's Hitomi Comics. Early in her career, she also created works for other publications including Mystery Bonita, Horror M, and Nakayoshi.

Hanabusa is best known as the author and illustrator of the shōjo manga series Lady!!, which was originally serialized in Hitomi Comics from 1987 to 1993 and collected in twelve volumes. The success of the manga led Toei Animation to produce two anime television adaptations. The first season, titled Lady Lady!!, consists of twenty-one episodes and aired on TBS from October 21, 1987 to March 23, 1988. A sequel series, Hello! Lady Lynn, followed. A twenty-seven minute anime film related to the series was also released on March 12, 1988. The Lady!! manga and its adaptations follow a young Anglo-Japanese girl named Lynn Russell who moves to England and strives to become a true lady following her mother's death, dealing with themes of family, nobility, and perseverance. Hanabusa later created additional works set in the same universe, including the sequel Lady Lynn! and a dōjinshi titled Lynn no Kodomotachi & Peter Pan. Due to continued reader demand, she published a new sequel to Lady!! in 2008.

Beyond her flagship series, Hanabusa has demonstrated considerable range by working in varied genres such as mystery, horror, romantic comedy, and historical fiction. She has adapted classic literature into manga form, including Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, and has created historical works such as a manga about Empress Elisabeth of Wittelsbach, known as Sissi. She collaborated with writer Kyōko Mizuki, known for Candy Candy, on the series Premier Muguet. Hanabusa has also adapted numerous Western romance novels into manga, including works by authors such as Charlotte Lamb, Penny Jordan, and Barbara Cartland. Her early work Premier Muguet was set in the South of France, reflecting her long-standing affection for France, a country she has visited regularly for many years.

In addition to her creative work, Hanabusa has contributed to manga education. She taught for two years at Nagoya University of Arts and, since the year 2000, has been instructing manga techniques at the Toei Animation creation school. She frequently attends manga conventions and conducts masterclasses and signing sessions abroad, particularly in France and other parts of Asia, demonstrating a commitment to sharing her knowledge with an international audience. Her career, beginning in the late 1970s and spanning into the twenty-first century, marks her as a notable figure in shōjo manga, particularly for works that blend romantic and historical drama.