Yasumi Yoshizawa is a Japanese manga artist and original creator born on January 8, 1950, in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. His real name is also Yasumi Yoshizawa, written with the characters 吉沢保己. He began his career as a mangaka, a profession he has held throughout his creative life.

Yoshizawa is best known as the creator of the landmark comedy manga series Dokonjo Gaeru, also known as The Gutsy Frog. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, running from July 27, 1970, to June 14, 1976, and was later collected into 27 tankobon volumes. This work marked his debut and became his most significant and enduring success.

The popularity of Dokonjo Gaeru led to multiple anime adaptations. The first anime television series, also titled Dokonjo Gaeru, was produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (now TMS Entertainment) and aired 103 episodes from October 7, 1972, to September 28, 1974. Nearly a decade later, a second anime series, Shin Dokonjo Gaeru, was produced, airing 30 episodes from September 7, 1981, to March 29, 1982. An anime film, Shin Dokonjo Gaeru: Dokonjo Yumemakura, was released in 1982. For each of these productions, Yoshizawa is credited as the original creator.

While Dokonjo Gaeru was his most prominent work, Yoshizawa created several other manga series throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. These included Omocha-kun, which was serialized in Monthly Shonen Jump in 1975. He also created Yacchin, a spin-off of Dokonjo Gaeru featuring a supporting character, which was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump starting in 1977. Other works from this period include Gingin Tai Ryoku-kun, a comedy series that ran in Monthly Shonen Jump in 1978, and Mainasu Hacchan, a baseball-themed comedy serialized in Monthly Shonen Jets in 1981.

The artistic identity of Yasumi Yoshizawa is firmly rooted in gag comedy. His work, particularly Dokonjo Gaeru, centers on humorous, often slapstick situations and character-driven jokes. The core premise of the series, featuring a boy named Hiroshi and a talking frog imprinted on his shirt, exemplified a surreal and energetic style of comedy that was well-suited to the shonen manga market of the 1970s.

Yoshizawa's significance in the industry lies in the success and longevity of his debut work. Dokonjo Gaeru was a popular serial in Weekly Shonen Jump during its early years and its adaptations helped establish it as a staple of 1970s and 1980s anime comedy. The series has maintained a cultural presence, inspiring a live-action television drama adaptation that aired in 2015 and even a reported American remake pilot in 2013. Its enduring popularity is reflected in its continued ranking in fan polls and retrospectives of classic anime.