Takeshi Okano is a Japanese manga artist born on May 9, 1967, in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture. He is a graduate of Waseda University. Okano made his professional debut in 1987 with the work Bakuhatsu! Yuriko-sensei, and in 1988 he received the 28th Akatsuka Award for AT Lady!, which he created under the pseudonym Takeshi Nomura. This early career period saw him balancing freelance work with employment as a company employee while conducting weekly serializations.

Okano is most widely recognized as the illustrator for the seminal manga series Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube. The series was written by Shou Makura and serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from August 1993 to May 1999. The story follows Meisuke Nueno, a teacher who protects his students from supernatural threats using a demon sealed in his left hand. The manga was a significant success, with its 31 collected volumes forming the foundation of a long-running franchise. Okano and Makura have continued to collaborate on the series for decades, creating numerous sequels and spin-offs. These include Jigoku Sensei Nūbē Neo, which ran from 2014 to 2018, Jigoku Sensei Nūbē S from 2018 to 2021, and the Izuna the Spiritual Medium series, which focuses on a character from the original work.

The original Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube manga was adapted into a 49-episode anime television series by Toei Animation, which aired on TV Asahi from April 1996 to August 1997. This adaptation period also included three anime films and three original video animation episodes. More than two decades later, a new anime television series adaptation was announced and is scheduled to premiere in July 2025, produced by Studio Kai. Throughout these adaptations, Okano’s role remains consistent as the credited original creator alongside writer Shou Makura.

Beyond his defining work on the Nube franchise, Okano has created several other manga series. In the early 2000s, he produced works such as Magician² and Gedou the Unidentified Mysterious Boy. He also illustrated Digimon Next from 2006 to 2008, based on a story by Tatsuya Hamazaki and the original concept by Akiyoshi Hongo. His earlier collaborative works with Shou Makura include Tsurikkies Pintarou. Okano has also contributed to short stories and special projects in magazines like V Jump and Weekly Shonen Jump.

Okano’s artistic identity is closely tied to long-term collaboration with writers, most notably Shou Makura, with whom he has worked for over three decades. His visual style has been a consistent element in bringing stories that blend horror, comedy, and supernatural school life to a broad audience across shonen, seinen, and children’s demographics. The recurring nature of his work within a single universe demonstrates a significant commitment to expanding a singular creative concept over time. In the industry, Okano holds significance as the artist behind one of the notable occult-themed manga successes of the 1990s, a work that has maintained cultural relevance through sequels and a new anime adaptation, with the overall manga franchise having sold over 29 million copies.