Sho Makura is a Japanese manga artist and manga writer born in 1964 in Aichi Prefecture. He graduated from a private university and worked as a salaried worker for a year and a half before beginning his career in comics. He initially worked under the pen name Makura Maina, creating adult manga primarily for the publisher Matsubunkan. Makura made his debut in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1990 with a one-shot titled Tenkai-kun no Karei naru Nayami, which later became his first serialized work in 1991. Following this, he transitioned to working primarily as an original creator, or manga writer, rather than as a solo artist.

Makura is best known as the original creator of the manga Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube, which he created in collaboration with illustrator Takeshi Okano. The series was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1993 to 1999 and became a major success, with over 29 million copies in circulation. The story follows Meisuke Nueno, a schoolteacher and exorcist who uses a demonically possessed hand to protect his students from supernatural threats. Makura has stated that he strongly wished for the series to be adapted into an anime, and he created concept images for the opening sequence and designed the series logo with an anime aesthetic in mind even before a television adaptation was officially proposed.

The original Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube manga inspired a substantial body of animated works for which Makura is credited as the original creator. A 49-episode anime television series produced by Toei Animation aired from 1996 to 1997. The franchise also includes three anime films released in 1996 and 1997: Jigoku Sensei Nube, Jigoku Sensei Nube: Gozen 0 toki Nube Shisu, and Jigoku Sensei Nube: Kyoufu no Natsu Yasumi! Ayashi no Umi no Densetsu. Additionally, three original video animation episodes were released between 1998 and 1999.

Makura continued to work within the universe of Hell Teacher for many years, frequently reuniting with artist Takeshi Okano. Together they created the spin-off series Reibaishi Izuna and its sequel Reibaishi Izuna Ascension, which focus on a supporting character from the original manga. They also produced direct sequels to the main series, including Jigoku Sensei Nube Neo, which ran from 2014 to 2018, and Jigoku Sensei Nube S, which was published from 2018 to 2021. In 2025, Makura and Okano launched a new serialization titled Jigoku Sensei Nube Kai in Saikyo Jump, accompanied by a new anime television adaptation that premiered in July 2025. In addition to his work on the Hell Teacher franchise, Makura has collaborated with other artists on projects such as Tsurikkizu Pin Tarou with Takeshi Okano and Boyoyon Pandaruman with Haruhi Kato. He has also worked as a screenwriter, contributing scripts for two episodes of the fifth Gegege no Kitaro anime series. In 2022, he launched an isekai manga titled Isekai Daifugō Yūsha-sama.