Wataru Watari is a Japanese light novel author and screenwriter born on January 24, 1987, in Chiba Prefecture. He graduated from the Information and Communication Faculty of Meiji University in March 2009. His career as a writer began after he encountered a poster for a light novel rookie award during his college years, leading him to submit his work to the Shogakukan Light Novel Award. In 2009, he won the third Gagaga Bunko Light Novel Award for his debut series, Ayakashigatari, which was published in four volumes later that year and in 2010.

Watari is most widely recognized as the creator of My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, as I Expected, known in Japanese as Yahari Ore no Seishun Love Come wa Machigatteiru. The first volume of this series was published by Shogakukan under the Gagaga Bunko imprint in March 2011. The series concluded with its fourteenth main volume in November 2019, with four additional short story collections and official anthologies also released. Its international success has led to cumulative worldwide sales surpassing 10 million copies.

The work has been adapted into multiple media formats. The first anime adaptation, titled My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, aired in 2013, followed by a second season, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!, in 2015, and a final season, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Climax, in 2020. Watari contributed as a screenwriter for original video animation episodes of the series. The story has also been adapted into several manga versions, including the series My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, As I Expected @ comic, as well as video games and original animation videos.

Beyond his signature work, Watari has developed several other projects. In 2015, he contributed to the Qualidea Code multimedia project, co-authoring light novels and collaborating on the screenplay for the 2016 anime adaptation alongside fellow authors Sō Sagara and Kōshi Tachibana. In 2016, he created the light novel series Girlish Number, for which he also served as the original draft creator and series composition writer for its anime adaptation that same year. His work as a screenwriter extends to other anime productions, including Domestic Girlfriend in 2019, The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent in 2021, and Parallel World Pharmacy in 2022, where he handled series composition. He also served as series composition writer for The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady in 2023 and Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions in the same year.

A recurring element in Watari’s creative identity is his connection to his hometown of Chiba, which he frequently references in his works. For My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, as I Expected, he modeled the fictional school and its surroundings on real locations in Chiba Prefecture, drawing from his own experiences as a student. He has stated that the protagonist Hachiman Hikigaya’s cynical outlook on school life and social structures was inspired by his own high school experiences, where he quit the volleyball club and instead worked part-time jobs. Thematically, his work often explores the complexities and difficulties of communication, a concept he has described as central to My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong, as I Expected, where characters use the same words but assign them different meanings.

Watari maintains a career alongside his writing, working as an office employee while writing at night, and has expressed no plans to become a full-time writer. He maintains close professional and personal relationships with voice actors Takuya Eguchi and Chado Horii, participating in collaborative events with them. His influence as a creator is recognized within the light novel industry, and his works have been noted for their sharp wit and structured storytelling, qualities praised by the judge of his debut award.