Kazuyoshi Takeda is a Japanese manga artist and writer born in 1975 in Hokkaido. He began his career in the manga industry as an assistant to Hiroya Oku, the creator of Gantz, a role he held from 2006 to 2013. Takeda made his debut as a creator in 2012 with the serialization of Sayonara Tama-chan in Kodansha's Evening magazine. This work was a semi-autobiographical account of his own experience being diagnosed with and treated for testicular cancer in June 2010. The series was critically acclaimed, placing third in the 2014 Manga Taisho Award competition.

Following his debut, Takeda published Oyacocco in 2015 before launching his most renowned work, Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise (Peleliu: Rakuen no Gerunika), in Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine in 2016. The series concluded its main story in April 2021, spanning 11 collected volumes, with a spin-off, Peleliu Gaiden, running from 2021 to 2025. An anime film adaptation of Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise, produced by Shinei Animation and Fugaku, is scheduled for release in December 2025. For this project, Takeda is credited not only as the original creator but also as a co-writer of the screenplay alongside Junji Nishimura.

Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise is a historical manga set during the Battle of Peleliu in World War II. It follows a young soldier named Tamaru who aspires to be a manga artist, focusing on the daily lives and psychological struggles of Japanese soldiers far from home. The work is noted for its detailed research, which was conducted with the cooperation of military historian Masao Hiratsuka and through interviews with survivors. The series has received significant recognition, including an Excellence Award at the 46th Japan Cartoonist Association Awards in 2017 and a nomination for the 25th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 2021.

Takeda's artistic identity is characterized by a contrast between his cute, rounded character designs and the harsh, realistic subject matter he portrays. His editor has stated that this style was deliberately developed for his debut work to make the difficult topic of his own cancer battle more accessible to readers, and he continued this approach to effectively depict the grim realities of war. His work is defined by a commitment to thorough research, including visits to historical sites and direct engagement with those connected to the events, driven by a desire to convey historical truth with sincerity and to explore the minimal state of peace that is threatened by conflict.