Shō Aimoto
Description
Shō Aimoto is a Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of the supernatural mystery series Kemono Jihen. Aimoto was born on December 22, 1987, in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. Early in their career, Aimoto worked as an assistant to Akira Amano, the creator of the popular series Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Aimoto's professional career began after winning the 33rd Jump Twelve Newcomer Manga Award in December 2005 for the story Hanasaka Hime, which was later published in the Summer 2006 issue of Akamaru Jump. Following this debut, Aimoto released several one-shot stories, including MUDDY in 2006, which was later serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in early 2008. The first major serialized success came with Hokenshitsu no Shinigami (The Infirmary's Death God), which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2009 to 2011. This series was collected into ten tankōbon volumes and established Aimoto as a notable creator in the shonen genre.
Aimoto's most prominent work to date is Kemono Jihen (lit. Monster Incidents), which began serialization in Shueisha's Jump Square magazine on December 2, 2016. As of December 2025, the manga has been collected into 24 volumes and remains ongoing. The series follows Kohachi Inugami, a detective specializing in supernatural cases, and a half-ghoul boy named Kabane as they investigate incidents involving kemono, or supernatural creatures, in Tokyo. The manga is licensed for English release by Seven Seas Entertainment.
The success of Kemono Jihen led to an anime television series adaptation produced by the studio Ajiado, which aired 12 episodes from January 10 to March 28, 2021. The anime was directed by Masaya Fujimori, with scripts by Noboru Kimura and music by Yuya Mori. In 2018, Kemono Jihen was recognized as a runner-up in the Print Manga category at the Next Manga Awards.
In addition to these major works, Aimoto has created a range of one-shot stories and shorter serializations. These include Space Diplomacy Salesperson Sharumero in 2008, Rengoku in 2012, W.C. Friends in 2013, and Ultramarine in 2013. In December 2021, Aimoto released a one-shot spin-off titled Fujiko's Bizarre Worldly Wisdom -Whitesnake's Miscalculation- in Ultra Jump magazine. A collection of shorter works, Ao: Aimoto Shou Tanpenshuu, has also been published.
Recurring themes across Aimoto's body of work often involve the coexistence of the supernatural with everyday life, as seen in both Hokenshitsu no Shinigami, which features a death god working in a school infirmary, and Kemono Jihen, where kemono live alongside humans. Aimoto's artistic identity is characterized by clean character designs and the ability to blend action, mystery, and emotional depth. The creator has taken brief hiatuses due to health reasons, including an instance in early 2026 due to gastroenteritis, indicating ongoing active management of the serialization schedule for Kemono Jihen.
Aimoto's professional career began after winning the 33rd Jump Twelve Newcomer Manga Award in December 2005 for the story Hanasaka Hime, which was later published in the Summer 2006 issue of Akamaru Jump. Following this debut, Aimoto released several one-shot stories, including MUDDY in 2006, which was later serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump in early 2008. The first major serialized success came with Hokenshitsu no Shinigami (The Infirmary's Death God), which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 2009 to 2011. This series was collected into ten tankōbon volumes and established Aimoto as a notable creator in the shonen genre.
Aimoto's most prominent work to date is Kemono Jihen (lit. Monster Incidents), which began serialization in Shueisha's Jump Square magazine on December 2, 2016. As of December 2025, the manga has been collected into 24 volumes and remains ongoing. The series follows Kohachi Inugami, a detective specializing in supernatural cases, and a half-ghoul boy named Kabane as they investigate incidents involving kemono, or supernatural creatures, in Tokyo. The manga is licensed for English release by Seven Seas Entertainment.
The success of Kemono Jihen led to an anime television series adaptation produced by the studio Ajiado, which aired 12 episodes from January 10 to March 28, 2021. The anime was directed by Masaya Fujimori, with scripts by Noboru Kimura and music by Yuya Mori. In 2018, Kemono Jihen was recognized as a runner-up in the Print Manga category at the Next Manga Awards.
In addition to these major works, Aimoto has created a range of one-shot stories and shorter serializations. These include Space Diplomacy Salesperson Sharumero in 2008, Rengoku in 2012, W.C. Friends in 2013, and Ultramarine in 2013. In December 2021, Aimoto released a one-shot spin-off titled Fujiko's Bizarre Worldly Wisdom -Whitesnake's Miscalculation- in Ultra Jump magazine. A collection of shorter works, Ao: Aimoto Shou Tanpenshuu, has also been published.
Recurring themes across Aimoto's body of work often involve the coexistence of the supernatural with everyday life, as seen in both Hokenshitsu no Shinigami, which features a death god working in a school infirmary, and Kemono Jihen, where kemono live alongside humans. Aimoto's artistic identity is characterized by clean character designs and the ability to blend action, mystery, and emotional depth. The creator has taken brief hiatuses due to health reasons, including an instance in early 2026 due to gastroenteritis, indicating ongoing active management of the serialization schedule for Kemono Jihen.
Works
- Topics: Anime overview