Aguri Igarashi, born April 12, 1975, is a Japanese manga artist known for her illustrative work on several popular series, particularly those centered on competitive sports and school club activities. Her career began in 1995 when her work was selected for the Enix twenty-first century Manga Awards, leading to her debut in the magazine Fresh Gangan later that year. She is most widely recognized as the illustrator for the manga Bamboo Blade, which was written by Masahiro Totsuka. Serialized in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine from December 2004 to September 2010, Bamboo Blade follows a high school kendo team and was adapted into a twenty-six episode anime television series that aired from October 2007 to April 2008. Following the success of Bamboo Blade, Igarashi collaborated with writer Ritz Kobayashi as the artist for Saki Achiga-hen episode of Side-A, a spin-off of the popular mahjong manga Saki. This series, which focuses on a girls' mahjong club, was published in Monthly Shonen Gangan and also received an anime adaptation that began airing in April 2012. Igarashi later worked on Shinohayu, another entry in the Saki franchise, where she was credited for both the story and the art. Her body of work demonstrates a recurring focus on ensemble casts of female athletes, blending character-driven comedy with the specific rules and strategies of their respective sports. Through her contributions to major manga and anime franchises like Bamboo Blade and Saki, Aguri Igarashi has established herself as a significant creator in the sports and slice-of-life genres within the industry.