Toshio Sako is a Japanese manga artist known for creating works centered on high-stakes psychological combat and intricate games of wit. Born on December 7, 1973, in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Sako initially pursued a career as a barber after graduating from high school. At approximately 28 years old, he decided to change paths to become a manga creator. To learn the craft, he worked as an unpaid assistant to Takeshi Hinata, the artist behind the basketball manga Ahiru no Sora, an experience that served as his formal training in the industry.

Sako made his professional debut in 2005 with a one-shot titled Usokui, which received an honorable mention in the 48th Young Jump Monthly Manga Grand Prix and was published in Weekly Young Jump. This initial success led to his first major serialization, Usogui, which began running in Shueisha’s Weekly Young Jump in May 2006 and concluded in December 2017. The series was collected into 49 tankobon volumes, establishing a substantial body of work over more than a decade. Usogui follows the genius gambler Baku Madarame, known as the Lie Eater, as he navigates deadly gambling matches sanctioned by a powerful underground organization called Kakerou, aiming ultimately to take control of the group itself.

Following the conclusion of Usogui, Sako launched Batuque in 2018. The manga was initially serialized in Weekly Young Jump before moving to the web magazine Tonari no Young Jump in 2020, where it continued until its completion in 2024. In February 2025, Sako began a new serialization in Weekly Young Jump titled Genikasuri, a story set in the underworld of professional boxing focusing on a former boxer who becomes a promoter.

Sako’s body of work is characterized by an intense focus on psychological warfare, strategic deception, and physical action. His storytelling often places characters in life-or-death situations where intellect and the ability to read opponents are as critical as physical prowess. This thematic focus is partly informed by his own physical pursuits. He has practiced capoeira, the Brazilian martial art that inspired the title and themes of his series Batuque, and also has a background in karate, having attended a dojo in elementary school. Sako is a known admirer of Hirohiko Araki, the creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and the two have a noted professional friendship. Araki has provided high praise for Usogui, calling it a peak of strange thriller fiction, and they have collaborated on illustrations and interviews, with Sako citing Araki’s work as a significant influence on his own approach to gambling and bluffing narratives.

Several adaptations have been produced from Sako’s original manga. An original video animation of Usogui was released on October 19, 2012, bundled with the 26th volume of the manga. A live-action film adaptation of Usogui was also produced and released in 2022. Sako has also contributed one-shots and specials, including Yakou-san in 2009 and a Usogui spin-off titled Usogui to Kagerou Tachiainin, serialized in 2021. His standing in the industry was further recognized when he was selected as one of the final judges for the inaugural Shueisha Seinen Manga Newcomer Award in 2025, a competition designed to discover new talent, placing him alongside other prominent creators such as Aka Akasaka and ONE.