Hitori Renda is a Japanese manga artist born on January 2, 1977, who works as both a writer and illustrator. He studied visual communication at university and worked at a graphic design company before pursuing a career in manga, a path he began at a relatively later age than many of his peers, starting around the age of twenty-five.

Renda first gained significant recognition as the artist for the manga adaptation of the first season of King's Game (Ousama Game). This series, based on the horror novel by Nobuaki Kanazawa, was published by Futabasha and ran for five volumes starting in 2010. The story involves a high school class forced to participate in a deadly game where they must obey orders sent via mobile phone, with failure resulting in death. Renda has stated he was given complete creative freedom in adapting the novel, focusing on capturing its sense of dread rather than creating a literal panel-by-panel adaptation. He chose not to continue with subsequent manga seasons of the franchise, explaining he wanted to move on to new creative challenges to grow as an artist.

Following King's Game, Renda illustrated Watashi wa Rikyū, a series about the tea ceremony that was written by Hikari Hayakawa and published in Shueisha's Jump Kai magazine from 2011 to 2013. This four-volume work allowed him to explore a subject he initially found intimidating, as he had no prior knowledge of tea ceremony traditions.

His first major series as a solo creator, handling both story and art, is Okitenemuru, which was released in English as Awaken. Serialized in Futabasha's Monthly Action magazine beginning in January 2014, this thriller follows characters infected with a mysterious parasite that transforms their faces to resemble animals while leaving their human consciousness intact. Renda has cited the Resident Evil video game series as a major influence on his preference for suspense and horror narratives. He has noted that while he enjoys creating suspense, balancing supernatural or fantastic elements with realistic human interactions remains one of his primary creative challenges.

The artist resides in Osaka Prefecture. Despite creating works known for their violence and dark themes, he has been described as a gentle person who loves cats and admits to feeling nervous before each chapter deadline. He is also known for his dynamic drawing style and realistic touch in color illustrations. Recurring elements in his work include the introduction of horror into everyday settings, high school-aged protagonists, and scientific or pseudo-scientific explanations for supernatural events, such as the biological parasite in Awaken.