Yayū Murata is a Japanese manga artist born on March 30 in the Minamibōsō region of Chiba Prefecture. He is a graduate of the Department of Literature in the College of Art at Nihon University. Early in his career, he received recognition through awards such as the Usuta Kyosuke Manga Award Incentive Prize and the Matsui Yūsei Manga Award Incentive Prize.

Murata made his serialization debut in 2018 with Tsuma, Shōgakusei ni Naru. The series began as a one-shot published in the magazine Weekly Manga Times in April 2018 before transitioning to a full serialization in July of the same year. The manga concluded in December 2022, spanning a total of 14 compiled volumes.

As an original creator, Murata is best known for this work, which has seen significant adaptation across different media. Tsuma, Shōgakusei ni Naru was adapted into a live-action television drama that aired from January to March 2022. An anime adaptation of the series is scheduled to debut in October 2024. A spin-off manga related to the series was also published in Weekly Manga Times in March 2024.

Following the success of his debut, Murata launched a new original series titled Unjō ni Utaite, Kimi wo Matsu, which began serialization in the July 19, 2024, issue of Weekly Manga Times. His published works also include a spin-off volume for Tsuma, Shōgakusei ni Naru focusing on the theme of first love.

His artistic identity often revolves around narratives that explore complex familial bonds and emotional reconciliation, frequently incorporating elements of speculative fiction to examine grief and second chances. His significance in the industry is marked by the rapid transition of his debut work into both live-action and anime formats, establishing him as a creator whose original intellectual property holds considerable commercial and critical appeal for multimedia adaptation.