Shō Makura is a Japanese manga artist and manga writer born on July 21, 1964, in Aichi Prefecture. After graduating from a private university and working as a salaryman for a year and a half, he decided to pursue a career in manga. Initially, he drew adult manga under the pen name Makura Maina for magazines published by Matsubunkan. He made his debut in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1990 with Tenkai-kun no Karei naru Nayami, which was later serialized in 1991.

Makura is best known as the original creator and writer of the popular supernatural manga Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube, which he created in collaboration with illustrator Takeshi Okano. The series was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from August 1993 to May 1999 and collected into 31 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Meisuke Nueno, an elementary school teacher and exorcist who uses a demon's power sealed in his left hand to protect his students from supernatural threats. Makura has stated that he had a strong desire for the manga to be adapted into an anime, and he had already conceptualized the opening theme and title logo even before an anime project was officially offered. The series has become a significant commercial success, with over 31 million copies in circulation across its franchise by December 2025.

The Hell Teacher franchise has seen numerous adaptations and sequel works. The first anime television series, produced by Toei Animation, aired for 49 episodes from April 1996 to August 1997, along with three animated films and three original video animations. A live-action television drama aired on Nippon Television in 2014. A second anime television series, produced by Studio Kai, began airing in July 2025 and concluded in March 2026, spanning 26 episodes.

Makura has continued expanding the Hell Teacher universe through multiple sequel and spin-off manga series, all illustrated by Okano. These include the Izuna spin-off series focused on the character Izuna Hazuki, published from 2007 to 2016. He also wrote Jigoku Sensei Nūbē Neo, serialized from 2014 to 2018 and collected into 17 volumes. This was followed by Jigoku Sensei Nūbē S, serialized from 2018 to 2021. In 2025, two new series launched simultaneously: Jigoku Sensei Nūbē Kai began serialization in Saikyō Jump in May 2025, while Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube Plus was serialized as a short-term series on Shōnen Jump+ from May to June 2025.

In addition to the Hell Teacher franchise, Makura has created other manga works. He wrote Tsurikkies Pintarō, illustrated by Okano, which was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2000. He has collaborated with other illustrators as well, including Kato Haruhi on works such as Tennen Tengoku Ranger Hanshima and Meru mo! E－nosuke. More recently, in 2022, he began writing Isekai Daitokuryū Yūsha-sama! Taoshita Teki ga Kinka ni Natta node Kane no Chikara de Musō Shimasu, illustrated by Azarashi-ken. Beyond his own series, Makura has also worked as a scriptwriter, contributing two episodes to the fifth anime series of GeGeGe no Kitaro.

Makura has described his creative process as being driven by specific scenes he wants to draw, then developing the story around those moments. When generating ideas, he researches by reading books on folklore and urban legends, watching movies, and consuming other media to find inspiration. He is considered an early pioneer of the name原作 style in Japan, where the original creator provides a complete storyboard with panel layouts and dialogue, rather than a text-only script, for the illustrator to then refine and complete. This approach has become more common in the industry, seen in successful series like Death Note and Bakuman.