Okina Baba is the Japanese author and creator of the multimedia franchise So I'm a Spider, So What? (Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?). The creator first began writing the story as a web novel, serializing it on the amateur publication site Shōsetsuka ni Narō starting on May 27, 2015, when the author was in their twenties. The popularity of this online serialization led to a print publication deal, and the first light novel volume, featuring illustrations by Tsukasa Kiryu, was released by Fujimi Shobo (under its Kadokawa Books imprint) on December 10, 2015. The main story of the light novel series concluded with its 16th volume, published on January 8, 2022.

Okina Baba is the sole credited creator and writer of the original story, which serves as the foundation for all subsequent adaptations. For the manga adaptation of So I'm a Spider, So What?, Okina Baba is credited as the original story author, while Asahiro Kakashi is responsible for the artwork. A spin-off manga, So I'm a Spider, So What? The Daily Lives of the Kumoko Sisters, was written by Gratin Tori, with Okina Baba again credited as the original story creator. For the anime television series adaptation, which aired for 24 episodes from January to July 2021, Okina Baba was involved more directly, serving as a supervisor for the series composition and working on the scripts.

Regarding the creator's artistic identity, Okina Baba has stated that the core inspiration for the series came from discovering web novels, which opened up new possibilities for writing and sharing stories outside of traditional print publishing. The specific choice of a spider as the protagonist was not the result of careful planning or a particular fondness for the creature, but rather was a spontaneous decision based on a spider appearing in a dream on the day the author started writing. Despite this arbitrary origin, a recurring theme in Baba's work is the focus on a non-human protagonist who must rely on survival strategies, game-like logic, and inner strength to overcome extreme hardship. The creator has mentioned outlining the overall plot and deciding on the story's ending before beginning to write, working to fill in the necessary gaps and scenes to reach that conclusion.

In terms of industry significance, Okina Baba is part of a wave of creators who emerged from the web novel platform Shōsetsuka ni Narō, a space that has generated numerous commercially successful light novel, manga, and anime franchises. The creator has stated that the experience of writing the series has felt like running non-stop, with the success across multiple forms of media feeling not entirely real, which the author has noted allows for a focus on writing without overthinking the broader implications.