Monkey Punch was the pen name of Kazuhiko Katō, a Japanese manga artist and professor born on May 26, 1937, in Hamanaka, Hokkaido. He died on April 11, 2019, in Sakura, Chiba, due to pneumonia. He is best known as the creator of the internationally acclaimed series Lupin III, which made its debut on August 10, 1967, in the magazine Weekly Manga Action. The series follows the adventures of Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Maurice Leblanc's gentleman thief, alongside companions Daisuke Jigen, Goemon Ishikawa XIII, and Fujiko Mine, all while being pursued by Inspector Koichi Zenigata. Katō began drawing at a young age and was inspired by Osamu Tezuka as well as the style of Mad magazine artist Mort Drucker. After moving to Tokyo, he worked as an assistant to Naoki Tsuji on series like Zero-sen Hayato and Tiger Mask before making his professional debut in 1965 with Playboy School under the pseudonym Eiji Gamuta. An editor suggested the name Monkey Punch for what was expected to be a short project, but the resulting series, Lupin III, became a massive success that spanned numerous manga sequels, six animated television series, multiple theatrical films, television specials, OVAs, video games, and live-action adaptations.

Beyond the Lupin III franchise, Monkey Punch created several other original works. These include Cinderella Boy, a series about a detective who shares a body with a female thief, which was later adapted into an anime in 2003. He also created Pinky Punky, Musashi -Way of the Gun-, and the manga Mankatsu, which received its own anime adaptation in 2004. He designed the original characters for the pachinko game CR Ginroku Gijinden Roman, which was adapted into the anime Bakumatsu Gijinden Roman in 2013. He was also credited as the original creator for the anime Kinkyuu Hasshin Saver Kids. Regarding the specific examples of his credited works, Monkey Punch is recognized as the original creator for the anime films Lupin III: Italian Game, Lupin III: The First, Lupin III vs. Cat's Eye, and Lupin III vs. Detective Conan: The Movie. His involvement with the anime adaptations of his most famous work was generally hands-off, preferring to enjoy them as a fan, though he did step into a more direct role by directing the 1996 Lupin III film Dead or Alive.

Recurring themes in Monkey Punch's work include the anti-hero, sophisticated heists blending action and comedy, and characters with fluid moral alignments. His artistic identity was heavily influenced by Western comics and cinema, which contributed to a dynamic style that helped pioneer the modern manga aesthetic. The character of Fujiko Mine, originally conceived as a rotating "Bond girl" type, evolved into a complex femme fatale, reflecting a signature blend of adventure, humor, and subtle eroticism.

Monkey Punch held significant industry standing not only as a creator but also as an educator. In April 2005, he became a professor of Manga and Animation at Otemae University's Faculty of Media and Arts and was a visiting professor at Tokyo University of Technology in 2010. He received an Inkpot Award in 1981 and a special Tokyo Anime Award for lifetime achievement in 2015. His work on Lupin III has influenced a generation of creators, including Hayao Miyazaki, who directed The Castle of Cagliostro, and Gosho Aoyama, the creator of Detective Conan. Even after his death, the Lupin III franchise continues to be a profitable and enduring pillar of Japanese pop culture, ensuring his legacy as one of manga's most significant figures.