Shinobu Ohtaka is a Japanese manga artist born on May 9, 1983, in Tokyo. She is recognized as a female creator who has achieved success within the predominantly male-oriented少年漫画 (shōnen manga) industry. Her interest in drawing began during middle school, and she started submitting her work to publishers while in high school. In July 2003, she gained recognition by winning the Grand Prize at the 2nd Square Enix Manga Awards for a short story submitted under the pen name Akutoshi.

Ohtaka made her professional serialization debut in 2004 with Sumomomo Momomo ~Chijō Saikyō no Yome~ (known in English as Sumomomo Momomo: The World's Strongest Bride), which was published in the inaugural issue of the young men's manga magazine Young Gangan. The series, a martial arts comedy, concluded in 2009 and was adapted into an anime television series in October 2006. This adaptation marked her first work to be brought to the screen.

Following the completion of her debut series, Ohtaka moved to the publication Weekly Shōnen Sunday to pursue her goal of creating a series in a shōnen magazine. There, she began her most renowned work, Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic, in 2009. The series ran until 2017 and became a major commercial and critical success. It was adapted into a television anime that premiered in October 2012, and its manga volumes were best-sellers, ranking among the top-selling series in Japan during its publication. In 2013, Magi won the Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. Ohtaka also served as the writer for its spin-off prequel, Magi: Adventure of Sinbad, which was illustrated by Yoshifumi Ōtera and also received an anime adaptation.

In 2018, Ohtaka launched her next original series, Orient, which began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Magazine. Set in a fictional version of Japan's Warring States period, the story follows a teenage boy with a unique ability in a world dominated by demons. This series was also adapted into an anime, which premiered in 2022. Beyond her serialized manga, Ohtaka provided the original character designs for the 2021 television anime series Back Arrow.

As an artist, Ohtaka is known for her dynamic pen work and ability to portray action sequences effectively. Her artistic style has evolved over time, developing from a simpler approach in her debut to a more refined and distinctive look characterized by clean lines and vibrant color work in her illustrations. Recurring themes in her stories often involve concepts of destiny, personal identity, and the bonds between characters, with a notable tendency to give significant narrative focus to supporting characters. She has cited martial arts and B-movies as personal interests that influence her work.