Ryūichi Yokoyama was a pioneering Japanese mangaka and animation director, born on May 17, 1909, in Kōchi Prefecture, and he passed away on November 8, 2001, at the age of 92. He is recognized as a foundational figure in both the manga and anime industries, best known for creating the iconic character Fuku-chan and for producing some of Japan's first animated television series.

Yokoyama began his career in the 1930s after moving to Tokyo, where he initially worked as an apprentice to a sculptor before finding his calling in comics. In 1932, he founded the New Manga Collective, an association of young artists aimed at challenging the established norms of the industry and creating professional opportunities for the next generation. His major breakthrough came in 1936 with the serialization of the four-panel comic strip Edokko Ken-chan in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun newspaper. A supporting character in the strip, a young boy named Fukuo Fuchida, or Fuku-chan, quickly became more popular than the main character. This led to a spin-off series focused solely on Fuku-chan, which became a national phenomenon. The strip ran in the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper from 1936 to 1971, totaling 5,534 installments, making it one of the longest-running and most beloved Japanese comic strips of its era. The series depicted the gentle, humorous everyday life of a kindergarten boy and his family, a timeless formula that would influence generations of manga artists, including Osamu Tezuka.

Beyond his success in print, Yokoyama was deeply passionate about animation, inspired by the work of Walt Disney. In 1956, he invested his personal fortune to establish his own animation studio, Otogi Pro, on the grounds of his home in Kamakura. The studio produced several short films, with Yokoyama directing works like Onbu Obake (1955) and Fukusuke (1957), the latter of which won a Blue Ribbon Award. Otogi Pro's most significant achievement came in 1961 with the production of Otogi Manga Calendar, also known as Instant History. This educational program, which told historical stories through animation, is widely credited as being the first animated television series in Japan, premiering two years before the debut of Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy. Yokoyama was also the original creator and director of the 1962 theatrical anime feature Otogi no Sekai Ryoko, an omnibus film that presented a story about a studio's voyage around the world.

While his role in animation management became less hands-on over time, his contributions were crucial to establishing the medium's early infrastructure. His Fuku-chan character was eventually adapted into a 71-episode anime television series that aired from 1982 to 1984.

Yokoyama's artistic identity was defined by a focus on comedy and humanism. He was among the first generation of Japanese manga artists to prioritize gentle humor and the absurdities of daily life over the political satire that had previously dominated the field. This humanistic approach is perhaps best exemplified in his later manga series Hyaku Baku, which lovingly depicted human folly and earned him the prestigious Japan Cartoonists Association Award in 1979. Throughout his long career, he was also an accomplished painter, sculptor, and essayist.

Ryūichi Yokoyama's industry significance is immense. He is celebrated as the father of manga culture in his native Kōchi Prefecture, which has since become known as the Manga Kingdom. He was honored as a Person of Cultural Merit by the Japanese government in 1994. His legacy is preserved at the Ryuichi Yokoyama Memorial Manga Museum in his hometown, and his influence is permanently recorded in the stars, as an asteroid was named after his beloved character Fuku-chan.