Natsuki Takaya is a Japanese manga artist best known as the creator of the internationally acclaimed series Fruits Basket. Born on July 7, 1973, in Shizuoka, Japan, and raised in Tokyo, Takaya has said her desire to become a manga artist began in the first grade when her older sister started drawing. She made her professional debut in 1992 with the short story Born Free, published in Hakusensha's Hana to Yume magazine. The creator is left-handed.

Takaya's early serialized works include Phantom Dream, which ran from 1994 to 1997, and Tsubasa: Those with Wings, serialized from 1995 to 1998. However, her breakthrough came with Fruits Basket, which was serialized in Hana to Yume from 1998 to 2006 and collected into 23 volumes. The story follows Tohru Honda, an orphaned girl who becomes entangled with the Sohma family, whose members are cursed to transform into animals of the Chinese zodiac when embraced by the opposite sex. In 2001, Takaya received the Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo manga for Fruits Basket.

The original Fruits Basket manga was first adapted into a twenty-six episode anime television series that aired in 2001. Unlike the source material, this adaptation diverged from the manga's plot and concluded with an original ending. A second, more faithful anime adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment aired from 2019 to 2021. This reboot, titled Fruits Basket (2019), Fruits Basket 2nd Season, and Fruits Basket The Final, covered the entirety of the original manga's story across three seasons. Following the conclusion of the reboot, a theatrical anime film titled Fruits Basket -prelude- was released, which adapts the backstory of Tohru's parents, Kyoko and Katsuya. This film is also known as Kyoko to Katsuya no Monogatari. Takaya served as executive supervisor for the 2019 reboot and provided original illustrations and story consultations for the production.

During the publication of Fruits Basket, Takaya experienced health challenges that affected her drawing hand. After the sixth volume was published, she broke her drawing arm and required surgery, which led to a brief hiatus for the series. She later developed an occupational dystonia, a neurological condition affecting her left hand.

After completing Fruits Basket, Takaya continued to create manga. Her subsequent works include Twinkle Stars, serialized from 2007 to 2011, and Liselotte & Witch's Forest, which began in 2011 and went on indefinite hiatus in 2013. She has also returned to the world of her most famous work with the sequel series Fruits Basket Another, which was serialized from 2015 to 2019. In the early 2020s, she released the side stories Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc and Fruits Basket: The Three Musketeers Arc 2. Her series In Such a Small World began serialization in 2023.

The creator's artistic identity is closely tied to the shōjo genre, blending fantasy, romance, and deep character-driven drama. Common themes in her work include family dynamics, emotional healing, identity, and overcoming trauma. Through author commentary, Takaya has expressed appreciation for video games such as Final Fantasy and Sakura Taisen. Her significant commercial and critical success, particularly with Fruits Basket, has established her as a prominent and influential figure in modern shōjo manga.