The List

7 Manga Cut Short Due To Author's Health

Being a manga creator is a tough job. Writers with popular series work tirelessly like One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, who claims to sleep just three hours a night. Understandably, he's gone on hiatus a few times in the last year to recover from illness. Call it part of the job description, but health concerns can stop a popular manga or novel series in its tracks.

7. Takahiro Yamato (Kaze no Stigma) Novelist Takahiro Yamato passed away in 2009 before completing his light novel series Kaze no Stigma. The story about elemental masters remains incomplete at six main volumes and a series of short story collections. Gonzo adapted the manga into an anime that was released stateside by Funimation.

6. Ken Ishikawa (Getter Robo series) The close friend of Go Nagai, Ishikawa is the man behind the Getter Robo franchise which spawned numerous anime adaptations and manga spinoffs. While in the midst of penning Getter Robo Āḥ, the series was put on hiatus when the Super Robot Magazine was cancelled. The series stopped at a major cliff hanger leaving characters Arc and Kamui's fates in the balance. Before the manga was picked up in another magazine, Ishikawa suddenly collapsed after a game of golf and was pronounced dead. A spinoff manga based on his notes was published posthumously.

5. Noboru Yamaguchi (Zero no Tsukaima) Novelist Yamaguchi amassed a large fanbase when he started publishing the Zero no Tsukaima light novel series in 2000. The series spans 20 volumes, four anime seasons, and tie-in manga adaptations. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer in 2011 and would succumb to the illness in April. He wrote 20 of the 22 planned Zero no Tsukaima novels.

4. Kaoru Tada (Itazura na Kiss) There may be few shojo series more beloved than Tada's Itazura na Kiss. Despite last being published over 10 years ago, the series is still getting live-action television adaptations in Japan and Korea. The series follows the academically-challenged Kanoko and her relationship with the emotionally distant yet brilliant Naoki. The manga is famously unfinished as Tada tragically died after a moving accident before completing the series. The anime adaptation provides closure albeit original to the series.

3. Keiji Nakazawa (Barefoot Gen) The Barefoot Gen manga stands as a testament to the tragedies of the atomic bomb. The series has (with some controversy) been used as a teaching device in school history lessons. Nakazawa survived the atomic bombings at the age of six and became a manga author by 24. He planned to continue Barefoot Gen but abandoned the project after cancer treatments and worsening eyesight. He passed away last year.

2. Shotaro Ishinomori (Cyborg 009) One of the father's of the live-action special effects television genre, Ishinomori also penned Cyborg 009, Skullman, and other sci-fi manga series. When his health started to decline in the late 90s, he asked Kazuhiko Shimamoto to come on to draw a Skullman remake. Ultimately, Ishinomori didn't finish Cyborg 009 but Masato Hayase signed on to draw the series' last arc based on his notes and began serializing it online in August.

1. Osamu Tezuka (Phoenix) Considered Tezuka's "life work," the God of Manga started the series in 1967 and would continue it at various points through out his career until his death. The stories stand alone, for the most part, but as the chapters go on, they work towards a converging timeline. Tezuka passed away before that timeline emerged in the story. He died of stomach cancer at the age of 60.

The new poll: Viz's Neon Alley streaming service is starting their fall season. Which show in their current line-up is your favorite? Or, choose "other" and say what show you'd like to see in the forums. They just started Utena so it doesn't have to be recent!





The old poll: The last poll asked which Straw Hat pirate is your favorite. Here's the full results:

1. Roronoa Zoro 26.9%
2. Monkey D. Luffy 19.0%
3. Nico Robin 15.5%
4. Sanji 13.6%
5. Nami 12.3%
6. Tony Tony Chopper 4.3%
7. Usopp 3.7%
8. Brook 2.8%
9. Franky 1.9%