Photo: Collected
Tetsuya Chiba, the legendary Japanese manga artist best known for the boxing series ‘Ashita no Joe’, has died. He was 87.
His publishers announced his death on Tuesday, news agency AFP reported from Tokyo.
Chiba’s manga tell stories of young athletes in various sports growing up physically and mentally, while also portraying the poverty, despair, joy and hope of ordinary people in post-war Japan. Golf, boxing and the Japanese martial art of kendo were favourite subjects of his work.
The central character of ‘Ashita no Joe’, published from the 1960s into the 1970s, is a troubled young man. After learning to box in a juvenile reformatory, he turns professional and is eventually drawn into breathtaking rivalries.
The series had a profound influence on Japanese culture. When Joe’s main rival died in the story, fans even held a funeral for him.
Many older fans can still recite lines from the series by heart. It also spawned a popular anime series, films, video games, television commercials and stage plays.
Over a seven-decade career, Chiba taught at university and headed the Japan Cartoonists Association.
He received several honours, including Japan’s highly prestigious ‘Order of Culture’, for his significant contributions to the arts, sciences and culture.
Kodansha, a major Japanese publishing house, has been presenting the ‘Tetsuya Chiba Award’ to new manga artists for the past 46 years.
In a statement, Kodansha said countless young manga artists had kept Chiba’s advice in mind on their way to becoming professionals, and many of them are still active in the field.
The statement said he died last Thursday. In the company’s words, the void left by Chiba’s outstanding contribution to the world of manga can never be filled.
Chiba frequently gave media interviews to talk about his commitment to peace. He also spoke about his childhood in China during the Second World War. Chiba returned home after Japan’s defeat in the war.
Background
‘Ashita no Joe’ was serialised in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine from 1 January 1968 to 13 May 1973, with story by Asao Takamori and art by Chiba, according to Wikipedia.
In 2024, Chiba received Japan’s ‘Order of Culture’, becoming the first manga artist to be given the honour, AnimeClick reported on 26 October 2024.
At a glance
According to a Jiji Press report of 3 November 2024, Emperor Naruhito presented the Order of Culture medals to seven people, including Chiba, at the Imperial Palace on Culture Day.
Sources
Original report: BSS
Background sources: Wikipedia (Ashita no Joe), accessed 27 October 2026; AnimeClick, 26 October 2024; Nippon.com (Jiji Press), 3 November 2024
