The creator of the popular "Yu-Gi-Oh!" manga series who died in July apparently lost his life in an attempt to help a sea rescue of a U.S. girl in Okinawa, coast guard officials said Friday.
The Japan Coast Guard refrained from making public any details about the death of Kazuki Takahashi after consultation with his bereaved family, considering that psychological care for the young survivor should take priority, they said.
Takahashi noticed the girl and her parents adrift in the sea off Onna of the southern Japan prefecture when he was snorkeling on the afternoon of July 4, and rushed to help them along with two U.S. service members nearby.
The personnel rescued the girl and her parents managed to reach the shore by themselves, but Takahashi was apparently caught in a wave, the officials said.
The body of the 60-year-old manga artist, whose real name was Kazuo Takahashi, was found in waters off Nago, near Onna, two days later.
The Stars and Stripes, an American military newspaper, reported Tuesday that Takahashi had made an effort to help in the rescue, quoting Maj. Robert Bourgeau, a U.S. Army officer, as calling the artist a "hero" who "died trying to save someone else."
Takahashi's work "Yu-Gi-Oh!" was serialized in Shueisha Inc.'s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1996 to 2004, with a total circulation, including digital publications, reaching over 40 million.
The official card game based on the series was released in more than 70 countries and regions and was certified as the "best-selling trading card game in the world" by Guinness World Records.
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"Yu-Gi-Oh!" cartoonist Kazuki Takahashi found dead at sea
