Famous people (artists, celebrities, historical figures)
(See also: Jisho: People & organizations)
Note: Most of these names will be listed in the Western style (personal first, surname last) rather than the Eastern style. I may get it wrong sometimes though. Sorry for any confusion. (It's probably extra confusing just because in most sections of my website where I list people's names, I do it with surnames first, phonebook style. But whatevs.)

Akira Toriyama (1955-?)
A Japanese manga-ka, who created Dragon Ball and "Dr. Slump," among many other works. Also did character designs for video games such as "Dragon Quest" and Blue Dragon, which have been adapted into mangas and animes.

Edogawa Rampo (1894-1965)
A Japanese author of detective fiction, influenced by such Western writers as Edgar Allan Poe (from whom he took this pen name) and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In the anime Detective Conan (aka "Case Closed"), Jimmy Kudo used the assumed name "Conan Edogawa," combining Doyle and Rampo's names. Goemon Ishikawa (1558-1594)
A Japanese thief. The character Goemon Ishikawa XIII from the anime Lupin III is supposedly a descendant of his. Haruki Murakami (1949-?)
See tek's links: writers

Hayao Miyazaki (1941-?)
A Japanese manga-ka and anime director, his works include
Castle in the Sky (W/D), Howl's Moving Castle (W/D), Kiki's Delivery Service (W/D), My Neighbor Totoro (W/D), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (W/D), Ponyo (W/D), Princess Mononoke (W/D), The Secret World of Arrietty (W), Spirited Away (W/D), The Wind Rises (W/D), and more. He is also one of the cofounders of Studio Ghibli.

Hideaki Anno (1960-?)
A Japanese anime director whose works include Neon Genesis Evangelion. Also a co-founder of Studio Gainax. Junko Mizuno (1973-?)
A Japanese artist who draws comics in the kawaii noir style (see arts page). Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)
A Japanese painter and ukiyo-e artist (see arts page); a sketchbook of some of his works known as Hokusai manga is considered the precedent of modern manga. Katsuhiro Otomo (1954-?)
A Japanese anime director and manga-ka, whose works include Akira, Steamboy, and the screenplay for Osamu Tezuka's Metropolis. Makoto Shinkai (1973-?)
A Japanese manga-ka and anime director. He wrote and directed
She and Her Cat, Voices of a Distant Star, "The Place Promised in Our Early Days", 5 Centimeters per Second, "Children Who Chase Lost Voices", "Your Name", Weathering with You, Suzume, etc. Mamoru Oshii (1951-?)
A Japanese anime director, whose works include Ghost in the Shell and "Urusei Yatsura." Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584-1645)
One of the greatest swordsmen in history, he also wrote a book on strategy called the Go Rin No Sho (see martial arts page). Nobuyoshi Araki (1940-?)
A Japanese photographer of various subjects, often pornographic, and considered by some to be misogynistic. Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989)
Known as the "god of manga" (or the "father of manga"), he is one of Japan's most prolific creators of manga and anime, including the classic Astro Boy, and Metropolis. He is in large part responsible for the distinctive visual style of modern anime & manga. Puffy AmiYumi (or in Japan, simply "Puffy")
A popular J-pop duo (Ami Onuki, 1973-? and Yumi Yoshimura, 1975-?) with several albums, who have also performed theme songs for shows like Teen Titans as well as their own cartoon, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. Satoshi Kon (1963-2010)
Japanese anime director, notable for bizarre, trippy, psychological plots. His works include "Millennium Actress,"
Paprika, Paranoia Agent, Perfect Blue, and Tokyo Godfathers. Sun Tzu (c. 544-496 B.C.)
An ancient Chinese general famous for having written "The Art of War," or Ping-fa (see history & culture page). Tokugawa
A family of shogun rulers in Japan, starting with Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616). Also, the name of the period in which they ruled (also called the Edo period, see history page). Yoko Kanno (1964-?)
Japanese composer who has created the music for many anime, including Cowboy Bebop, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Wolf's Rain, etc.
Otakuphrenia Index