Takahashi was born on October 4, 1961, in Tokyo, Japan. A fan of the traditional board games of his homeland, Kazuki Takahashi created Yu-Gi-Oh!: a manga with a gloomy atmosphere and monster battles that took off in 1996. This subsequently gave way to a more colorful anime. He was also the mastermind behind the later Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, with which he achieved international fame and yes, also amassed a fortune. The cards reached the whole world and even today they’re still very popular among the manga and anime-loving community.
In 2011, Yu-Gi-Oh! was recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s best-selling collectible card game after selling more than 25.17 billion sets. Among hardcore collectors, a Yu-Gi-Oh! card can fetch millions of dollars (for example, a ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ card was auctioned for $13.4 million in China last year).
In July, which sadly coincides with the month of Takahashi’s passing, Yu-Gi-Oh! Day is celebrated. The first edition of this celebration was held on July 27 in North and Latin America, but in 2021 it was extended to two days, the 3rd and 4th of the same month.
In addition to Yu-Gi-Oh!, Takahashi was the author of the 1990 Tokyo no Tsuma series and Tennenshokudanji Buray, published from 1991 to 1992. These did not achieve the fame he gained with Yu-Gi-Oh! but both are beloved among the mangaka’s fans.
Story orginally published in Cultura Colectiva
