Koyoharu Gotouge


Koyoharu Gotouge is the pen name of a Japanese manga artist, known for the manga series Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. By July 2025, the manga had over 220 million copies in circulation worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
Gotouge was included as "Phenoms" in Times annual list of 100 Most Influential People, becoming the first manga artist to receive the achievement.

Early life

Gotouge was born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, on May 5, 1989. The author uses a pen name to maintain anonymity.

Career

In 2013, Gotouge debuted in the 70th Jump Treasure Newcomer Manga Awards with the one-shot work Kagarigari. Three more one-shots followed: Monju Shirō Kyōdai, published in Jump Next! in 2014; Rokkotsu-san, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2014; and Haeniwa no Zigzag, published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2015.
After Haeniwa no Zigzag failed to become a series, Tatsuhiko Katayama suggested starting a series with an "easy-to-understand theme". Gotouge's debut work Kagarigari would serve as a basis for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The series was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump from February 15, 2016, to May 18, 2020. It became a success, with over 220 million copies in circulation worldwide by July 2025, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
In February 2021, Gotouge commented that their next project would be a science fiction romantic comedy story.

Influences

Gotouge has mentioned Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto; Tite Kubo's Bleach; and Hideaki Sorachi's Gintama as influences on their work.

Awards and honors

In 2020, Gotouge received the 2nd Kodansha's Noma Publishing Culture Award, which honors those who have contributed to "reinventing publishing". Gotouge received the award due to the franchise's sales, which boosted the entire publishing industry from 2019 to 2020. In the same year, Gotouge also won the award for best screenplay/original story at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.
In February 2021, Gotouge was included as "Phenoms" in Times annual list of 100 Most Influential People, making them the first manga artist to receive the achievement. In March 2021, Gotouge won the Newcomer Award in the media fine arts category of the 2020 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Fine Arts Recommendation Awards. In 2021, Gotouge received the Special Prize of the 25th annual Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. In 2021, Gotouge won the Comic division's grand prize of the 50th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards.

Works