After decades of shaping the seinen manga landscape, Hiroya Oku has announced his intention to retire from professional illustration. In a candid interview with Courrier Japon, the creator behind genre-defining hits like Gantz and Inuyashiki revealed that his current project, Kanrekihime (The Sweet Sixty Princess), will be his final work.
Oku explained that while his creative drive remains intact, the physical toll of the industry has become unsustainable. "I just don't have the energy to keep drawing anymore," Oku stated, noting that the exhaustive process of storyboarding and production requires a level of stamina he no longer possesses. He described the current series as his shūkatsu, or end-of-life preparation, with the elderly characters in the story serving as a reflection of both himself and his long-time production team.
Since its debut in December 2025 within the pages of Big Comic Superior, Kanrekihime has been positioned as the capstone to a storied career. Oku’s influence on the medium is profound; his breakout hit Gantz (2000–2013) spawned a massive multimedia franchise, including two live-action films, a CG feature, and a long-running historical spin-off, GANTZ:E.
Beyond his signature sci-fi epics, Oku’s portfolio includes the critically acclaimed Inuyashiki, which concluded in 2017 and received both an anime adaptation and a live-action film, as well as the 2017 series GIGANT. As he prepares to close the chapter on his career, Oku leaves behind a legacy of hyper-detailed, provocative storytelling that pushed the technical boundaries of serialized manga.
