Nobuyuki Fukumoto

Nobuyuki Fukumoto (福本伸行) is a Japanese manga artist well known throughout the Far East for his unique and original gambling ideas, deep psychological analysis of characters and distinct artstyle. Yakuza and gambling are recurring themes in his manga. In English speaking countries, he is known best as the author of Akagi, a mahjong-related manga. In 1998, he won the Kodansha Manga Award for Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji. An onomatopoeia "zawa" (ざわ…), meaning an uneasy atmosphere, appears frequently in his comics and is considered Fukumoto's trademark.

Works (chronological order)

 * Ten - Tenhōdōri No Kaidanji (1989 - 2002) (天 - 天和通りの快男児)
 * Akagi (1992 - ) (アカギ)
 * Gin to Kin (Silver and Gold, 1992 - 1996) (銀と金)
 * Tobaku Mokushiroku Kaiji (1996 - 1999) (賭博黙示録　カイジ)
 * Buraiden Gai (Outcast Story: Gai, 2000 - 2001) (無頼伝　涯)
 * Tobaku Hakairoku Kaiji (2000 - 2004) (賭博破壊録　カイジ)
 * Saikyō Densetsu Kurosawa (The Strongest Legend Kurosawa, 2003 - 2006) (最強伝説黒沢)
 * Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji (2004 - 2008) (賭博堕天録　カイジ)
 * Tobaku Haōden ZERO (Gambling Emperor Legend Zero, 2007 - 2009 [Part 1]) (賭博覇王伝零)
 * Tobaku Datenroku Kaiji ~Kazuya-hen~ (2009 - ) (賭博堕天録カイジ〜和也編〜)

In cooperation with Kaiji Kawaguchi:
 * Seizon -LifE- (1999)
 * Kokuhaku: Confession (2001)

In cooperation with Keiichirō Hara:
 * Washizu - Enma No Tōhai (2008 - ) (ワシズ　閻魔の闘牌)

As an interesting fact, he cameoed as a blacksuit in Kaiji's live action movie.