Legendary Japanese Manga Artist Tetsuya Chiba, Known for Boxing Masterpiece ‘Ashita No Joe,’ Dies at 87
Legendary Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, who caused a sensation with his boxing series 'Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow', a story about an orphan becoming a professional boxer, has died at 87. Chiba's masterpiece series became so popular that fans attended a mock funeral for the protagonist Joe Yabuki's rival. Know more about Chiba's life.
TOKYO, (MARI YAMAGUCHI), October 29: Legendary Japanese manga artist Tetsuya Chiba, who caused a national sensation with his boxing series Ashita no Joe or Fighting for Tomorrow, a story about an orphan becoming a professional boxer, has died. He was 87. Chiba's masterpiece series became so popular that fans even attended a mock funeral for the protagonist Joe Yabuki's rival. Chiba died at a Tokyo hospital last Thursday, October 22, his publisher Kodansha Ltd. said, without specifying the cause of his death.
While he depicted aspiring young athletes fighting for their life and career, Chiba was a vocal supporter of peace and freedom of expression, telling stories of his harrowing memories of war as a child in autobiographical stories and manga. Akira Toriyama, Creator of 'Dragon Ball' Manga, Dies at 68.
Tetsuya Chiba Early Life
Months after he was born in Tokyo in January, 1939, his family moved to northeastern China and Chiba spent his early childhood there during Japan's occupation in the region, where his father worked at a printing factory. At age 6, Chiba and his family marked Japan's surrender on August 15, 1945, while they were still in China. There, they faced danger and hunger in the face of anti-Japanese riots, but survived with the help of his father's Chinese translator who hid the family in an attic, where Chiba drew pictures for his three younger brothers. The family eventually fled to China's port city of Huludao and returned to Japan in 1946. The harrowing memories later influenced his work and activity with an anti-war theme.
Tetsuya Chiba Work
Chiba debuted as a manga artist in 1956, initially drawing comic books for girls and later moving on to works for boys in the early 1960s. In 1961, he debuted in a boys comic magazine with a baseball manga Chikai no Makyu (The Magic Ball), paving the way for a new genre of sports-themed manga in Japan. ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1’ OTT Release: When and Where To Watch Japanese Anime Film in India and the US
Chiba's sports-themed mangas also included Ore wa Teppei (I'm Teppei), the story of a high school student training in the martial art of kendo, Notari Matsutaro about sumo wrestling, and Ashita Tenki ni Naare (Let's hope the weather's fine tomorrow) about a teenage golfer.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 29, 2026 06:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
