Tetsuya Chiba, creator of boxing manga 'Ashita no Joe,' dies at 87

As of 8:40 a.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026

Tetsuya Chiba, the Japanese manga artist best known for the boxing series "Ashita no Joe," has died at 87, his publisher Kodansha announced on Tuesday.

Chiba died at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 at a hospital in Tokyo, Kodansha said in a notice dated Oct. 27. Kodansha's Weekly Shonen Magazine also posted the news on its official X account, thanking him for "Ashita no Joe," "Ore wa Teppei" and "Ashita Tenki ni Naare," which ran in the magazine.

The Japan Cartoonists Association, which Chiba chaired, separately confirmed that he died on Oct. 22 at a Tokyo hospital at age 87.

"Ashita no Joe," which Chiba drew from a story by Asao Takamori, follows an orphan who becomes a professional boxer. The Associated Press reported that the series caused a national sensation in Japan. With a career spanning seven decades, Chiba was a key figure in establishing sports manga as a major genre, The Japan Times reported. In 2024 he became the first manga artist to receive the Order of Culture, one of Japan's highest cultural honors, according to The Japan Times.

"Tetsuya Chiba created numerous masterpieces throughout his 70-year career, driven by a strong love for and faith in the medium of manga," Kodansha said in a statement, as translated by The Japan Times. The publisher noted that its Chiba Tetsuya Award for new artists was set up 46 years ago, and said his contributions to the manga world were irreplaceable.

Born in Tokyo on Jan. 11, 1939, Chiba spent part of his childhood in Shenyang, in what was then Japanese-occupied Manchuria, before returning to Japan after the war, according to the profile Kodansha published. He made his professional debut in 1956, according to Kodansha. His other works include "Shidenkai no Taka," "Harisu no Kaze" and "Notari Matsutaro." He also served as president of Bunsei University of Art.

What is not known

Kodansha and the Japan Cartoonists Association did not give a cause of death in the texts GROKsiNEWS.com read. Kodansha asked the media to refrain from approaching the family.