Hiroyuki Takei

is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known as the creator of Shaman King.

Career Hiroyuki Takei started drawing manga with writer EXIAD on SD Département Store Series which they created for a fanzine. Early in his career, he became the assistant to Tamakichi Sakura on as in 1992 and Kōji Kiriyama (Ninku). At that time, he also submitted his first yomikiri Dragdoll Group to the Tezuka Award but was rejected. In 1994, Takei submitted his short story Anna the Itako to the 48th Tezuka Award and won the honorable mention. He was later introduced to Nobuhiro Watsuki and became his assistant along with Eiichiro Oda on Rurouni Kenshin.

Takei published his short story Death Zero in Weekly Shōnen Jump winter special and Butsu Zone in the summer special of 1996. A reworked version of Butsu Zone became his first manga series published in Weekly Shōnen Jump of 1997. Takei's longest-running series, Shaman King began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1998, though was forced to conclude in 2004. In 2007, Takei returned three years after the conclusion of Shaman King with a new Weekly Shōnen Jump series, entitled Jumbor Barutronica. Set in the distant future, construction workers pilot mecha. One of them is killed and his memories are implanted in his clone, a thirty-year-old man in a five-year-old superpowered construction tool body. The series was canceled after ten issues and released in one volume.

During the Jump Festa 2008, Shueisha announced a kanzenban reprint of Shaman King. This release reprinted the entire series in 27 volumes complete with new covers while concluding the never-before-published "true ending." On March 4, 2008, Japanese publisher Shūeisha announced that Takei would be collaborating on Karakuri Dôji Ultimo with American comic creator Stan Lee. The project launched with the new Jump SQ.II (Jump Square Second) spinoff manga magazine on April 18, 2008. The announcement of the partnership was made in the April issue of Jump Square magazine.

As of 2010, Takei is working on two monthly series: Jumbor, written by and Karakuri Dôji Ultimo with Stan Lee.

On February 15, 2017, when answering a fan's question, Hiroyuki Takei revealed on his official Twitter that he received an offer for an anime remake of his representative work Shaman King, but had to turn it down because they were not able to use the first anime's voice actors and soundtrack music. In June 2020, a new anime television series was announced, which aired from April 1, 2021 to April 21, 2022 and featured several returning cast members from the 2001 anime series in both the Japanese and the English dub.

Inspiration Takei named Hirohiko Araki's series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Baoh as his favorite manga when he was younger. In an interview with Shonen Jump, he also cited Taiyo Kosoku by Baru, Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura, and Hellboy by Mike Mignola as favorites. Takei has also been influenced by American comic books, Mecha anime and Osamu Tezuka.

Works Serializations From To English Translated Title Serialized in Volumes Notes 1997 1997 Butsu Zone Weekly Shōnen Jump 3 , 2 kanzenban 1998 2004 Shaman King Weekly Shōnen Jump 32 tankōbon, 27 kanzenban, 35 tankōbon (reprint) Final kanzenban released in 2009 with previously unpublished material. 2007 2007 Jumbor Barutronica Weekly Shōnen Jump 1 tankōbon, 2 kanzenban 2009 2015 Karakuri Dôji Ultimo Jump SQ (2009—2011), Jump SQ.19 (2012—2015) 12 tankōbon Stan Lee (concept) 2010 — Jumbor Ultra Jump 8 tankōbon Hiromasa Mikami (writer) 2012 2014 Shaman King: Flowers Jump X 6 tankōbon 2015 2021 Hyper Dash! Yonkurō CoroCoro Aniki 4 tankōbon Spin-off of Zaurus Tokuda's Dash! Yonkuro 2015 2018 Nekogahara Shōnen Magazine Edge 5 tankōbon20182024Shaman King: The Super StarShōnen Magazine Edge (2018–2023), Magazine Pocket (2024) 10 tankōbon

One-shots

Shaman King specials Year English Translated Title Featured in Included in 1999 Funbari Poem Akamaru Jump Summer Shaman King volume 5 2000 Funbari Poem – 2000 Akamaru Jump Winter Shaman King volume 7 2000 Funbari Poem – 3000 Leagues to Funbari Hill Akamaru Jump Spring Shaman King volume 92000 Funbari Poem – Four Leaf Clover Akamaru Jump Summer Shaman King volume 10 2001 Funbari Poem – Rokujizō Night Akamaru Jump Winter Shaman King volume 132001 Funbari Poem – Secrets of the Star Festival Akamaru Jump Spring Shaman King volume 14 2001 Funbari Poem – 8mm Cinema Paradise Akamaru Jump Winter Shaman King volume 292002 Funbari Poem: The Bloom of Youth – Mickey's World Akamaru Jump Spring/Summer Shaman King volume 302003 Funbari Poem: The Bloom of Youth – Mickey's World, Part 2 Akamaru Jump Winter Shaman King volume 31 2003 Funbari Poem: Chapter 1 – Prologue Akamaru Jump Spring Shaman King volume 32, kanzenban 22 2003 Funbari Poem: Chapter 2 – Legendary Warrior Akamaru Jump Summer Shaman King volume 32, kanzenban 23 2004 Funbari Poem: Chapter 3 – Lost Child Akamaru Jump Winter Shaman King volume 32, kanzenban 24 2004 Funbari Poem: Chapter 4 – Trying Hard Akamaru Jump Spring Shaman King volume 32, kanzenban 25 2004 Funbari Poem: Chapter 5 – Funbari Poem Akamaru Jump Summer Shaman King volume 32, kanzenban 26 2004 Mappa Dōji Weekly Shōnen Jump Issue #18 Shaman King kanzenban 25 2011 Shaman King: Zero – New Shimane Paradise Jump X Issue #5 Shaman King: Zero volume 1 2012 Shaman King: Zero – Tears of the Ren Jump X Issue #6 Shaman King: Zero volume 1 2012 Shaman King: Zero – Dresses with Wolves Jump X Issue #7 Shaman King: Zero volume 1 2012 Shaman King: Zero – A Little Wicker Man Jump X Issue #8 Shaman King: Zero volume 1 2012 Shaman King: Zero – Matagawa Under the Bridge/Gag of New York Jump X Issue #9 Shaman King: Zero volume 1

Fanzines

Jumbor Japon (Self-published at Comiket 73)

Unreleased (Concept/Script:EXIAD) (Rejected submission for the Tezuka Awards)

Character design Anna Kyoyama from Shaman King is the mascot for the police station in the Aomori Prefecture. was a series of toys and a manga created for Takara Tomy. Takei was hired as art supervisor and one of his assistants, , drew the manga which ran in V Jump during issue number 8 to 10 in 2006. The series was canceled after 3 chapters and never met the intended 197 pages announced in the first chapter. Character design of and his axe True Hash for Phantasy Star Portable 2. Original character designs of Garo: The Animation. Original character designs for the original anime series, Shine On! Bakumatsu Bad Boys!. Original character designs for the Bikkurimen anime series based on the stickers from the wafer snack, Bikkuriman.

Other works Illustrator for the Cardfight!! Vanguard Trading Card Games.