Tracing the 88-year history of Kazuo Umezu, the horror manga master who captivated readers with horror and humor

Kazuo Umezu is a legendary Japanese horror manga artist, and his works, including “The Drifting Classroom,” continue to enthrall people even after his passing.

Horror manga master Kazuo Umezu passed away in October 2024. He had a very unique style which masterfully combined a sense of horror and humor. Even Junji Ito, a leading figure in the contemporary horror manga world and a long-time fan of Umezu, once said, “His works are comparable to those of Salvador Dalí.” Besides horror, Umezu created works in a variety of other genres, including Sci-fi, comedy, and period drama. His works have exerted a tremendous impact on the development of Japanese pop culture, and one of his famous works “My Name is Shingo” even won an award in a comics festival in France. In this article, we would like to introduce some of his famous works, as well as one that some of you might not know was created by him.

©KAZUO UMEZZ／SHOGAKUKAN

The first one is “The Drifting Classroom,” which was first published in 1972. Set in an elementary school which suddenly traveled in time into the future, this masterpiece depicts the true nature of humans that surfaces under extreme circumstances. Revolving around the protagonist boy, this manga, one of the most famous works of Umezu, depicts in great detail the fragility of the teachers when they are faced with unexpected events, as well as the behavior and psychology of humans under extreme circumstances.

The cover of Kazuo Umezu’s famous “The Drifting Classroom” ©KAZUO UMEZZ／SHOGAKUKAN

On the other hand, “Makoto-chan,” which was first released in 1976, is known as “gag” manga that is completely different from horror manga. While protagonist Makoto-chan’s famous “Gwashi!” hand sign became sort of a pop phenomenon in Japan, the manga actually weaved sharp social satire into its humorous storyline.

The cover of gag manga “Makoto-chan” ©KAZUO UMEZZ／SHOGAKUKAN

In 1982, Umezu released “My Name is Shingo,” which depicted the interactions between a girl and a robot named Shingo, which is equipped with artificial intelligence. It deeply explores philosophical themes such as relationships between humans and AI, identity issues, love, and loneliness. This manga won the Heritage Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival held in France, one of the largest comics festivals in Europe, being recognized as a comic book that must be preserved forever. It was such a tremendous achievement, as it was the third time that manga created by a Japanese artist won the award.

The cover of “My Name is Shingo” ©KAZUO UMEZZ／SHOGAKUKAN

And with “Fourteen” which he released in 1990, he addressed issues of the modern world, such as genetic manipulation and ethics. With this manga again, Umezu left a powerful impact on the readers by depicting profound social issues and human nature, going beyond the categories of mere horror and Sci-fi.

Some of you may not know, but he also worked on a comic book adaptation of Japan’s iconic hero, Ultraman, in 1966. Compared with the tokusatsu (meaning “special filming”) TV series of Ultraman, his comic book adaptation is more horror-oriented and is loaded with Umezu’s signature elements.

Besides his success as a manga artist, Umezu also demonstrated his exceptional talent in a variety of other fields such as as a lyricist and a film director, and as an entertainment personality with his hallmark red-and-white long sleeve T-shirt. Loved by people around the world for his cheerful personality and for his amazing works that he created with his unmatched imagination, which is not really associable with his personality, his name will be passed on forever as one of the world-class manga artists of Japan.

(Information as of December 2024)

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