Kazuo Koike (1936–2019)
Author of Lone Wolf and Cub, Vol. 1: The Assassin's Road
About the Author
Kazuo Koike was born on May 8, 1936 in Akita, Japan. He is the co-creator and writer of the Lone Wolf and Cub and Crying Freeman manga. He adapted the Lone Wolf and Cub manga into a series of six films which gained him recognition for his screenwriting. He started the Gekiga Sonjuku, a college show more course to assist talented writers and artists break into the comic book field. He also hosted television programs, founded a golf magazine, produced movies, and has written popular fiction, poetry, and screenplays. His work has earned him many awards including two Harvey Awards and an Eisner Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Kazuo Koike
Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart at the River Styx [1972 film] (1972) — Screenwriter; Original manga — 11 copies
El lobo solitario y su cachorro nº 01/20 10 copies
Crying Freeman - Spur der Rache 1/3 4 copies
Path of the Assassin vol. 1-? 2 copies
Crying Freeman - Spur der Rache 3/3 2 copies
子連れ狼 13―愛蔵版 (キングシリーズ) 1 copy
Crying Freeman Part 3 No. 4 1 copy
Shougun no Bodyguard (3) 1 copy
Crying Freeman Issue 5 1 copy
Lone Wolf and Cub Vol. 1-28 1 copy
La leyenda de Kujaku, Vol. 1 1 copy
Ensom ulv og hvalp 6 1 copy
Ensom ulv og hvalp 2 1 copy
A Wounded Man 1 copy
Offerred 1 copy
Ensom ulv og hvalp 1 1 copy
Ensom ulv og hvalp 4 1 copy
Ensom ulv og hvalp 3 1 copy
Crying Freeman Part 2 No. 9 1 copy
Crying Freeman Part 2 No. 2 1 copy
Shougun no Bodyguard (1) 1 copy
Shougun no Bodyguard (4) 1 copy
Crying Freeman Part 3 No. 3 1 copy
Shougun no Bodyguard (2) 1 copy
Associated Works
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Koike, Kazuo
- Legal name
- 小池 一夫 (Koike Kazuo)
Seishu Tawaraya (birth name) - Birthdate
- 1936-05-08
- Date of death
- 2019-04-17
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- manga writer
screenwriter
novelist
lyricist - Awards and honors
- Hall of Fame Eisner Award (2004)
- Short biography
- Though widely respected as a powerful writer of graphic fiction, Koike has hosted television programs; founded a golf magazine; produced movies; written popular fiction, poetry, and screenplays and mentored some of Japan's best manga talent.
Lone Wolf and Cub, created in collaboration with Goseki Kojima, was first serialized in in 1970 (under the title Kozure Okami) in Manga Action magazine and continued its hugely popular run for many years, being collected as the stories were published and reprinted worldwide. Koike collected numerous awards for his work on the series throughout the next decade. Starting in 1972, Koike adapted the popular manga into a series of six films, The Baby Cart Assassin saga, garnering widespread commercial success and critical acclaim for his screenwriting.
Koike and Kojima were dubbed the "golden duo" on the manga world for their many successes.
And to give something back to the medium that gave him so much, Koike started the Gekiga Sonjuku, a college course aimed at helping talented writers and artists break into the comic field.
The driving focus of Koike's narrative is character development, and his commitment to character is clear: "Comics are carried by characters. If a character is well created, the comic becomes a hit." [adapted from Assassin's Road (2000)] - Cause of death
- pneumonia
- Nationality
- Japan
- Birthplace
- Daisen, Akita Prefecture, Japan
- Place of death
- Tokyo, Japan
- Map Location
- Japan
Members
Reviews
They see him ronin, they hatin'.
Oooh, the Big Story has now begun and there's so much to love about it. The plots and character development are particularly good in this volume, with some incredible insights into Itto and Daigoro as individuals.
And not to be outdone, the art also hits a new level of amazing: This book has also been super cinematic, but this volume kicks the Kurosawa up to 11. The visual storytelling in "Executioner's Hill," in particular, stood out. Soooo good, man.
Oooh, the Big Story has now begun and there's so much to love about it. The plots and character development are particularly good in this volume, with some incredible insights into Itto and Daigoro as individuals.
And not to be outdone, the art also hits a new level of amazing: This book has also been super cinematic, but this volume kicks the Kurosawa up to 11. The visual storytelling in "Executioner's Hill," in particular, stood out. Soooo good, man.
This is a marvellous piece of ludicrous pulp. It is frequently racist and sexist, but at the same time, the comic book logic that the world of Crying Freeman operates under is undeniably entertaining.
There is loads of gratuitous female nudity, Freeman always randomly takes his clothes off (especially when fighting), and it has horrifically named African characters (and organizations). African Tusk? Good lord.
All that being said, this is pulp of the finest order. At one point, Freeman show more strips naked and uses his swim trunks to signal his Dragon sub, which has dragon tattoos itself. This is a ridiculous story, a Japanese James Bond Gary Stu Triad Boss with a hot tattooed wife, and an endless litany of enemies.
This hasn't aged well I would say, but by the same measure it still retains certain charms, and the artwork of Ryoichi Ikegami is splendid, no matter what time period you view it in. show less
There is loads of gratuitous female nudity, Freeman always randomly takes his clothes off (especially when fighting), and it has horrifically named African characters (and organizations). African Tusk? Good lord.
All that being said, this is pulp of the finest order. At one point, Freeman show more strips naked and uses his swim trunks to signal his Dragon sub, which has dragon tattoos itself. This is a ridiculous story, a Japanese James Bond Gary Stu Triad Boss with a hot tattooed wife, and an endless litany of enemies.
This hasn't aged well I would say, but by the same measure it still retains certain charms, and the artwork of Ryoichi Ikegami is splendid, no matter what time period you view it in. show less
I have to say that it might be time to come out and admit that I really like Kazuo Koike. There is a lot to the pulpiness of his work, created in the 70's, which is emblematic of the times. That is to say, maybe some of it hasn't aged well. But the rest of it, immensely entertaining. Really dug this.
The fight scenes are gnarly in the best way possible, the central conceit is compelling, and the characters manage to draw you in. I used to complain why there wasn't more manga out there like show more Vagabond, and I had no right to when I wasn't reading Lone Wolf and Cub.
There is a riveting intensity to the series that I admire, and so far, while the episodic nature of the story means that consistently introducing characters who have no idea what they are up against can be repetitive, the stories manage to be distinct and compelling. show less
The fight scenes are gnarly in the best way possible, the central conceit is compelling, and the characters manage to draw you in. I used to complain why there wasn't more manga out there like show more Vagabond, and I had no right to when I wasn't reading Lone Wolf and Cub.
There is a riveting intensity to the series that I admire, and so far, while the episodic nature of the story means that consistently introducing characters who have no idea what they are up against can be repetitive, the stories manage to be distinct and compelling. show less
Kazuo Koike and Ryoichi Ikegami are extraordinarily influential creators. Not only have they been a massive influence on generations of comic writers and artists, Western, Japanese, and the global comics community, but they have been influential in the world of cinema as well. There are at least 3 films based on Crying Freeman, including one starring Mark Dacascos. Remarkable and marvellously pulpy, it is an action-packed, over the top extravaganza.
The artwork is exceptional, both then and show more now; visually distinctive, without taking on the typical "manga" art style that is so common today. Kazuo Koike's writing is particularly pulpy and melodramatic, ridiculous in the best of ways. It's decidedly regressive in the depiction of women, the overt and frequent female nudity is often cheesy and gratuitous. That being said, it avoids the depths of misogyny that other series written by Kazuo plummet to, like Path of Assassins.
Delicious in its martial arts badassery and pulpy goodness, this isn't for everyone. However, if you like ridiculous hyper-violent martial arts escapades, this is the series for you. show less
The artwork is exceptional, both then and show more now; visually distinctive, without taking on the typical "manga" art style that is so common today. Kazuo Koike's writing is particularly pulpy and melodramatic, ridiculous in the best of ways. It's decidedly regressive in the depiction of women, the overt and frequent female nudity is often cheesy and gratuitous. That being said, it avoids the depths of misogyny that other series written by Kazuo plummet to, like Path of Assassins.
Delicious in its martial arts badassery and pulpy goodness, this isn't for everyone. However, if you like ridiculous hyper-violent martial arts escapades, this is the series for you. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 271
- Also by
- 9
- Members
- 14,701
- Popularity
- #1,565
- Rating
- 4.2
- Reviews
- 106
- ISBNs
- 547
- Languages
- 11
- Favorited
- 16