Katsuhiro Otomo

Katsuhiro Otomo (大友 克洋, Ōtomo Katsuhiro; born April 14, 1954) is a Japanese manga artist, screenwriter, animator, and film director. He first rose to prominence as a pioneer founder of the New Wave in the 1970s. He is best known as the creator of Akira, both the original 1982 manga series and the 1988 animated film adaptation. In 2005, Otomo was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, promoted to Officier of the order in 2014, and became the fourth manga artist ever inducted into the American Eisner Award Hall of Fame in 2012. Celebrated in Japan, he was also awarded the Purple Medal of Honor from the national government in 2013.

In addition, Otomo later received the Winsor McCay Award at the 41st Annie Awards in 2014 and the 2015 Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême, the first manga artist to receive the award.