Buichi Terasawa, creator of manga 'Cobra', dies at 68

Buichi Terasawa, the Japanese manga artist best known for creating the iconic series 'Cobra', died of a heart attack on September 8, 2023, at the age of 68. The news was announced on September 11 via Twitter by Manabu Furuse, representative of Terasawa Production, who praised Terasawa's strength and tenacity in battling illness for two decades. Terasawa began his career as an assistant to Osamu Tezuka in 1977 after moving from Hokkaido to Tokyo. He debuted 'Cobra' in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1978, a sci-fi adventure series that sold over 30 million copies across 18 volumes. The manga was adapted into a 1982 anime film and TV series directed by Osamu Dezaki. Terasawa was an early adopter of computer coloring in manga, using it in works like 'Black Knight Bat' (1985) and 'Takeru' (1993). His other notable series include 'Gokū: Midnight Eye' (1992).