It has been announced Kazuki Takahashi, creator of the manga franchise Yu-Gi-Oh, has passed away aged 60and fans are interested in his estimated net worth.
News of Takahashi’s passing was announced on Thursday (7 July) after it was reported he was found dead in the sea off the coast of Okinawa, Japan.
His Yu-Gi-Oh franchise garnered him success around the world across its TV spin-offs and popular card games.
As fans pay tribute to the Yu-Gi-Oh creator and artist, some are curious to know Kazuki Takahashi’s net worth. Let’s take a look…
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Late manga artist’s career began in the early 1980s
Before his art took off across the globe, Kazuki Takahashi started his career as a manga artist in 1982. Takahashi opened up on his first published work in an interview with Time For Kids in 2002 but admitted he didn’t “like to think about it”.
He explained: “I published my first one 20 years ago. It was a cartoon comedy about a high school, and it was a total flop. Then I followed with one about pro-wrestling, which was also a failure.”
Some of Takahashi’s most well-known early works include Tennenshoku Danji Buray and Fighting Hawk.
Released in 1990, Fighting Hawk was one of his first published works. Comic Vine reports Tennenshoku Danji Buray was Takahashi’s first serial in Weekly Shonen Jump, however it only lasted two volumes.
Yu-Gi-Oh became a global franchise
Kazuki Takahashi’s career took off in 1996 following the creation of his Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series.
The series title translates to ‘king of games’ and Yu-Gi-Oh followed the adventures of a young boy who defeated his enemies through puzzles and games.
It was serialised for eight years until 2004 but the series went on to become known across the world as it evolved into a franchise.
Over the years, the popular Yu-Gi-Oh series has spawned multiple animated films and spin-off shows as well as video games and trading cards.
Yu-Gi-Oh card game was a worldwide hit
Perhaps the most well-known release from the franchise is its trading card game.
Released in 1999, the cards made history in 2009 after it was reported more than 22 billion cards had been sold globally.
Two years on, the card game topped its record figure as it was announced more than 25 billion cards had been sold as of March 2011.
PC Gamer, a decade on, estimated a whopping 35 billion cards had been sold as of 2021.
Kazuki Takahashi’s net worth explored
Following the success of his Yu-Gi-Oh franchise, it’s probably no surprise to hear Kazuki Takahashi’s net worth is estimated to have been in the millions.
After more than two decades since his franchise began in 1996, Takahashi’s net worth was still said to have been in the tens of millions.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, before his passing, Takahashi was said to have amassed a fortune of $20 million.
The Focus sends its condolences to the family, friends and fans of Kazuki Takahashi.