Top 10 Best Mangaka of All Time

These Mangaka shaped what we see in anime today. Which do you think is the best? If you're going to add a mangaka, please put their full name and the manga they are best known for.
The Top Ten
1 Akira Toriyama - Dragon Ball

His work is what pushed manga onto the worldwide stage. One can only imagine the impact he would have made in an era of online globalization.

He has majorly influenced every artist that followed his legacy. His stories have stood the test of time, and his fans range from old to young. His stories are still competing with current popular works. If that isn't number one, I don't know what is. The fact that he's considered despite ending Dragon Ball in the early 90's, while the rest of the artists have recent or current works, says a lot!

An original artist with a killer sense of storytelling and humor.

2 Eiichiro Oda - One Piece

One Piece is simply a truly epic story. Every character has a story and a reason to be loved. It has real emotions involved in the story. Of the top three (Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece), it is truly the best. Unlike with Bleach, Oda knew where he wanted to take One Piece, how to string the whole story together in a seamless way. Let's be honest, Bleach was great, but at this point, Kubo is just throwing stuff out there to see what sticks (a new Zangetsu... AGAIN...). Naruto is really great, but I don't think the characters are as great. They don't bring out the depth of emotion that the Strawhat crew brings. Oda made a huge world with a truly epic storyline.

3 Masashi Kishimoto - Naruto

Great moments but shallow side characters and too many loopholes. I believe it's too much audience-oriented (13-16 years old kids). If he wrote freely without being concerned about his rating, he would have been higher on my own list. Still, I place him at 10, such a great guy I am, if I say so myself.

Out of all the Big Three, and many other manga, I personally find Kishimoto's art style the most aesthetically pleasing (though this is subjective). The action sequences are beautiful, the character designs are unique and colourful, and the panels are arranged in clear ways. His art is beautiful in black and white and in color.

Say what you will about Naruto's plot, but the early premise is one of my favorites of any manga - the ninja world is deadly, and I'm drawn to Naruto's isolated but determined nature to prove himself. The themes of the manga series spoke to me and are very emotional. The series does drop off, but Kishimoto admits he could not plan ahead due to time constraints, so I believe that the plot was heavily affected by being unable to develop it entirely and having to rush out a new chapter every week. It's unfair to judge it fully then, as he couldn't achieve his full potential with it.

4 Yoshihiro Togashi - YuYu Hakusho, Hunter X Hunter

There are so many mangaka I respect, but there is something special about Togashi's mind. I love the way this man thinks. I worship this man's work so much that I don't care if he gets sloppy with his drawings or puts a series on hold. He is so good I would wait for as long as he wanted. As far as art goes, Togashi can draw, especially when you see he puts time into it. But more than that, his work shows me that he can be open-minded and creative. He comes up with interesting fights and even more interesting characters. Who else but Togashi can create a character like Hisoka from Hunter X Hunter and make him one of the most loved characters of the series? I've loved everything I have ever read of Togashi, and the man created two of my favourite characters of all time with Hisoka and Kuroro.

5 Naoki Urasawa - 20th Century Boys, Pluto

Naoki Urasawa's ability in storytelling is by far the best I have seen in manga. You can see how much thought he puts into planning out the panels to make his chapters literally page-flippers. His ability in planning out a story is also remarkable. They are often very clever (with plot twists that are mind-blowing but not far-fetched) and are very thought-provoking. Even the smallest details can become something epic in his manga. His characters are all very distinct, in appearance as well as personality. A few of them, especially, are very unforgettable.

His artwork is also unique. It is clean, crisp, straightforward, and very pleasant to look at. Surprisingly, his artwork also suits his stories perfectly, whether they are slice-of-life stories (Happy!) or dark psychological thrillers (Monster). This guy's my absolute favorite!

6 Osamu Tezuka - Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion

He wrote Phoenix, the best manga of all time. He's the god of manga. I don't even understand how Masashi Kishimoto, KISHIMOTO, is above him. Naruto is so full of plot holes, I don't even know how to explain it. I guess it's because shounen battle series get all the hype, so people never read quality manga.

What else is there to say? Osamu Tezuka is arguably the most influential comic book artist of all time and the godfather of manga. The first spot belongs to him on every one of those lists. It's not even up for debate.

7 Takeshi Obata - Death Note, Bakuman

Hardworking fellows, their efforts reflect in their writing. Amazing artwork, top-class story. By the way, I am a big fan of Bakuman. I personally believe they have outdone themselves from Death Note too in the Bakuman series. I would have put them at number one if it wasn't for those legends (Toriyama sensei and Oda sensei).

Death Note is the standard I compare all manga stories to. For me, it is the absolute pinnacle of great storytelling. It is only recently that I discovered Bakuman and thought to myself how well-written the story and the characters are. Reading Bakuman, one falls in love with the supporting characters like Hiramaru and Eiji, rooting for them just as much as the main characters. To learn it is from the same great author is simply phenomenal, especially considering how different the genres are! Obata is a true grandmaster!

8 CLAMP - Cardcaptor Sakura, xXxHolic, Clover

Cardcaptor Sakura is by far my most favorite CLAMP series. I have liked it since I was only ten years old. Even though I don't really like how CLAMP includes teacher-student romance scenes in its work, I still appreciate CLAMP. I also really like CLAMP's art style and character design for Cardcaptor Sakura and Chobits because they look so adorable. Unfortunately, though, I don't really like CLAMP's latest noodle people character design.

I'm an adult now and, upon watching it again after 16 years of my life, I fell in love again with this. Hopefully, there will be a part 2 of CCS. We want to watch how they become a family now. CLAMP, hear us.

9 Rumiko Takahashi - InuYasha, Ranma 1/2

Her series are gateway series. They aren't perfect and have plenty of flaws in their own rights, but they are such classics and the type of original that just sticks with you for life. It's something you can always come back to, always fall back on as a series, and honestly, just not care about flaws because you've known it and respected and loved it for so long. So much of the anime/manga community started with one of her series, and that kind of iconic mark just puts her up as one of the best for me.

The first ever anime I watched. So glad it was Inuyasha. Otherwise, I might not have gotten completely addicted to anime!

10 Hiromu Arakawa - Fullmetal Alchemist

Hiromu Arakawa is indeed one of the best mangaka of all time. She is a very productive mangaka, and all her creations are masterpieces, both manga series and one-shots. Even though Silver Spoon, her latest work, is a very radical change of genre compared to her previous works (FMA, Demons of Shanghai, Stray Dog), she still maintains the gravity of her previous work. I think Silver Spoon is one hell of a unique manga. I myself am not a big fan of slice of life, but this manga changed my perspective. Not to mention that she is actually a female and a former farmer. All hail Hiromu Arakawa!

The Contenders
11 Hirohiko Araki - JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Some of the greatest growth as a writer from their beginnings to what he has become. I think anyone who does even the smallest amount of research could agree.

Hirohiko Araki is a unique case and always goes out of his way to bring something special to his work. An artist at heart and an amazing writer.

He made one of the most influential manga of all time. So much so that it is referenced in other manga/anime all the time.

12 Takehiko Inoue - Slam Dunk

Vagabond is one hell of a treat. The story of legendary swordsman Musashi Miyamoto is told beautifully through the brush strokes of Takehiko Inoue's skillful hand. It's a definite read, especially if you enjoy manga like Berserk and Vinland Saga. If you are also into tales of wandering ronin and samurai, this is also for you. In the end, Inoue's skill has pushed me to further my art in manga making.

Takehiko is a great artist, starting out like any other humble worker with a crude art style. He only sought to improve it and brought us his most well-known works, Slam Dunk and Vagabond.

While he has yet to finish Vagabond, Slam Dunk is a success that I hope to look back on and see it as a source of my own inspiration.

13 Hiro Mashima - Fairy Tail, Rave Master

Mashima-Sensei is an amazing mangaka and should be included in at least the top 10 list. He continuously puts out at least one manga chapter per week for Fairy Tail while working on separate series, such as Fairy Tail Zero, the story for Ice Trail, and Fairy Girls. As well as doing this, Mashima-Sensei is also active on his Twitter account and posts drawings very frequently. He's incredibly humorous, skilled with drawing, and most of all has an amazing mind for creating great plots for his manga.

Best anime and manga, very inspiring and motivating me to keep going forward no matter what happens. I love it. I hope there are more manga and anime Mashima-Sensei would make with new genres, adventures, stories, and flavors. The artwork is also amazing. Everything is amazing.

14 Kentaro Miura - Berserk

Berserk goes beyond the traditional manga, for several reasons. Firstly, it has the best drawings. Really, each page is a piece of artwork. The shadows, the details, the scenarios, everything is perfectly created. Second, the story is never boring. Besides the first arc, with the story of the group of the White Hawk, which is, in my opinion, the best, Miura is able to create a story that keeps your eyes glued to the pages. The depth of the main character, Gatsu, is unbelievable. All the contradictions he has, all the struggles he has to face, and all his changes... Every arc of the series represents something for him, and the reader literally grows with him along with the development of the story.

15 Gosho Aoyama - Case Closed (Detective Conan)

I love this one. The mangaka's opinion is so great! It's so difficult to think about those cases and how they are solved. The techniques used and how the crime is done are really fascinating. Like: "how the key got into the victim's pocket without breaking the window or having a duplicate". How the victim can be poisoned. He really is one of the best mangaka.

Personally, I feel Aoyama-san has such a level of precision in his work that no one can ever match. It makes me awe-struck just thinking about how a person can think of so many scenarios of crime, and that too in such a way that the work doesn't deviate from the main storyline. Hats off sir, you are undoubtedly the best.

16 Hiroyuki Takei - Shaman King
17 Noriaki "Tite" Kubo - Bleach

Hands down, Bleach is the best. You either love it completely or hate it completely. The breathtaking fight scenes truly made it one of the best manga and anime out there by Kubo sensei. People even went so far as to call Bleach fights "Dragon Ball with swords." In terms of characters, Bleach has some of the most badass ones! Still waiting for the anime return in 2019.

One of the most beautiful art styles I've ever seen. It displays emotions so masterfully and helps one put oneself in the characters' shoes. I love how he prefers to concentrate on the characters themselves and not so much on backgrounds. The battle sequences are fluid and coherent.

18 Kouta Hirano - Hellsing

Incredible plot and very dynamic frames.

This guy is one of the best. Why is he so low?

19 Nobuhiro Watsuki - Rurouni Kenshin

I think this is a great anime but very underrated because too many anime fans around the world haven't seen it. For example, here in Mexico, you could only see it if you had cable TV or could buy a copy of some episodes at a comics and manga store, which are very few in every city. It should be in the top 10.

The best manga/anime ever. It is really undeserved to rate it as the 15th best. The story of the once assassin known as Hitokiri Battousai, who became a wanderer with a purified heart and is determined to help the restoration of the Meiji Empire, provides us with a small picture of Japanese history and passes a captivating message of compassion. The movies released in 2014 are amazing too.

20 Sorachi Hideaki - Gintama

The plot isn't fed to you, but it is there. Every character is amazing, even some characters you may not like at first, and almost every character will show up more than once. The story of the arcs is great and they have great morals and endings. Let's not forget what makes Gintama, Gintama: The humour. Sorachi is hilarious. Gintama has made me laugh more than anything in my life! Sorachi is an amazing man. He definitely deserves to be in the top 10!

The best Gorilla ever. He's hilarious and talented. All the characters, even those that only appear once, are so awesome. I can't even predict the story plot. It's too amazing the way he draws it. He's lazy to draw backgrounds, but when he does, it's so epic. My favorite quote from him: 'I want to be a cheesecake.'

21 Yasuhiro Nightow - Trigun
22 Kōhei Horikoshi - Ōmagadoki Dōbutsuen, Barrage, My Hero Academia
23 Hideyuki Kikuchi - Vampire Hunter D
24 Jun Mochizuki - Pandora Hearts

One thing that I highly appreciate about a mangaka is their art style. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Jun Mochizuki's art style is promising and suits my taste. First, I always look at the art style, next the plot, and then how the conversation takes place. For some reason, I like how it delivers the conversation. It is not complicated to understand and follow the panel.

Her art style is truly beautiful - one of the most beautiful I've ever seen. I can just stare at simple panels for hours. Add a brilliant plot to that, and you get masterpieces such as Pandora Hearts!

25 Sui Ishida - Tokyo Ghoul Series

Was looking for this man. Amazing story, so much hype each chapter, the best character development I have witnessed among his characters, and oh, the FEELS!

Definitely will become a big hit once his series becomes well-known and probably complete.

He's probably the one mangaka I respect the most. Living in America is one quality that many fangirls would shun, but this manga is very loved.

I love this manga, and I need a new season of the anime and more chapters. Why isn't he in the top 10? I love this manga.

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