Makoto Yukimura

Yukimura considered himself a laidback child at school. The first manga he read was Akira Toriyama's Dr. Slump at 5; he was particularly impressed by its cover. He then watched the anime much to his surprise because he did not see the need of a story being repeated. When Yukimura became 16, he had the idea of becoming a manga author. During his early life, Yukimura was nearly killed in two car accidents. This made him reconsider his way of thinking. He believes he had no social life and barely paid attention to classes in his childhood. The only thing he wrote in his notebook was manga. He graduated from Chuo University and Suginami High School. In contrast to other students, Yukimura faced no hardships in graduating and recalls having brief anxiety. Yukimura's crisis with school and lack of interest with his growth and jobs worried his parents. However, Yukimura's school life changed when being taught by a literature teacher who used Michael Ende famous for The Never Ending Story in a class.{{cite book|title=Vinland Saga|author=Yukimura, Makoto|volume=10|pages=390–398|year=2018|isbn=978-1632366306|publisher=Kodansha Comics}}

Yukimura was first inspired to become a manga artist after reading Fist of the North Star as a boy. He said he had always wanted to produce a series which reflected the same themes of "strength and justice". However, he felt that he would not accomplish his dream due to poor academic skills. Eventually, he started studying manga at 16 and was recruited as an assistant two years later. His parents convinced him of graduating first from high school. He never drew manga on his own until his debut. Once graduating from college at 22, he met Kaiji Kawaguchi who found his potential to become a manga author. He met Dai Morimura who taught him about drawing manga and find his own style rather than imitating others. Yukimura got married during his work as an assistant who supported him.{{cite web|url=http://manganohi.jp/2008/01/9801.html|title=『幸村誠先生』 その1 まんが☆天国|access-date=August 29, 2008|date=January 7, 2008|publisher=Manga Nohi|archive-url=https://archive.today/20080108094600/http://manganohi.jp/2008/01/9801.html|archive-date=January 8, 2008|url-status=dead}} In regards to his family, Yukimura mentioned he has two children with the second one being born in 2006.{{cite book|last= Yukimura|first= Makoto|title= Vinland Saga 2|publisher= Kodansha|series= Vinland Saga|year= 2013|isbn=978-1-61262-420-4 |chapter=Afterword}} With the later birth of another child, Yukimura revealed that all were male but was worried about their health.{{cite book|last= Yukimura|first= Makoto|title= Vinland Saga 5|publisher= Kodansha|series= Vinland Saga|year= 2014|isbn=978-1-61262-422-8|chapter=Afterword}}

Yukimura made his debut with the hard science fiction manga Planetes, serialized in Weekly Morning magazine from 1999 to 2004 and adapted into a 26-episode anime series by Sunrise.{{cite web|url=http://www.sunrise-anime.jp/sunrise-inc/works/detail.php?cid=154 |title=SUNRISE Inc. Official Site [ 放送・上映情報-放送・上映作品リスト ] |publisher=Sunrise |accessdate=March 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721084820/http://www.sunrise-anime.jp/sunrise-inc/works/detail.php?cid=154 |archivedate=July 21, 2011 }} Before that, he worked as an assistant for Shin Morimura.{{cite web|url=http://manganohi.jp/2008/01/9801.html|title=『幸村誠先生』 その1 まんが☆天国 |publisher=manganohi.com |language=Japanese|accessdate=March 7, 2010|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20080108094600/http://manganohi.jp/2008/01/9801.html|archivedate=January 8, 2008}}

He is currently working on Vinland Saga which was first serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine then moved to the monthly Afternoon magazine due to releases pacing issues.{{cite journal | title=Makoto Yukimura L'auteur de Vinland Saga |trans-title=Makoto Yukimura The author of Vinland Saga | first=Emmanuel | last=Bahu-Leyser |author2=translation by Grégoire Hellot | journal=Animeland | issue=153 |date=July–August 2009 | pages=84–85 | language=French}} He was inspired by the anime series Vicky the Viking he watched as a child, and since then he has been fascinated with Vikings.{{cite web|url=https://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/i/660Le/vikinger-agrave-la-manga|title=Vikinger à la manga|website=AfterPosten|language=Norwegian|accessdate=September 2, 2022}} For this work he received the 2009 Japan Media Arts Festival Grand Prize in the manga category.{{cite web|url=http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/2009/manga/001239/ |title=Grand Prize VINLAND SAGA |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |accessdate=March 7, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407040133/http://plaza.bunka.go.jp/english/festival/2009/manga/001239/ |archivedate=April 7, 2012 }} In 2010, he was a guest of the Angoulême International Comics Festival.{{cite web|url=http://en.bdangouleme.com/news-709-yukimuraa-mangaka-in-angouleme |title=The creator of "The Vinland Saga" is one of the Festival's special guests. He will be here to meet his fans in the Manga building. |publisher=Angoulême International Comics Festival |accessdate=March 7, 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202064911/http://en.bdangouleme.com/news-709-yukimuraa-mangaka-in-angouleme |archivedate=February 2, 2010 |url-status=dead }} As of July 2021, the manga had over 5.5 million copies in circulation.{{cite web|last=Loo|first=Egan|title=Vinland Saga Anime Gets 2nd Season|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-07-07/vinland-saga-anime-gets-2nd-season/.174902|website=Anime News Network|access-date=July 7, 2021|date=July 7, 2021|archive-date=July 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210707120950/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2021-07-07/vinland-saga-anime-gets-2nd-season/.174902|url-status=live}} While the series is notable for its amount of violence normally caused by Vikings, Yukimura claimed he hates the concept of violence. As a result, a key element in writing this story was relaxing his modern sense of morality.{{cite web|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/es/anime-feature/2022/08/09/interview-vinland-saga-creator-staff-on-returning-to-the-viking-epic-for-season-2|title=INTERVIEW: VINLAND SAGA Creator, Staff on Returning to the Viking Epic for Season |website=Crunchyroll|access-date=August 16, 2022}}

It was also adapted into an anime series by Wit Studio.{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-03-19/vinland-saga-manga-gets-tv-anime-by-wit-studio/.129196|title=Vinland Saga Manga Gets TV Anime by Wit Studio|date=March 19, 2018|website=Anime News Network|accessdate=March 20, 2018}} MAPPA will animate its second season starting in January 2023.{{cite web|script-title=ja:制作はMAPPA、新キャストに武内駿輔ら|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/news/480814|website=Natalie|publisher=Natasha, Inc.|access-date=June 8, 2022|language=ja|date=June 8, 2022}}{{cite web|last=Mateo|first=Alex|title=Vinland Saga Anime's 2nd Season Reveals Promo Video, Cast, January 2023 Premiere, Production by MAPPA|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-06-08/vinland-saga-anime-2nd-season-reveals-promo-video-cast-january-2023-premiere-production-by-mappa/.186445|website=Anime News Network|access-date=June 8, 2022|date=June 8, 2022}} Yukimura praised the Vinland Saga anime for solving the manga's pacing issues and adding new content.{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2022-08-23/attack-on-titan-creator-is-a-big-fan-of-vinland-saga/.188912|website=Anime News Network|access-date=August 23, 2022|title=Attack on Titan's Creator Is a Big Fan of Vinland Saga}}

In August 2022, Yukimura did a crossover manga with the video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla where 'Vinland Saga protagonist Thorfinn meets Valhalla lead Eivor.{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2020-10-26/vinland-saga-gets-crossover-manga-with-assassin-creed-valhalla-game/.165583?ann-edition=us|title=Vinland Saga Gets Crossover Manga with Assassin's Creed Valhalla Game|website=Anime News Network|access-date=August 17, 2022}}

In July 2023, Yukimura made his first U.S. convention appearance at San Diego Comic-Con.{{cite web|last=Luster|first=Joseph|title=VINLAND SAGA Creator Makoto Yukimura to Make First US Appearance at San Diego Comic-Con 2023|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2023/06/08/vinland-saga-creator-makoto-yukimura-to-make-first-us-appearance-at-san-diego-comic-con-2023|website=Crunchyroll|access-date=June 9, 2023|date=June 8, 2023}}

Yukimura's sensation during the Cold War and the September 11 attacks were projected on Thorfinn's character who is traumatized by his actions as a viking and thus decides to find Vinland in order to make a land where people from different races are able to live together peacefully.{{cite web|accessdate=September 7, 2022|title=「逃げる戦士」描きたい 北欧バイキング題材に暴力の連鎖問う 幸村誠さん（漫画家）|url=https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/3267|work=Tokyo NP}}

Yukimura pays attention to drawing hands as he claims they are more expressive than faces and give a brief explanation of the person's personality. This was influenced by manga author Katsuhiro Otomo. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Yukimura started drawing the chapters of Vinland Saga digitally.

When he first started drawing, Yukimura expected it to take 10 years, but it will still take 14 years to finish. He had calculated that there would be 20 volumes, with each part consisting of 4 volumes, with 5 volumes each, but then the amount increased to over 22 volumes. From the beginning of the serialization, he was at a loss, wondering when he could write the actual arc of Vinland. Because he often had problems with handling the story, Yukimura looks after Hajime Isayama for his work on Attack on Titan due to how he was able to handle the entire plot until the end especially since its 20th volume.{{cite web|url=https://media.comicspace.jp/archives/12242/3|title=【インタビュー】『ヴィンランド・サガ』幸村誠「『暴力が嫌い』を描きたかったら、描く世界は暴力に満ちたほうがいい。」【アニメ化＆22巻発売記念！】|website=Media Comic Space|language=Japanese|accessdate=August 28, 2022}} In response, Isayama said he admires Yukimura for his detailed art and foreshadowing, remarking that the breaks are necessary to create such a consistently high-quality work. Another series Yukimura became a fan while writing is My Dress-Up Darling.{{cite web|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2022-08-23/attack-on-titan-creator-is-a-big-fan-of-vinland-saga/.188912|title=Attack on Titan's Creator Is a Big Fan of Vinland Saga|website=Anime News Network|accessdate=September 3, 2022}} Among other preferred works, Yukimura enjoys horror stories, most notably Junji Ito's, Nokuto Koike's, and Motosuke Takaminato. Anji Matono's recent work from 2022 also attracts him.{{cite tweet|number=1567505542377259008|user=makotoyukimura|title=あー、伊藤潤二さんも小池ノクトさんも高港基資さんも読み尽くして久しい。恐怖漫画が欲しい。今はね、的野アンジさんの「僕が死ぬだけの百物語」が注目新人。すごく怖い。あと「光が死んだ夏」も。すごく怖いやつが欲しい。読んだの後悔するくらいのやつ。|date=September 7, 2022}}

• Planetes (1999–2004, serialized in Weekly Morning, Kodansha){{cite web|url=http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3287351|script-title=ja:プラネテス（1）|publisher=Kodansha|language=Japanese|accessdate=March 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123095730/http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3287351|archive-date=November 23, 2005|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3289370|script-title=ja:プラネテス（4）|publisher=Kodansha|language=Japanese|accessdate=March 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527230659/http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3289370|archive-date=May 27, 2006|url-status=dead}}
• {{nihongo|For Our Farewell is Near|さようならが近いので|Sayōnara ga Chikai node}} (2004, one-shot published in Evening, Kodansha)
• Vinland Saga (2005–present, serialized in Weekly Shōnen Magazine from April to October 2005 then in Afternoon from December 2005, Kodansha){{cite web|url=http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3144232|script-title=ja:ヴィンランド・サガ（1）|publisher=Kodansha|language=Japanese|accessdate=March 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090119060237/http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3144232|archive-date=January 19, 2009|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3145816|script-title=ja:ヴィンランド・サガ（8）|publisher=Kodansha|language=Japanese|accessdate=March 7, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100629230534/http://shop.kodansha.jp/bc2_bc/search_view.jsp?b=3145816|archive-date=June 29, 2010|url-status=dead}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://twitter.com/makotoyukimura Official Twitter]
• {{anime News Network|people|15451}}
• [http://www.sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/yukimura_makoto Entry] in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction

{{Vinland Saga}}

{{Kodansha Manga Award - General}}

{{Authority control}}

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Category:1976 births

Category:Living people

Category:Manga artists from Kanagawa Prefecture

Category:Artists from Yokohama