Yu-Gi-Oh! Creator Found Dead At Sea Near Okinawa, He Was Wearing Snorkeling Equipment

60-Year-Old Yu-Gi-Oh! Founder Kazuki Takahashi Found Dead

Founder of Yu-Gi-Oh! – the trading card franchise game turned cultural phenomenon – Kazuki Takahashi, has passed away.

Source: Love By Life

The 60-year-old was discovered floating in the sea near Nago, in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa, on Wednesday (6 Jul).

Nago City Coast Guard and the police are investigating the circumstances surrounding his untimely death.

Yu-Gi-Oh! founder discovered floating in the sea 300m off the coast

According to reports by NHK, Japanese coast guards were informed of a person drifting in a prone position about 300m off the coast of Awa, Nago, Okinawa.

Source: Google Maps

A firefighter who rushed to the scene managed to rescue the man. However, he was later confirmed dead.

Japanese coast guards identified the person as Mr Kazuki Takahashi on Thursday (7 Jul).

When his body was found, he was wearing snorkeling equipment.

Investigations found no scratches on his body

According to the coast guards, Mr Takahashi had rented a car before meeting his untimely demise.

The vehicle was left unattended on a farm near a beach, 12km away from where Mr Takahashi was found.

No noticeable scratches were found on his body. Investigations are ongoing.

Yu-Gi-Oh! holds Guinness World Record for “bestselling trading card game”

For the uninitiated, Yu-Gi-Oh! started as a manga franchise in 1996 and was an instant hit among youths.

The manga also had a card game motif that took on a new lease of life when the show eventually got an anime adaptation.

Source: Faldrian on Flickr

This move propelled the franchise into global popularity, with competitions held globally.

In 2009, the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise held the Guinness World Record for the “bestselling trading card game”, selling over 22.5 billion cards around the world.

Yu-Gi-Oh! founder left a legacy loved by many

The news will come as a shock for many who have spent countless years enchanted by the world of Yu-Gi-Oh!.

In its heyday, no young boy would not have heard of the card game.

Although Mr Takahashi has left us, his legacy and masterpiece will continue to live on in a generation of card duellists in the world.

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Featured image adapted from Love By Life & Google Maps.