Japanese manga artist Buichi Terasawa, best known for creating the hero of the “Cobra” series, died this Friday at the age of 68.
Buichi Terasawa, manga author made famous by the character Cobra, died this Friday, September 8 at the age of 68, from a myocardial infarction.
Born in 1955 in Japan, Buichi Terasawa initially intended for a career in medicine but failed his exam. Despite his fascination with the field of cinema, he joined the manga world in the early 1970s, drew for numerous works, and notably became the assistant of the famous Osamu Tezuka (known for having created Astro Boy and King Leo).
It was from 1977 that Terasawa began publishing his own mangas, and created the character that would bring him worldwide fame: the space adventurer called Cobra, equipped with a cannon for a left arm, traveling the galaxy in search of treasures, perpetually pursued by the galactic police.
Divided into 20 volumes and crowned with success, the manga underwent several adaptations, including an animated film and an animated series in the early 1980s, while a live-action feature film had provisionally been considered by the filmmaker. French Alexandre Aja in 2014.
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Fun fact, Cobra’s very particular face is inspired by the features of Jean-Paul Belmondo, of whom Buichi Terasawa was a great admirer.
In addition to his space adventurer, the mangaka has also signed other manga series, such as Black Knight B.A.T. Or Kabuto.
Suffering from a brain tumor since 1998, Buichi Terasawa died on September 8, 2023 of a myocardial infarction at the age of 68.
(Re)discover the credits of “Cobra”…