‘Doraemon’ co-creator Fujiko Fujio A passes away at 88
Famed Japanese manga artist Fujiko Fujio A, who is known for beloved children’s cartoons including Doraemon, Ninja Hattori and Little Ghost Q-Taro, passed away, claimed media reports. He was 88. As per reports, the artist, whose real name was Motoo Abiko, was found outside his home near Tokyo on Thursday.
Motoo Abiko and Hiroshi Fujimoto formed their partnership in 1951 and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954. They used the name until the dissolution of the partnership in 1987. Throughout their career they won many individual and collaborative awards, and are best known for creating the popular and long-running series Doraemon, the main character of which is officially recognized as a cultural icon of modern Japan.
While Doraemon was the outcome of their collaborative effort, “Ninja Hattori” was Motoo Abiko’s individual project. The show is about a ninja who becomes best friends with a regular kid, as well as other works targeted at adults.
Motoo Abiko was the eldest son of a monk at a historic temple in central Toyama region. However, after the death of Abiko’s father, his family left the temple. He was in fifth grade then.
“My father’s death changed my life the most. If he had not died, I think I would have been a monk,” he told the Asahi newspaper daily in 2020.
