Best known for works including GANTZ, cartoonist Hiroya Oku revealed on X on September 24 that Yuki Ikeda, the credited creator of the Manga Thunder 3, was actually another pen name he had been using.
The secret had been kept under wraps for four years, and Oku finally revealed the truth just before the season finale of the Thunder 3 television Anime.
Thunder 3 is a sci-fi Manga series that began serialization in Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022. The completed series was collected in 10 volumes.
At the time, the publisher introduced Yuki Ikeda as a “major new talent” and promoted Thunder 3 as his “serialization debut.” More than four years after the series began—and following its conclusion in June 2026—the creator’s true identity has finally been made public.
Oku wrote on his X account: “Yes. Just as everyone already knows, Yuki Ikeda is another pen name of mine.” And there was a reason he opened with “just as everyone already knows.”
Because of Thunder 3’s art style and overall atmosphere, fans had long speculated online that Yuki Ikeda might be another name used by Hiroya Oku—or perhaps one of his former assistants. Oku has now personally settled the debate while also explaining why he chose to publish the series under a different identity.
According to Oku, “The twist in Chapter 1 would have had less impact if the series had been published under my name.” He wanted first-time readers to be caught as off guard as possible.
The opening chapter of Thunder 3 contains a reveal that dramatically changes the reader’s impression of the entire series. Had Hiroya Oku’s name appeared on the cover from the start, readers might have guessed where the story was heading before the twist even arrived. To prevent that, he deliberately used another pen name.
Even when the Manga first launched, promotional material—including the synopsis for Volume 1—noted that it had quickly generated buzz across social media and online Manga platforms. Soon after its first chapter was published, Thunder 3 was nominated for the Next Manga Awards 2022.
Now that “Yuki Ikeda” has been confirmed as Hiroya Oku, an established creator with multiple works to his name, those earlier claims about a “major new talent” making his “serialization debut” suddenly carry a very different meaning.
The Thunder 3 Anime is also approaching its finale, with Episode 12 scheduled to air on September 30. Reacting to the creator reveal, the Anime’s official X account declared, “On the eve of the finale... a shocking confession!” It also reintroduced the series as “a ‘sort-of’ new work by Yuki Ikeda—also known as Hiroya Oku!?”
After more than four years, this massive real-world setup has finally paid off just days before the Anime finale. Then again, for fans who had been following the clues, the answer may not have been much of a surprise.