On September 8, 2023, Japanese manga artist Buichi Terasawa passed away at the age of sixty-eight. In this era of advanced medical care, sixty-eight is still considered a premature death. When he drew his groundbreaking masterpiece "COBRA," which shocked the manga world, the master was only around twenty-two years old. Throughout his life, Master Terasawa was lauded with titles such as "Pioneer of Computer Graphics in Japanese Manga" and "The Foremost Japanese Manga Artist with an American Comic Style." This epoch-making creator broke the norms and conventions of the Japanese manga industry, and to this day, it is difficult to find a successor. Let's explore the charm of Master Terasawa's works and his life story, so you can understand what we have truly lost.
Buichi Terasawa was the first in Japan to use a computer system to draw colored manga illustrations, initially using a PC-9801 and later upgrading to a Macintosh G3 9600. Image credit:東スポWeb
1. Pioneer of Computer ArtBuichi Terasawa was one of the earliest manga artists in Japan to use computers for his artwork, but the origin of his experimentation with computer drawing perhaps begins with Osamu Tezuka's father: the renowned photographer Tezuka Tsutomu came from a prominent family, a lineage of doctors, and his father was a judicial officer, so it's imaginable that their financial situation was more affluent than the average family. Tezuka Tsutomu was very fond of trying new technologies and novelties, and he purchased a large number of expensive and exotic goods at the time.
His son, who would later become Osamu Tezuka, became a manga artist largely because his father bought a vast collection of manga, which were not yet popular at the time, filling an entire bookshelf. Being able to read manga that other children couldn't access from a young age opened up a unique perspective for Osamu Tezuka.
Osamu Tezuka Image credit:Mainichi Shimbun
As an adult, Osamu Tezuka continued to live a life free from financial worries, and influenced by his father, he also possessed an insatiable curiosity for new things—and he had the means to acquire them all. Buichi Terasawa, who once served as Tezuka's assistant, was often instilled by his mentor with the idea of listening, observing, and maintaining curiosity. He watched Osamu Tezuka, who had an astonishing thirst for knowledge regarding anything new. If a serialization couldn't be finished on time, Tezuka would drive around metropolitan areas, observing the streets for new ideas to incorporate into his manga; or he would take his assistants shopping at department stores, finding opportunities to spark creativity from the imported new products.
Young Buichi Terasawa Image credit:X
Later, when Terasawa was asked why he attempted computer drawing, something no one else had tried at the time, he simply replied:
"Because I like to try new things, that's all. This might have been influenced by Tezuka-sensei, because Tezuka-sensei also liked new things. If he were still alive, he would definitely try drawing with 3DCG, and perhaps even more actively than I... For me, it was simply because the translucent effect achieved through 3DCG drawing looked incredibly beautiful, that's all. Digital drawing doesn't degrade over time like paper, and it allows for layered artwork. If these manga ever need to be converted into multilingual versions, the dialogue can be easily and directly replaced, which is incredibly convenient."
Buichi Terasawa was completely unreserved, compiling all his accumulated techniques into a book, "Buichi Terasawa's Digital Manga Anatomy," published in 1999, to teach computer drawing techniques. Image credit:Mandarake
Today, using a drawing tablet to draw directly in computer software is a common creative method for many artists. However, in the 1980s, an era when computers were not yet widespread, Buichi Terasawa purchased expensive computers and scanners, scanning his hand-drawn works into software and then coloring them digitally. At the time, Terasawa was ridiculed for this approach, with critics claiming it took a lot of extra time and effort, and that drawing with a brush was faster and more intuitive than scanning an original manuscript, which took at least ten minutes or more.
As a pioneer, during a time when both hardware and software were still immature, Buichi Terasawa was able to combine computer graphics with nascent 3D rendering technology to create many stunning full-color pages, even releasing multiple full-color manga works that utilized computer coloring and special effects. Image credit:Buichi Terasawa Original Art Exhibition ART of Cobra
However, Terasawa let his finished products speak for themselves: his computer-drawn works not only featured beautiful full-color rendering but also achieved a level of realism that traditional manga could never reach... On the alluring, exposed thighs of the female figures Terasawa loved, an enchanting luster shone through, an effect no halftone screen could ever produce.
2. French-Style Alluring Female FiguresSpeaking of Master Terasawa's charm, many immediately think of the greatest common denominator in all his works: sexy, voluptuous, scantily clad female characters. Not only are their appearances striking, but their personalities are also hard to ignore... Most of them are femme fatales; even if some beauties appear as innocent as angels at first, after a few story arcs, they are very likely to turn on and betray the protagonist—this unique charm of Terasawa's work does not seem to be influenced by Osamu Tezuka.
"Cobra" features many sexy women Image credit:Mandarake Auction
This is Master Terasawa's personal preference; he loves exaggerated and luxurious styles. Therefore, his female characters' costumes, first and foremost, resemble the masquerade styles of the Brazilian Carnival or Las Vegas showgirls. This influence clearly comes from the French comic master Moebius. Moebius's art style in the 1970s deeply influenced the entire Japanese manga industry; almost all renowned Japanese manga artists and animators, such as Katsuhiro Otomo, Rintaro, and Taiyo Matsumoto, have openly expressed their admiration for Moebius. Even Hayao Miyazaki and Osamu Tezuka were deeply influenced; Tezuka even referred to his shading technique as the "Moebius Line." Moebius even named his daughter "Nausicaä" (the name of the protagonist in "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind") as a sign of respect for Miyazaki.
Works by the renowned French comic artist Moebius (Mœbius) Image credit:openbook
Buichi Terasawa was, of course, also influenced by Moebius, but his influence might have been deeper than that of his peers. His beloved alluring femme fatales resemble characters from 1960s French film noir; while the male protagonists in Terasawa's works like "Cobra" or "Midnight Eye" are entirely reminiscent of French cinema tough guys like Jean-Paul Belmondo or the iconic Alain Delon. They possess a dashing, unrestrained image, automatically attracting beautiful women and danger, and they welcome all comers, instead thoroughly enjoying this perilous and thrilling adventurous life, navigating between scheming beauties and hails of bullets.
"Cobra" began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump" issue 45, 1978, later transferring to MEDIA FACTORY (KADOKAWA, now Kadokawa Corporation). Image credit:openbook
Terazawa once said that, unlike his mentor Osamu Tezuka, he did not possess boundless imagination. His manga stories were quite simple—or more accurately, they often paid "homage" to other people's masterpieces. For instance, the opening scene in "COBRA" where the amnesiac protagonist visits a "memory experience" company is a complete "homage" to novelist Philip K. Dick's classic short story "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale," which was later adapted into the film "Total Recall."
The classic sci-fi film "Total Recall," starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, released in 1990. Image credit:Inverse
However, Terazawa didn't just borrow Moebius's female forms or classic sci-fi plots; he excelled at "reorganizing" these elements from popular culture and transforming them into his own unique stories. This technique became prevalent in Hollywood in the 1990s, though it was then called "subversion." Renowned directors like Quentin Tarantino mastered this approach, or even became famous because of it. But Buichi Terazawa was ahead of them; he was already doing this when he began serializing "COBRA" in "Weekly Shonen Jump" in 1978... In this manga, you can see influences from "Star Wars," the American comic magazine "Heavy Metal," James Bond films, Moebius, and Leiji Matsumoto's "Space Pirate Captain Harlock." Yet, "COBRA" simultaneously possesses its own distinct flavor.
"COBRA"'s protagonist, the space pirate "Cobra," possesses the highly unique signature weapon, the "Psychogun." Furthermore, his decision to undergo plastic surgery and erase his memory to become an ordinary person to evade past enemies was a remarkably fresh and innovative concept at the time. Image credit:Muragon
3. A Thrilling, Adult, and Dashing Cosmic AdventureBuichi Terazawa never shied away from the masculine dominance in his works, and COBRA, the protagonist of "COBRA," is arguably its quintessential representation. He is essentially the cosmic version of James Bond, always facing life-or-death situations with a smile. COBRA's left arm is an invincible weapon called the "Psychogun," which can convert COBRA's energy into a laser beam with freely controllable trajectory—meaning you can't escape even if you hide behind a wall. But COBRA isn't just equipped with this divine weapon; as a pure Earthling, his body itself is a war machine... He can run 100 meters in just five seconds, has a grip strength of 500 kilograms, and can punch through a cyborg... More importantly, he can survive any attack, earning him the moniker "the immortal COBRA."
"COBRA" is filled with a diverse array of sexy female characters. Image credit:Facebook
COBRA is also accompanied by loyal female robots who manage everything for him. Essentially, COBRA is constantly surrounded by all sorts of beautiful women from across the universe, and if they ask for help, COBRA usually softens and assists (though he often unceremoniously collects his "reward"). Even if a beauty later betrays him, COBRA doesn't fly into a rage. After all, COBRA himself is the most wanted criminal in the entire universe, with almost everyone wanting to kill him, so a betraying beauty is hardly a novelty. Yet, COBRA never seems to care; even when constantly subjected to assassination attempts and schemes, COBRA will always casually say, "Oh dear, you've got me there"...
But "COBRA" is not merely a work that glorifies male invincibility. Since COBRA is so invincible, Buichi Terazawa had to devise even more unimaginable predicaments. "COBRA" borrows heavily from popular entertainment culture, featuring a myriad of bizarre alien races pursuing COBRA, showcasing Terazawa's imagination and his ability to pay homage. For example, there's "Crystal Boy," whose entire body is covered in crystal, rendering all beam weapons useless—making COBRA's Psychogun ineffective; or ultimate weapons that can freely transform based on imagination; and sword-shaped aliens that control other species through psychic power. COBRA's adventures span every corner of the universe, and Terazawa's imagination is vividly displayed in the powerful alien adversaries COBRA continually faces.
"COBRA" was adapted into an animated film by Toho in 1982, with a TV anime series also launched in the same year. Image credit:映画.com
This style permeates all of Terazawa's works, whether it's "Midnight Eye" or "Karasu Tengu Kabuto" (鴉天狗カブト). You won't see these protagonists diligently training; they appear almost as the strongest in the universe from the very beginning. Terazawa disliked how manga artists of the 70s and 80s depicted protagonists' growth from weakness to strength.
He believed that only child protagonists needed such processes, and his characters were invariably adults. They looked like mature adults, with complex inner lives like adults, and children should not appear in his manga—ironically, while the "COBRA" manga indeed featured almost no child characters, the animated adaptation included children, and Cobra was even friendly towards them. This was an arrangement by the animation studio to appeal to younger audiences, not the original intention of Master Terazawa.
“When you're sad, you cry; when you're happy, you laugh. Those who react this way are simply children. Children shouldn't be involved in adventures; they should obediently go to school and study. While studying might be boring, at least you can diligently learn the basics for establishing yourself in society. Let's talk about adventure when you've grown into adults... So, in the past, when the idea of drawing Cobra's childhood story came up, I found it incredibly boring, so I didn't draw it (laughs).”
"Midnight Eye" Image credit:オークフリー
Even more interestingly, "COBRA" was initially serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump," a magazine entirely aimed at the children Master Terazawa disliked... and it ran for six years. However, "COBRA" later transferred to Shueisha's other magazine, "SUPER JUMP," which is a manga magazine for children who grew up reading "Weekly Shonen Jump." Clearly, this was likely the most suitable readership for Terazawa's works.
4. The Manga Artist Assistant Who Refused to Be a Corporate DroneBecoming an assistant to the legendary master Osamu Tezuka was a dream job for many young people. Osamu Tezuka's creative power was astonishing, simultaneously serializing a vast number of works—even Moebius, who visited him, was astounded. Naturally, as Tezuka's assistant, one had to work long hours every day, rushing to meet deadlines. However, assistant Terazawa often left early, abandoning his senior colleagues who were still working, to go home. When asked why he was going home, Buichi Terazawa stated that he was going home to draw his own manga.
Terazawa was once Osamu Tezuka's assistant Image credit:X
Such a work attitude would typically lead to severe criticism in the high-pressure Japanese manga industry. However, Buichi Terazawa's artistic skill was simply too exceptional. When Osamu Tezuka saw his original works, he even told him, “Don't waste your time on assistant work; you should finish your own work and debut as soon as possible!” In fact, when Terazawa first applied for the assistant position, he was initially not accepted. It was only because Tezuka saw Terazawa's artwork that he made an exception and hired this highly skilled young man. With the master's encouragement, the then twenty-two-year-old Terazawa's work received an honorable mention in the Shueisha Tezuka Award in 1977, and the following year, "COBRA" began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump"... He successfully debuted after only one year as an assistant. Reflecting on this period as an assistant, Terazawa stated:
“My ideas made Tezuka-sensei very happy. I think the sensei needed new blood like me... He didn't teach me anything hands-on, but it was a very precious time. For me, I gained invaluable experience that money couldn't buy.”
“My ideas made Tezuka-sensei very happy” Image credit:togetter
5. Hirohiko Araki's BenefactorManga artist Hirohiko Araki, creator of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure," once submitted his work to Shueisha's Tezuka Award, hoping to achieve instant fame through this award for new artists. However, his work "Armed Poker" was rejected by the editorial department during the selection process. It was Master Buichi Terasawa who strongly promoted this work to the editorial department, leading "Armed Poker" to become a semi-finalist for the 20th Tezuka Award, and thus allowing this young man to become a true manga artist. Araki was deeply grateful to Buichi Terasawa for speaking up for him, and in his work "Cool Shock B.T.," the protagonist's name, B.T., is actually an abbreviation of Buichi Terasawa's name (Buichi Terasawa).
Hirohiko Araki's work "Cool Shock B.T." began serialization in "Weekly Shonen Jump" in 1983 Image credit:X
If we compare Araki's works with Terasawa's, we can find a high degree of overlap: both Terasawa and Araki share a love for foreign films, borrowing heavily from popular movie elements in their works, and both celebrate masculinity (women are often merely dispensable supporting characters or femme fatale villains)... More importantly, their manga can both be considered adult-oriented works, with themes and styles not typically of interest to children. Of course, Araki's works do not indulge in female anatomy as much as Terasawa's...
6. Late-Life ScandalBuichi Terasawa was a Japanese manga artist with an uncommon style; works like "COBRA" would be almost impossible to release today. Terasawa himself was involved in a scandal with a female assistant in 2019, where the woman accused Terasawa of imprisoning and abusing her. Terasawa countered, claiming they had a physical relationship, and that the woman had secretly taken over seven thousand photos of him, stolen his Twitter account, and even drugged him with sleeping pills, among other misdeeds.
Terasawa, who was already incapacitated by illness at the time, reportedly hired this female assistant due to her nursing experience, but she ultimately turned into a 'horror lover.' Buichi Terasawa's official statement even personally confirmed their intimate relationship. Such incomprehensible and self-incriminating remarks left a vast readership unsure whether to side with the master.
Terasawa and his female assistant were embroiled in a 'Rashomon'-like sex scandal, with Terasawa's personal account posting numerous cryptic messages, all of which have since been deleted. Image credit:BIGLOBEニュース
The ultimate outcome of this scandal was also quite bizarre: Terasawa's official Twitter account posted numerous cryptic tweets on April 2, 2019, including some obscene language and inappropriate photos. The publisher subsequently requested their deletion, and Terasawa himself apologized for these mysterious tweets, after which the incident inexplicably concluded. Was Master Terasawa set up? Did the other party have ulterior motives? Or did Terasawa truly sexually harass/assault the female assistant and then seek sympathy on public social media, feigning innocence? This scandal has never received a reasonable public explanation. Naturally, at the time of the incident, the male-chauvinistic "COBRA" immediately became a target of ridicule among netizens... This work from the seventies likely never imagined it would become a joke used to attack its author fifty years later.
Terasawa and his female assistant in a photo Image credit:気になる記事、アメーバブログ
It's clear that Buichi Terasawa's works, such as "COBRA" and others, cannot easily adapt to this more egalitarian world. If you're looking for works from the last century that objectify women, you'll find them frequently throughout Buichi Terasawa's creations. However, that does not mean modern readers are qualified to criticize this manga artist, who has been creating for over forty years, as it is a reflection of the changing times. Conversely, Buichi Terasawa's works are not solely about the objectification of women; their adventurous style and ingenious alien designs remain incredibly engaging even today. Furthermore, Terasawa's charm has been passed down through the works of his successors, such as Hirohiko Araki and Tetsuo Hara, and it is an undeniable fact that he truly transformed the Japanese manga industry.