Visitors play Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links video game in the Konami Holdings Corp. booth at Tokyo Game Show on September 17, 2016 in Chiba, Japan. TOKYO (AP) - Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the "Yu-Gi-Oh!" manga comic and trading card game, has died, apparently while snorkeling in southwestern Japan, the coast guard said Friday.The body of Takahashi, 60, was found Wednesday floating about 300 meters (330 yards) off the coast of Okinawa, by a person running a marine leisure business, according to an official at the Naha Coast Guard Nago station.The coast guard and the fire department went by boat and watercraft and found the body, face down and wearing a snorkeling mask.
He may have been dead for a day or two, according to the coast guard official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because their job did not allow them to be quoted by name.The body showed signs of being attacked by a marine creature, possibly sharks, but the cause of death was still under investigation, the official said.Takahashi was identified after police in another part of Okinawa contacted the coast guard Thursday, saying a rented car had been found abandoned on a beach.
The car had a driver’s license, confirming the identity. Takahashi’s real first name was Kazuo. His family was contacted and identified him, the coast guard official said."Yu-Gi-Oh!" debuting in Shonen Jump magazine in 1996, became a hit, selling more than 40 million copies as manga, although the number of cards out in the world is far greater, in the billions.The official card game went on sale in 1999.
A TV show and video games, as well as figures and toys, were also part of the franchise.There was an outpouring of mourning on social media.Eric Stuart, the American actor who did the.