The Most Influential Mangaka of 2025 Is Official (And No, It’s Not One Piece’s Author)

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Wow, 2025 was an amazing year for anime and manga! Now that the year’s over, everyone’s been talking about the series that really made an impact. A Japanese media source just released their picks for the most influential manga creator of the year, and honestly, it’s someone truly exceptional. As you’d expect, the list is mostly filled with creators who’ve been around for a while with hugely popular, established series – it’s tough for new artists to break through. So, it wasn’t a huge surprise to see Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the best-selling manga of all time, at the very top!

The ranking of influential manga artists this year held a surprising twist: Eiichiro Oda, creator of One Piece, landed in 10th place, at the very bottom of the list. According to a report from the Japanese media outlet Courrier, Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of Chainsaw Man, topped the list. Courrier explained that the release of Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc was a key factor in Fujimoto becoming a worldwide phenomenon in 2025, but there’s another interesting reason why he was named the most influential mangaka of the year.

Chainsaw Man’s Tatsuki Fujimoto Emerges as the Most Influential Mangaka of 2025

Tatsuki Fujimoto’s success this year can also be attributed to the anime adaptations of his earlier short stories, compiled as Tatsuki Fujimoto 17–26. These adaptations introduced his unique storytelling style to a broader audience and showcased his versatility. The release of the critically acclaimed anime film Look Back in 2024 further boosted his popularity. Perhaps most notably, Chainsaw Man has had an impact beyond just entertainment, even attracting attention from academics.

Scientists in Chile recently discovered a fossil of an extinct sawshark and named it Pochita Sera. The name “Pochita” is a nod to the popular manga Chainsaw Man, and “sera” is Latin for “saw.” Researchers chose the name because the fossil closely resembled the character Pochita, a unique tribute to the manga’s creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, and a sign of his growing cultural impact. In fact, Courrier magazine named Fujimoto the most influential manga artist of 2025. Even the second-ranked artist, Ryo Tatsuki, wields considerable influence; her manga, The Future I Saw, predicted an event in July 2025 that caused many people to cancel trips to Japan.

The list also features well-known manga artists like Junji Ito, Makoto Yukimura (creator of Vinland Saga), and Gege Akutami (Jujutsu Kaisen), all of whom ranked higher than Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Piece. It’s surprising that Koyoharu Gotouge, creator of the incredibly popular Demon Slayer, didn’t appear on the list at all. However, Tatsuki Fujimoto (Chainsaw Man) clearly earned the number one spot. He’s had a significant impact on the manga world, not only through his own work but also because several of his former assistants have gone on to create their own popular series, like Dandadan and Spy x Family.

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2026-01-01 16:11