Kazuo Koike (Japanese: 小池 一夫, Hepburn: Koike Kazuo; May 8, 1936 – April 17, 2019) was a prolific Japanese manga writer, novelist, screenwriter, lyricist and entrepreneur. He is best known for his violent, artful seinen manga, notably Lone Wolf and Cub (with Goseki Kojima, 1970–6), Lady Snowblood (with Kazuo Kamimura, 1972–3) and Crying Freeman (with Ryoichi Ikegami, 1986–8), which – along with their numerous media adaptations − have been credited for their influence on the international growth of Japanese popular culture.
Kazuo Koike has 48 screen credits in a career dating back to 1972. Their work spans 3 cinematic universes — most prominently Lone Wolf and Cub with 4 titles. Signature works include Crying Freeman, Lone Wolf & Child: Assassin on the Road to Hell, Shogun Assassin. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
Universe traveler — spans 3 universes
