Kazuki Motoyama, the Japanese artist and writer behind Kodansha's Super Mario manga, has passed away aged 69, as recently confirmed by his sister on Instagram.
If you happen to be an avid fan of Nintendo's world-famous mustachioed plumber, beyond just his appearance in the video games, it's quite possible that you may have come across Motoyama's work in the past while looking for Mario artwork or scanning Nintendo wikis or websites online.
He was the person responsible for illustrating and writing the serialized Super Mario manga, which appeared in Kodansha's anthology magazine Comic BomBom (between 1988 to 1998), and also notably featured several adaptations of old Mario games (ranging from Super Mario Bros. 3 all the way up until Super Mario 64).
This is a series he would later end up continuing unofficially, with the announcement of a spin-off manga named Kinoppe-chan Forever, in 2019, focusing on his original character, the toad girl Kinoppe.
Motoyama's Mario comics were often known for their expressive art style, self-referential gags (Motoyama often appeared in his comics as an overworked mangaka named Mototin), and outrageous humour, with the artist regularly featuring comical nudity and sexual innuendos in the officially licensed Nintendo works (often to the surprise of modern audiences).
Because of this, his work has arguably transcended its original Japanese audience, becoming a source of intrigue and amusement for Nintendo fans around the world — some of whom have already begun to pay tribute to the author.
Before working on the Mario series, Motoyama originally made his debut in the world of manga back in 1977, with the release of the story Love & Mini, which was published in the bi-monthly Shōjo magazine Deluxe Margaret. From there, he then went on to make his Shōnen debut just two years later, with Kimattenai No Nikimemaru-kun, in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1979 — a magazine he would later end up contributing to regularly — before creating several history-based books in the mid-80s, to satisfy his interest in Japanese history.
Writing on Instagram, Lisa Motoyama did not reveal the cause of her brother's passing, but thanked those who cared for her brother during his lifetime. Here at Time Extension, our thoughts are with Lisa and the rest of Motoyama's friends and family during this difficult time.