TOKYO (TR) – Masami Kurumada, the 72-year-old legendary manga artist behind the global hit “Saint Seiya,” filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against a former accountant, alleging the man embezzled a staggering 4.6 billion yen from his production company, reports TV Asahi (Sep. 2).
According to the lawsuit, the former accountant—who previously worked as Kurumada’s editor before taking over his finances some 20 years ago—funneled massive overseas licensing fees into a shell company. The accused allegedly established a dummy corporation with a name nearly identical to Kurumada’s legitimate licensing management firm, “NEXT WING,” to siphon off funds between 2018 and 2024.
To cover his tracks, the ex-accountant systematically isolated the artist from business associates. “He told people, ‘Masami Kurumada is a misanthrope. Because he is an artist, he cannot meet with people,'” Kurumada’s lawyer, Tomohiro Nozaki, explained, noting that the tactic kept industry insiders away from the creator for years.
Empty bank accounts
The massive fraud came to light two years ago during an investigation by the tax office. Kurumada revealed that his company’s bank accounts were found to be nearly empty, leaving him unable to pay his hefty tax bills.
“If things had gone badly, Kurumada Production would have gone bankrupt. I might have been ruined as a manga artist,” Kurumada said.
The stolen funds included roughly 1.2 billion yen in pachinko licensing fees funneled between 2021 and 2024, as well as massive royalties from Chinese corporations like Tencent and Alibaba for merchandise and games. The property’s booming popularity in overseas markets, including China and Latin America, generated immense wealth that the artist was largely kept in the dark about.
“I truly couldn’t believe it at first,” Kurumada told reporters. “I’ve been in this industry for over 50 years, and you just don’t expect to see bad people in the anime and manga world. The amount of 4.6 billion yen is so huge, it doesn’t even feel real to me.”
“Almost lost faith in humanity”
The lawsuit seeks 2.89 billion yen in damages, which accounts for the remaining stolen funds after approximately 1.8 billion yen was previously returned. The accused has yet to publicly respond to inquiries regarding the allegations.
Despite the staggering financial betrayal, the 72-year-old creator says he will not put down his pen.
“For a time, I almost lost faith in humanity,” Kurumada said. “But for the readers and the people all over the world who love ‘Saint Seiya’ and my manga, I will keep doing my best to continue drawing.”
