Naoki Urasawa was born on January 2, 1960 in Osaka, Japan. A graduate of Meisei University, he won the New Manga Artist Award of Shogakukan in 1982 and made his manga debut with Return (1981), which won the 35th Shogakukan Manga Award in 1990.

Urasawa went on to create the critically-acclaimed Monster, which won several awards—the 3rd Osamu Tezuka Culture Awards' Manga Grand Prix, the 1st Japan Media Arts Festival Manga Award of Excellence, the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award—and inspired a 46 episode anime series and music and trade book spin-offs.

Other works from Naoki Urasawa include:

Happy!
Jigoro!
Keaton's Zoology
Master Keaton
Monster
N.A.S.A.
Pineapple Army
Pluto
The 20th Century Boys
The Dancing Policeman
Yawara!