The creator of the best-selling trading card game in history is being hailed as a “hero” after he died trying to save an American girl off the coast of Okinawa.
Kazuki Takahashi, 60, died in July after the tragic incident that went without clarification from officials for weeks.
The Japanese Coast Guard explained that officials consulted with the family of the late comic artist, who expressed desire to downplay Takahashi’s tragedy so as not to draw attention away from the ongoing care of the young girl.
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US Army Maj. Robert Bourgeau called Takahashi a “hero” in a Tuesday interview with the Stars & Stripes — a newspaper for the U.S. military.
Takahashi was snorkeling on the island beach — home to a massive US base and military complex — on July 4. When the young American girl and her parents began shouting out for help, Takahashi swam out toward them, followed by two US servicemen.
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The family and the pair of servicemen managed to return to shore safely, but Takahashi was lost after being caught up in a wave.
The body of Takahashi was found floating about 330 yards off the coast of Okinawa, by a person running a marine leisure business, according to an official at the Naha Coast Guard Nago station. His body showed signs of being attacked by a marine creature, possibly sharks, the official said.
“Yu-Gi-Oh!” debuted in Shonen Jump magazine in 1996, became a hit, selling more than 40 million copies as manga, although the number of cards out in the world is far greater, in the billions.
The official card game went on sale in 1999. A TV show and video games, as well as figures and toys, were also part of the franchise.
The success of “Yu-Gi-Oh!” in the West was similar to that of other Japanese animation and game works like Pokémon.
Fox News’ Pilar Arias contributed to this report.
