The gaming and manga world mourn the loss of a beloved Super Mario artist today as news has begun to surface of Kazuki Motoyama’s passing at the age of 69. Motoyama was the artist for 1988’s Super Mario and Kinoppe-chan Forever manga, with the former running for 10 years until 1998 in Kodansha’s Comic BomBom magazine.
The news of this passing was confirmed by Risa Motoyama on Instagram before it began to surface recently for fans around the world. A part of Mario’s earliest years as the franchise rocketed to global recognition, Motoyama was a crucial figure in the Japanese zeitgeist for the mascot character, and he will be missed.
Super Mario Manga Artist Kazuki Motoyama’s Passing Leaves Behind a Loving Family
Risa Motoyama, author of Start With A Happy Ending, posted her message five weeks ago on Instagram to mourn the loss of her brother. Given Motoyama’s particular presence in the fandom with dozens of volumes of his work, Super Mario fans flocked to her post to offer their condolences.
“My brother has passed away.
Thank you to everyone who cared for him during his lifetime. I apologize for causing you concern.
I will resume YouTube once things have settled down a bit.
I hope you will wait for me. “
-Risa Motoyama
Motoyama managed to shine with his work despite other competing Mario manga like Yukio Sawada’s Super Mario-kun from Shogakukan, but Motoyama’s charm brought the series to life as it adapted various iconic games released during its run. From Super Mario Bros. 3 to Super Mario Kart and Super Mario 64, Motoyama brought a unique vision of the character to his fans.
Motoyama’s Work Graced a Multibillion Dollar Franchise
Super Mario World manga
Creators like Motoyama were present for the Golden Age of Mario, particularly in the 1990s, with the franchise spilling out into system-selling sequels like Super Mario World, bizarre spin-offs like Mario Teaches Typing, and cutting-edge debuts with Super Mario 64. As a result, Motoyama kept the hype alive and created bold and exciting retellings of the plot of its games.
Super Mario under Motoyama changed its title to correspond with whichever game he was adapting, but the 43-volume run all lands under the same banner. Portraying Mario as a heroic ladies’ man, the series brought together many of the franchise’s most beloved and some of its most obscure characters, even tying in with the Donkey Kong franchise.
The series also featured the fascinating stories of characters like Wario, who would shift from villain to antihero as his own franchise developed. Motoyama was present for all of this as the most iconic visions of the Mario franchise emerged during his watch. His legacy will be missed, and our thoughts go out to Motoyama’s family during this time.
