We have some sad news to share today. Manga artist Rakko (らっこ), best known for his adult manga series Suketto Sanjou!!, passed away on March 20 at the age of 50 due to heart failure. How are his fans taking this sad news?
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Suketto Sanjou!! Creator Rakko Has Passed Away
The news was announced on March 27 by Rakko’s older brother through the artist’s official X account. According to his brother’s message, Rakko felt something was wrong and called an ambulance himself, fighting to stay alive until the very end. When emergency services arrived, they found him sitting at his desk with a new, unfinished manga manuscript open on his PC. He was still in his work chair. It’s a detail that hit the community hard — Rakko was working right up until his final moments, doing what he loved.
The funeral was held privately with family, and per Rakko’s own wishes, the family has respectfully declined all condolences and offerings.
Rakko’s Life and Career
Rakko built his career over 20 years in the world of adult manga, and like so many talented artists, he got his start in the doujinshi scene. He was a fixture at Comiket, self-publishing his work as doujin releases and steadily building a devoted following through events and online platforms.
Rakko-sensei had a DeviantArt presence where he shared illustrations and connected with international fans, describing himself simply as a “Japanese adult manga artist.” He also interacted with both Japanese and foreign fans through his Pixiv Fanbox account, sharing new art with his followers.
Over the years, Rakko created several original titles including Murikuri, Fushidara, and EroKawa Bitch. He also contributed to the magazine Comic ExE, which released an official statement acknowledging his years of contributions to the publication. Beyond manga, he worked in other corners of the anime and game industry too — he provided a preview illustration for an episode of the ef: a tale of memories anime series (the visual novel that launched the career of Shinkai Makoto) and wrote scripts for the OVA Gakuen Toshi Varanoir – Kingdom of Chaos The Universe.
How did fans react with VNFB creator Yorhel passed away? Read the blog post here!
The Success of Suketto Sanjou!!
Rakko’s biggest and most beloved work was Suketto Sanjou!!, a baseball-themed adult manga featuring two unforgettable characters: the blonde Sandy Bash and the dark-skinned Wendy Crawford, athletic rivals who bring their competitive energy (and everything else) to the sport, and to their sex lives. The series first appeared in 2010 as two short chapters in Rakko’s Mechashiko Seven anthology, published by Wani Magazine. It proved popular enough to earn a standalone tankoubon release in 2019, and then reached an even wider audience when it was adapted into a two-episode adult OVA in 2020 by PinkPineapple, directed by Araki Hideki.
For many fans, Suketto Sanjou!! was their introduction to Rakko’s art, and it’s easy to see why — his character designs were bold, expressive, and full of personality. Sandy and Wendy became iconic in the adult anime community, and you could never forget meeting them for the first time.
The image of Rakko at his desk, manuscript open, working on something new even in his final hours, says everything about who he was. He was an artist who lived for his craft. Across two decades, he brought joy to fans through Comiket halls, manga pages, and eventually anime adaptations. He was just 50 years old, and there was clearly so much more he wanted to create.
Rest in peace, Rakko-sensei.
Twitter Fans React to Rakko’s Death
Upon hearing the sad news of Rakko-sensei’s passing, I rearranged my figure shelf a little… May he rest in peace.
I’m so sad to hear the news that a (naughty) manga artist I really loved has suddenly passed away. I feel like I just saw one of his posts the other day… May Rakko-sensei rest in peace.
Rakko-sensei has passed away… I’ve never seen erotic manga that was so bright and full of energy. A truly one-of-a-kind talent has left us. Rest in peace. I’ve loved his work since his debut, so this is really hard to take.
Rakko-sensei, I never had the chance to meet you in person, but we were published in some of the same magazines. I hope you’re happily drawing wonderful manga and illustrations on the other side. Rest in peace. (From fellow published artist No100.)
Thanks for reading this blog post about the sad passing of hentai manga artist Rakko, who created Suketto Sanjou!! and many other amazing hentai works. Did you enjoy his manga or ecchi anime? Tell us in the comments below!
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Great news! J-List is having a huge sale on all books shipping from Japan! Until April 6, you can get 18% off all manga, doujinshi, photobooks and anime and ecchi magazines! Browse all sale products here!
