Japan’s manga culture has taken over the world, establishing itself in every country as one of the premier ways to tell a compelling story. But did you know that many of your favorite mainstream manga artists also drew hentai in the past? Let’s look at the most famous examples, some of whom might surprise you!
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Why Do So Many Manga Artists Also Do Hentai?
There’s a magical place in Japan that turns the dreams of young artists into reality. I’m talking about the Comic Market doujinshi event, held every August and December at the sprawling Tokyo Big Sight convention hall. Virtually every famous artist you know and love today got their start creating doujinshi, often 18+ works parodying famous characters. Creating doujins to sell at the Comiket twice a year helps artists develop the skills they’ll need to go pro later, learning how to meet deadlines and keep their fingers on the pulse of what their fans want to read.
Truth be told, those ecchi parody doujinshi of your favorite characters aren’t entirely legal even in Japan, and not all Japanese companies are happy about their IP being used by fan artists without their consent. But the reality is that every major artist gets their start drawing doujinshi, and no company would want to be seen as doing harm to the amazing engine that’s always churning out the next generation of artists. And so companies like Nitroplus put a statement on their websites specifically allowing doujin-related activities based on their works at these fan events.
No Artist in Japan Gets Cancelled for Drawing Hentai
But wait. Isn’t it a big problem if a mainstream manga artist is found to have drawn hentai in the past? Don’t we need to shut down their career immediately? WON’T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN? Well, not so fast.
- Being an especially pragmatic country, Japan doesn’t feel the need to pay lip service to Judeo-Christian values…which no one in the West actually follows anyway. So who cares if an artist drew ecchi doujinshi featuring Hermione Granger back in the day, as Dr. Stone artist Boichi did?
- One phrase often used in Japan is sho ga nai / shikata ga nai, which means “It can’t be helped.” It’s normal for boys to want to look at pictures of boobs, and it’s normal for girls to be interested in steamy stories about BL or GL or whatever. It can’t be helped, so who cares?
- In the end, Japan refuses to be ashamed of liking porn in its various forms and is, in fact, proud of the unique pop culture they’ve created. It’s been especially nice to see how strongly Japanese companies push back against silly activists on X who want companies to self-censor to conform to Western standards.
Let’s Look At 15 Surprising Artists Who Also Created Hentai!
Nagatoro Creator Nanashi Also Created Hentai Doujinshi
The creator of Miss Nagatoro has penned quite a few hentai parody doujinshi over the years, including Naruto and Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya. I’m sure I’ve never looked those up for research purposes or anything!
Tomo-chan Is a Hentai Artist!?
Fumita Yanagida created Tomo-chan is a Girl! to the delight of many fans. A slightly different type of fan might enjoy their foray into ecchi romance stories back in the day.
Masamune Shirow Became a Hentai Artist After Taking Over the World
What do you do after becoming your era’s most famous manga artist? Create hentai, of course! Masamune Shirow was one of the first artists from Japan to have his work widely translated into English in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Back then, all of us avidly read his Dominion, Appleseed and then Ghost in the Shell, the latter being translated into an amazing anime work by legendary anime director Mamoru Oishi. What’s an artist to do after achieving the pinnacle of his craft? Start drawing super sexy hentai artbooks, of course, and J-List has them all in stock for you!
Oshi no Ko Artist Mengo Yokoyari Started Out Doing Hentai
The artist for Oshi no Ko (as well as my beloved Kuzu no Honkai) did hentai manga. He released a tankoubon called Wanna Do It Again? before going mainstream.
The Pokemon Manga Artist Made Futanari Hentai?!
Pokémon artist Toshihiro Ono made futanari hentai doujinshi in the past, under the pen name Kamirenjaku Sanpei. He made sexy doujins parodying Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z and Ai Yori Aoshi. He also has a futanari series called Anal Angel. Oh my!
Wait, Hisasi Does Regular Manga?
Sometimes it can be surprising to learn that a hentai artist has done all-ages work. I was surprised that the great Hisasi illustrated the And You Thought There Was Never a Girl Online? manga light novels. (With story writing by Kineko Shibai.)
Maken-ki! Creator Hiromitsu Takeda Draws Kyonyu Hentai
Sometimes it doesn’t come as a shock to learn a creator of sexy manga also does 18+ doujinshi for fun.
The Monster Musume Creator Also Drew Interspecies Reviewers Hentai
Amazing artist Okayado, who made us all obsess over monster girls has created more than a few sexy manga in the past. He’s also done homage manga for Interspecies Reviewers, which makes perfect sense.
Ken Akamatsu Got His Start Drawing Cardcaptor Sakura Doujinshi!?
What’s the best way to become a famous artist? Start drawing comics of your favorite characters doing naughty things together, and Ken Akamatsu was no exception. He made sexy doujins and illustration collections under the pen name Mizuno Awa as he perfected his art. He parodied Cardcaptor Sakura, Revolutionary Girl Utena, Agent Aika and his own Love Hina, too. In 2022, he was successfully elected to Japan’s legislation, where he fights against manga censorship.
Sgt. Frog’s Mine Yoshizaki Made Hentai before Going Mainstream
If you wondered why the character Natsumi from Sgt. Frog is drawn in such a sexy manner, it’s because creator Mine Yoshizaki is an old hand at drawing hentai that will appeal to fans. He even drew some giantess fetish work in the past. Nice!
Food Wars Was Illustrated by a Former Hentai Artist
Before Shun Saeki made us all hungry by illustrating the Shokugeki no Soma foodgasm manga, he was well-established as the popular hentai artist Tosh, making original ero manga as well as parody Baka to Test doujins. (Food Wars is written by Yuto Tsukuda with recipe input from Yuki Morisaki.)
J-List’s sister company J18 Publishing licenses hentai manga and doujinshi from Japan’s best artists, and several of them do both 18+ and all-ages works. Ohagisan creates the most incredible futanari artwork you’ve ever seen, then turns around and makes all-ages manga under his pen name Endou Okito. Mado Guchimoto created the amazing Tokyo Interstellar Immigration all-ages sci-fi manga, but has done hentai for GOT Comics in the past.
Yotsuba& and Azumanga Daioh and…Hentai?
Artist Kiyohiko Azuma drew lots of non-H parody doujinshi of popular works like Sailor Moon and Evangelion. But he also released several hentai works under the pen name Jouji Jonokuchi.
Tony Taka Does Mainstream Art and Hentai Work at the Same Time
Finally, the great Tony-sensei! When he’s not making illustrations for the Shining Hearts RPG series by Sega, he’s creating hardcore doujinshi, including books using copyrighted characters. Who’s going to complain? He’s frigging Tony Taka! Browse J-List’s stock of his amazing works here!
Thanks for reading this blog post exploring famous manga artists who have created hentai manga in the past. Did any of these names surprise you? Tell us in the comments below!
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We hope you’re enjoying the holiday season, getting ready for a warm and fuzzy Christmas, if you celebrate it. J-List has added tons of new stock to our website, and as an extra gift to you, we’ll pick up $25 of your shipping during our Shipping Support Sale! Just buy $200 or more of in-stock products shipping from Japan, and the discount will be applied automatically. Start shopping now!
