Image: Sailor Moon/Naoko Takeuchi, Cardcaptor Sakura/CLAMP, Sazae-san/Machiko Hasegawa, Urusei yatsura/Rumiko Takahashi, The Rose of Versailles/Riyoko Ikeda
Manga has a long and celebrated history, with women playing key roles in its success.
Manga boasts a rich, colourful history; one that has shaped it into the powerhouse industry it is today. Over the decades, countless artists have crafted long-standing works that continue to generate buzz even now. Yet, what often goes unrecognised is the vital role that female artists have played in shaping the medium. While legendary male creators tend to dominate the spotlight, it is the contributions of many talented women that have helped define manga as we know it.
Japan, like many other cultures, has long grappled with patriarchal expectations, and while strides toward gender equality have been made, women still face systemic challenges– whether in the workplace or in societal roles that prioritise domestic duties. However, in the wake of World War II, manga creation became an unexpectedly viable career path for women, giving rise to a vibrant and diverse artistic movement. Free from constraints, female artists explored themes that were often overlooked, tackling complex narratives that illuminated both the struggles and triumphs of womanhood.
In honor of International Women’s Day (8 March), let’s take a moment to celebrate the women who revolutionised manga, one panel at a time.
Machiko Hasegawa
Images: ”The Sankei Graphic”, Sankei Shinbun Co., Ltd. 1955, Machiko Hasegawa
A pioneer among female manga artists, Machiko Hasegawa is best known as the creator of Sazae-san, the manga that inspired the longest-running animated television series in history. Born on 30 January, 1920, in Taku, Saga Prefecture, Hasegawa discovered her passion for drawing cartoons at age 15 and never looked back.
Alongside Sazae-san, she also created Ijiwaru Ba-san (Granny Mischief) and Epuron Oba-san (Aunt Apron). Her work revolutionized the 4-koma (four-panel) manga format, establishing a layout that remains the industry standard today.
Hasegawa’s storytelling centered on the everyday lives of Japanese women, particularly housewives and the elderly, as they navigated societal shifts in postwar Japan. Her most famous character, Sazae-san, stood out as a forward-thinking, independent housewife with a large family, making her one of the earliest representations of feminist ideals in manga.
In 1974, Hasegawa retired, and in 1992, she passed away at the age of 72 due to heart failure. Yet, her influence endures; not only through the countless artists who cite her as an inspiration but also in the continued airing of Sazae-san, a testament to her lasting impact.
Throughout her career, Hasegawa received numerous accolades. She won the 8th Bungeishunji Manga Award in 1962 and, in 1982, became the first female manga artist to receive Japan’s Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon– an achievement befitting her contributions to the medium. Her other honors include the 4th Tokyo Cultural Award (1988), the Order of the Precious Crown, Fourth Class (1990), the Minister of Education Award at the 20th Japan Cartoonists Association Awards (1991), and the 10th People’s Honor Award (1992). Even posthumously, her legacy was recognized with the Special Prize at the 24th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prizes in 2020.
Riyoko Ikeda
Images: Riyoko Ikeda
One of the most celebrated manga artists of the 1970s, Riyoko Ikeda is best known for The Rose of Versailles, a groundbreaking historical fiction manga loosely based on the French Revolution.
Born on 18 December, 1947, Ikeda made her manga debut in 1967 with Bara Yashiki no Shojo. Much of her work drew inspiration from historical events, often set in foreign lands and laced with androgynous themes that resonated deeply with readers of the era. The 1970s marked a turning point for Japan’s women’s liberation movement, with feminist groups gaining traction, which reflected the shifting cultural landscape in Ikeda’s works.
The creation of The Rose of Versailles was shaped by Ikeda’s political involvement. As a member of Japan’s New Left and the Communist Party in the late 1960s, she was part of a generation that helped transform shoujo manga. No longer confined to simplistic romances, the genre began tackling complex themes of sexuality and politics: perspectives that The Rose of Versailles exemplifies.
The manga follows the story of Marie Antoinette, the ill-fated Queen of France, alongside the fictional Oscar François de Jarjayes, a noblewoman raised as a man to serve as commander of the Royal Guard. Oscar, embodying many of the ideals Ikeda encountered in her political activism, was a figure of unyielding strength who embraced both her femininity and her duty. Yet, beneath her composed exterior lay a deeper struggle: an internal battle between her upbringing and her identity, challenging rigid gender roles and confronting the stark realities of inequality.
The Rose of Versailles broke the confines of gender binaries, presenting questions that still hold weight today: What does it mean to be a woman? What does it mean to be a woman in a world built for men? Through Oscar, Ikeda redefined gender expectations, creating a character who transcended conventional archetypes.
Beyond gender discourse, Ikeda also explored Oscar’s growing disillusionment with the French aristocracy. Her empathy for the suffering masses made her a pivotal figure in the revolution, culminating in her role during the Storming of the Bastille, an act that would lead to the fall of the monarchy and the triumph of the revolution.
Ikeda became one of the most influential manga artists of her generation, and earned many accolades thanks to her enduring work. Ikeda was awarded the Japan Cartoonists Association Award of Excellence in 1980, France’s National Order of the Legion of Honour in 2008, and also received the medal of Chevalier from the French Ambassador to Japan. She now enjoys a musical career as a soprano singer, and has even created her own opera, titled Nemuru Otoko (The Sleeping Man).
Rumiko Takahashi
Images: Rumiko Takahashi
Dubbed the "Princess of Manga," Rumiko Takahashi is one of Japan’s most celebrated and wealthiest manga artists, with a career that began at just 18 years old. She remains one of the most commercially successful creators in the industry, both in Japan and globally, thanks to her iconic works like Urusei Yatsura, Ranma ½, and InuYasha.
Born on 10 October, 1957 in Niigata, Japan, Takahashi has often stated that she dreamed of becoming a manga artist since childhood. During her university years, she enrolled in Gekiga Sonjuku, the manga school founded by the legendary Kazuo Koike, where she honed her craft and began publishing doujinshi. She also worked as an assistant to the late Kazuo Umezu during the serialization of his comedy series Makoto-chan, gaining firsthand experience in the industry just as romantic-comedy manga was rising in popularity.
Takahashi made her professional debut in 1978 with Urusei Yatsura, a sci-fi comedy shounen manga that quickly became a hit. She followed it up in 1980 with Maison Ikkoku, a romantic seinen series aimed at an older audience. In 1987, she introduced Ranma ½, a martial arts shounen manga that stood out with its unique gender-bending premise. Then, in 1996, she launched InuYasha, a darker historical fantasy shounen series that remains one of her most enduring works.
Despite working primarily in shounen, a genre historically dominated by male artists, Takahashi carved out her own space as a trailblazer. In an interview with Furinkan, she affirmed her lifelong love for shounen manga, stating that she had "only ever wanted to draw in that style." But rather than conforming to traditional shounen tropes, which consisted of chivalrous heroes, clear-cut battles between good and evil, and female characters relegated to love interests or damsels-in-distress, Takahashi flipped the script. She filled her stories with strong, beautiful, and complex female characters, often centering her narratives around themes of self-acceptance and self-love, all while weaving in her signature comedic flair.
Takahashi’s influence on the industry is undeniable, and her legacy shows no signs of fading. Today, more women artists have found their footing in shounen and seinen, following in her footsteps and continuing to challenge outdated stereotypes–just as she did.
Naoko Takeuchi
Images: VOGUE Japan, Naoko Takeuchi
Any magical girl loving fan will know who Naoko Takeuchi is. If you grew up during the 1990s, you most likely witnessed the phenomenal impact brought about by her magnum opus: the culturally significant manga series Sailor Moon.
Born in Kofu, Yamanashi, Japan on March 15, 1967, Takeuchi has had a deep love for the manga medium since her childhood, but was pushed towards a more lucrative career as a licensed pharmacist at the behest of her father. However, Takeuchi broke into the manga sphere right after her college graduation at age 19, with her first work, Love Call, being submitted to Kodansha. Love Call earned Takeuchi a Nakayoshi New Artist award, propelling her to fame and giving way for her to publish one-shot pieces, as well as her first serialisation Maria.
Takeuchi would publish a second series titled The Cherry Project in late 1990, which gave her inspiration to work on a manga based on outer space and girl fighters. Takeuchi worked on a one-shot based on this concept, creating Codename: Sailor V.
In 1991, Takeuchi began serialising Sailor Moon, which gained instant popularity and success, creating a franchise that now consists of a 200-episode anime adaptation, animated films, video games, and merchandise. Sailor Moon became a trend-setting title of the ‘90s, merging together romance, fantasy, and battle action into a compelling story that everyone, whether they were woman or man, girl or boy, old or young, greatly enjoyed.
Takeuchi did not stray away from playing with stereotypes, but that wasn’t a detriment to the way she wrote her characters. Takeuchi refined the stereotypes and portrayed her main character Usagi Tsukino as an initially cowardly, flawed young girl whose personality–clumsy, whiny, funny–made her incredibly relatable to Takeuchi’s teenaged girl-demographic. As the story progressed, Takeuchi helped Usagi grow into her role as a Sailor Senshi, turning her into a courageous and powerful fighter that anyone could look up to.
Sailor Moon is truly an influential body of work, credited as the show that completely reinvigorated the magical genre, paving the way for girls to grow a bigger interest in the shoujo genre. Sailor Moon also proved to be revolutionary to the feminist movement, thanks to its contributions to empowering women in what could be considered as a male-dominated field: Pretty teenage girls who are not afraid of embracing their hyper-femininity, all while harnessing their powers to thwart evil.
CLAMP
Images: John (Phoenix) Brown, CLAMP
Formed in 1987, this all-female manga artist group consisting of Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi, is considered a titan in the manga world, credited for making enduring titles that encompass all genres. Some of their most influential works are Magic Knight Rayearth, xxxHolic, Chobits, and Cardcaptor Sakura.
CLAMP began their manga career in the shounen genre, but would also create works in the seinen and shoujo categories; creating compelling and complex stories, further brought into acclaim thanks to their signature art style and focus on themes of destiny, identity, love, and sacrifice. CLAMP’s art remains to be a major influence when it comes to modern shoujo aesthetics.
CLAMP also established themselves as a group that did away with traditional archetypes, often featuring powerful, independent, and multi-dimensional female leads. Their characters, like Sakura Kinomoto from Cardcaptor Sakura, often do not rely on a male figure to prove their strength and capability at the face of adversity.
CLAMP’s male characters also received a subversion of archetypes, being portrayed as emotionally complex figures who are not afraid to acknowledge their flaws or lack of strength. Syaoran Li from Cardcaptor Sakura fully espoused this subverted type, acknowledging his weaker power compared to Sakura, but nevertheless remains dedicated and supportive to her cause.
When it came to portraying relationships, CLAMP became a beacon for the LGBTQ+ community by putting focus on queer romance, likely influenced by the progressive stance of the ‘90s when it came to LGBTQ+ rights. CLAMP particularly favour portraying MLM (men loving men) relationships in their work, evident with the subtle pairing of Touya and Yukito in Cardcaptor Sakura, Kurogane and Fai in Tsubasa Reservoir: Chronicle, and even implied with Doumeki and Watanuki in xxxHolic.
However, CLAMP’s approach to love and identity transcends traditional romance, often exploring themes of soul bonds, reincarnation, and love that defies gender and time. Their works challenge societal norms, portraying relationships based on deep emotional connections rather than conventional roles. Through their intricate storytelling and boundary-pushing narratives, CLAMP have left an indelible mark on the manga industry, continuing to inspire creators and readers alike.
A lasting legacy
Through their creativity and perseverance, these 5 influential woman artists have redefined genres, challenged societal norms, and shaped the way we understand identity, love, and personal growth. From Machiko Hasegawa’s pioneering work in slice-of-life storytelling to CLAMP’s boundary-pushing explorations of gender and relationships, the manga we have today is a testament to their contributions.
Although we’ve only mentioned five female manga artists who redefined the medium into what it is today, there are so many other women artists out there who have made an indelible mark on the history of manga. Their contributions continue to inspire new generations of creators, proving that manga is not just a medium dominated by traditional expectations, but a space where diverse voices thrive.
As we celebrate their achievements, we also look to the future; there are and will be more female creators who will undoubtedly continue to break barriers, redefine genres, and shape the ever-evolving world of manga.
