Fujio Akatsuka (赤塚 藤雄, also known as 赤塚 不二夫, Akatsuka Fujio; September 14, 1935 – August 2, 2008) was a Japanese manga artist. Known as the "King of Gag Manga" (ギャグ漫画の王様 (Gag Manga no Ousama), he created many popular manga such as Osomatsu-kun, Himitsu no Akko-chan, and Tensai Bakabon.
He was born in Rehe, Manchuria, the son of a Japanese military police officer. After World War II, he grew up in Niigata Prefecture and Nara Prefecture. When he was 19, he moved to Tokyo.
While working at a chemical factory, he drew many manga. After that, Tokiwa-so accepted him. He started his career as a shōjo artist, but in 1958, his Nama-chan (ナマちゃん) became a hit, so he became a specialist in comic manga. He won the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1964 for Osomatsu-kun and the Bungeishunjū Manga Award in 1971 for Tensai Bakabon. He is said to have been influenced by Buster Keaton and MAD magazine.
In 1965, Akatsuka established his own company "Fujio Productions Ltd.".
In 2000, he drew manga in braille for the blind.
Many of his manga featured supporting characters who ended up becoming more popular and more associated with their series than the main character, such as Papa (Tensai Bakabon), Iyami, Chibita (Osomatsu-kun), and Nyarome (Mōretsu Atarō).
In April 2002 he was hospitalized for intra-axial hematoma and was said to frequently be in a persistent vegetative state from 2004 until his death. In July 2006, his second wife Machiko, who had been nursing him, suddenly died from a subarachnoid hemorrhage. On August 2, 2008, he died of pneumonia at a hospital in Bunkyō, Tokyo.
Among Akatsuka's extensive body of work, his series of Osomatsu-kun, Himitsu no Akko-chan, Tensai Bakabon, and Mōretsu Atarō are often considered his top four major series by Fujio Pro, due to their success in garnering animated adaptations and their lengthy runs and revivals.
Angel in the Dark (くらやみの天使) (October 1958-March 1959, Shojo Club)- Assisted Shotaro Ishinomori and Hideko Mizuno, published under the shared pseudonym U.MIA
Matsuge-chan (まつげちゃん) (October 1958-April 1961, Hitomi)
Nama-chan (ナマちゃん) (December 1958-March 1961, Manga King)
Ohana-chan (おハナちゃん) (January 1960-March 1962, Shojo Club)
Happy-chan (ハッピィちゃん) (March 1960-June 1961, Ribon)
Tunnel Team (トンネルチーム) (April to September 1960, Fun 4th Grader)
Okazu-chan (おカズちゃん) (April 1960-March 1961, Fun 5th Grader)
Kantarō (カン太郎) (May–September 1961, Adventure King)
January 1964-April 1965, Shonen Book
Osomatsu-kun (おそ松くん) (April 15, 1962- May 18, 1969, Weekly Shonen Sunday)- Serialization changed to monthly from August 13, 1967, to allow for less frequent but longer chapters