"SPY×FAMILY," a wildly popular series currently being serialized in Shonen Jump+, has enjoyed immense popularity since its inception and is scheduled for an anime adaptation in April. While its popularity stems from its blend of serious and humorous elements, including a home comedy and espionage, some readers may not be familiar with its author, Tatsuya Endo. In this article, we'd like to introduce author Tatsuya Endo's background and past serialized works.
Tatsuya Endo's Profile
Profile ①
Born on July 23, 1980, Endo is 41 years old. He is originally from Koga City, Ibaraki Prefecture. His family consists of his parents and one older brother, and his blood type is B. He is proud of his skiing, basketball, racket ball games, side jumping, laziness, creating mouth ulcers, and destroying his health - the latter of which he is quite good at - but unlike the image of a professional manga artist, he gives the impression of being quite an outdoorsy person. His special skills are being late and overthinking things, and his hobbies include the above, as well as visiting storage and second-hand shops. He is also fascinated by gas masks and glasses, and apparently likes the block-shaped Kubrick figure.
Profile ②
My favorite actresses are Meg Ryan, who gained attention in "Top Gun" (released in 1986) and gained popularity in "Innerspace" the following year, and Audrey Tautou, famous for her starring role in "Amelie" (released in 2001). My favorite actors are Bruce Lee and Hiroshi Abe. My favorite manga artists are Akira Toriyama, known for "Dragon Ball," and Hiroyuki Nishimori, author of "From Today, It's My Turn!!," which was also adapted into a TV drama. Minetaro Mochizuki is known for his work, which has been adapted into films and TV dramas, including "Bataashi Kingyo" and "Dragon Head." His style is said to have influenced many manga artists.
Profile 3
He has had a Twitter account since 2019. As of March 2022, he has enjoyed considerable popularity, with 212,000 followers. He frequently posts illustrations of Anya on Twitter, some of which are related to the idol group Nogizaka46. This suggests that Endo is a fan of the group. As further proof, a painting called "Lady of the Sun" resembling member Kumi Sasaki appears in the story of SPY×FAMILY.
Career as a Manga Artist
Debut
Having aspired to be a manga artist since childhood, he began to make a name for himself as a manga artist at the age of 20. In 2000, his work "Seibu Yugi," which he was working on at the time, won the runner-up prize in the manga category at Story King, a manga awards competition for aspiring manga writers. His debut work was published in Akamaru Jump (now renamed Jump GIGA) later that year. He then published his one-shot work "Tsukihana Biba" in Weekly Shonen Jump.
First serialized work: "TISTA"
After publishing several one-shot works, he began serializing his first work, "TISTA," a suspenseful story about a young girl who becomes a hitman with special abilities and the people around her, in Jump SQ from 2007 to 2008. TISTA's style incorporates depictions of shootings and social issues such as child abuse, making it closer to seinen manga. Looking back on that time, Endo said, "It's a work that I'm very embarrassed about, but I'm very attached to it." After the serialization ended, he worked as an assistant to Kazue Kato, the author of "Blue Exorcist."
Second Work: "Gekkan Biba"
In 2010, he began serializing "Gekkan Biba," a Japanese-style fantasy work based on the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, also in Jump SQ. It was based on a one-shot story published in 2000. Like his previous work, TISTA, the style is characterized by its many depictions of violence and its Heian-period setting, incorporating science fiction elements. The series concluded in 2012. A total of five tankobon volumes have been published.
After the series ended
After the end of the Gekkabiha series, I took a break from planning serialization projects and instead worked as an assistant to various manga artists. One of my assistants was Amyuu-sensei, whose "Kono Oto Tomare!" series is currently being serialized in Jump SQ. I also worked under Yuji Kaku, whose "Hell's Paradise" series was a flagship Jump+ title and ranked the most popular in 2018, as well as Tatsuki Fujimoto, who is famous for his work on "Fire Punch," "Chainsaw Man," which is being adapted into an anime, and the 143-page one-shot "Look Back."
Leading to the Third Series, "SPY×FAMILY"
In 2018, he published his one-shot work, "I SPY," in Jump SQ. It's a romantic comedy about a male spy and a high school girl. The story revolves around A4, an elite spy for the Ministry of Defense known as the Phantom. He uses various guises to conduct intelligence activities to protect Japan. One day, he meets Kai Mamiru, an extraordinary high school girl, who expresses her affection for him, but A4 mistakes her for the enemy. This work was so well-received that he began planning a serialization based on espionage. And so SPY×FAMILY was born.
Review from the Editor in Charge
Shihei Hayashi, who has edited numerous popular works such as "Chainsaw Man," "Blue Exorcist," "Hidarikiki no Eren," "Hell's Paradise," and "Kono Oto Tomare!!," has been an editor since Endo's first serialized work, TISTA, and continues to edit SPY×FAMILY 13 years later. According to Shihei Hayashi, the addition of Endo-sensei as an assistant has led to an overall improvement in the artistry of his workplace.
Summary
That concludes the profile and career of Endo-sensei, the creator of SPY×FAMILY! I hope I was able to share the roots of his work on this hugely popular series. Endo-sensei's previous works have been released in book form and e-book format, and the first chapter of his debut work, TISTA, is available for free on Jump+. If you're a fan of SPY×FAMILY or have become interested after reading this article, please be sure to pick up a copy. Thank you for reading this far!
