Master Masami Kurumada, the renowned manga artist and creator of the cult franchise Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac), has fallen victim to an elaborate financial scam that cost him a staggering sum. The news, reported in recent hours by Japanese media, has left the work’s vast global fan community in shock.
According to initial accounts from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the fraudster lured the artist with a purported exclusive, high-yield investment project involving real estate and merchandising—specifically linked to expanding the rights to the famous brand. By using a complex system of forged bank documents and posing as a high-level intermediary, the criminal managed to gain the trust of the artist and his associates, securing payments totaling several hundred million yen in multiple installments before vanishing without a trace.
The alarm was raised when the manga artist’s financial advisors discovered inconsistencies in bank statements and realized that the investment company had never existed. Local authorities have already launched a formal investigation into aggravated fraud and are analyzing financial transactions to identify the scammer; they are not ruling out the possibility of an inside accomplice or the transfer of funds abroad.
The author’s team released a brief statement to reassure readers, confirming that while the veteran artist is distressed, he is cooperating fully with law enforcement, and the incident will not affect his ongoing creative work.
