Masamune Shirow

In 1983, Masamune published his first manga story, "Black Magic." In 1985, his first major work, the cyborg parable Appleseed, was published by Seishinsha. Shortly thereafter, Shirow set up his own company, under whose auspices he produced the cyberpunk landmark The Ghost in the Shell. Shirow's work has been recognized and highly respected outside Japan.