Akira Oba

Akira Oba is a Japanese manga artist and writer. He is best known as the writer for the highly successful manga series Death Note, which he created in collaboration with artist Takeshi Obata. He is also the writer for the manga series Bakuman, also in collaboration with Obata, and Platinum End, with Obata again providing the art. The pen name "Akira Oba" has led to significant speculation about the writer's true identity, with many believing it to be a pseudonym.

While the true identity remains officially unconfirmed, Tsugumi Ohba (大場 つぐみ, Ōba Tsugumi) is the name most commonly associated with the authorship of Death Note and other works published under the "Akira Oba" pen name. Fan theories often cite various pieces of circumstantial evidence, including similarities in writing style and artistic preferences between Oba's works and previous works by other artists, but concrete proof remains elusive. Regardless, the name "Akira Oba" represents the creative force behind several popular and influential manga series.