Tite Kubo

File:Kubo-Tite.jpg

Tite Kubo

Noriaki Kubo (久保 宣章, Kubo Noriaki), born June 26, 1977, is a manga-ka who writes under the pen name Tite Kubo (久保 帯人, Kubo Taito). He is best known as the author and artist of the popular series Bleach.

Biography

The son of a town council member in Fuchu, Aki District, Hiroshima, Tite Kubo graduated from the local high school. In an interview, Kubo has stated that he entered a magazine's manga contest, and that although he did not win, one of the magazine's editors noticed his talent. They subsequently worked together on joint projects. Not long afterward his first manga short, "Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine," was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Special in 1996. This was followed by two more shorts, and in 1999 his first serial, Zombie Powder, began in Weekly Shonen Jump and ran for four volumes until 2000. His next serial, Bleach, about a high school student who becomes a shinigami and fights evil spirits, began running in the same magazine in 2001. As of November 24, 2006 Bleach has reached 25 volumes, and an anime based on it began running in Japan in 2004. The manga was named a winner of the Shogakukan Manga Award for its category in 2005, and a Bleach movie is planned for wide release in Japan on December 16, 2006.

Works

Short stories

• "Ultra Unholy Hearted Machine" (1996, Weekly Shonen Jump Special. Appears in volume 2 of Zombie Powder.)
• "Rune Master Urara" (刻魔師 麗, Kizaakumashi Urara) (1996, Weekly Shonen Jump. Appears in volume 3 of Zombie Powder.)
• "Bad Shield United" (1997, Weekly Shonen Jump. Appears in volume 4 of Zombie Powder. Also makes a cameo in Bleach as Bad Shield United 2, which is a movie.)

Serials

Both manga are licensed in North America by VIZ Media.

• Zombie Powder (1999–2000, Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha. Collected in four volumes in 2000 and discontinued.)
• Bleach (2001—, Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha. Collected in 25+ volumes.)