THE creator of the beloved manga series Yu-Gi-Oh! has been found dead.
Anime artist Kazuki Takahashi, 60, was discovered floating in waters off Nago, Japan, on Wednesday morning.
He was wearing snorkeling gear when he was found by emergency services, according to reports.
Coastguard officials today confirmed the body as Takahashi's, reports Japan Times.
Authorities are now probing his cause of death.
It's understood the writer was travelling alone in the Okinawa area when a car rental company said it could not reach him, sparking a search for him.
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Manga artist Takahashi found success in 1996, when he created the renowned series Yu-Gi-Oh!.
It led to the creation of a trading card game, originally published by Bandai before Konami took over.
Takahashi wrote and illustrated the series, with it spawning into a media franchise including several video games, as well as a TV series and films.
Yu-Gi-Oh! was originally serialised in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine between 1996 and 2004 following the story of a boy named Yugi Mutou, who solves the ancient Millennium Puzzle.
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It went on to become a hit with kids and teenagers around the world, with youngsters using cards to "duel" in mock battles of fantasy creatures.
The Guinness World Records recognised Yu-Gi-Oh! as the world's best-selling trading card game in 2011, with a massive 25.17billion sets flogged around the globe.
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