"Eternal Space Journey Begins" Galaxy Express 999 Original Creator Matsumoto Reiji Passes Away

Passed away at 85 from acute heart failure
Comic based on personal experience... Popular in Korea as well

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Leiji Matsumoto (松本零士), the original manga artist famous for the manga "Galaxy Express 999," which was a huge hit worldwide including Japan in the 1980s, passed away due to acute heart failure. He was 85 years old.

On the 20th, Kyodo News reported that he died of acute heart failure on the 13th. Born in 1938 in Fukuoka Prefecture, Matsumoto debuted in 1954, when he was a first-year high school student, by serializing "The Adventures of the Honeybee" in "Manga Shonen."

Reiji Matsumoto is presenting a magazine featuring content related to "Galaxy Express 999." (Photo by Reiji Matsumoto Official Fan Club Facebook)

From 1971 to 1981, he serialized Galaxy Express 999 in Weekly Shonen, gaining tremendous popularity. "Galaxy Express 999" depicts the journey of Tetsuro, who lost his mother to the Machine Count, as he travels through space with Maetel, dreaming of revenge. It was also broadcast domestically in the 1980s and gained great popularity.

In addition, in 1974, he fully participated in the production of the animation "Space Battleship Yamato," which became a hit following Galaxy Express 999. Due to his successive hits, a trend called the "Matsumoto Boom" swept through the Japanese animation industry. After gaining fame as a creator, he also nurtured future talents as an art university professor.

Matsumoto always cited Galaxy Express 999 as his representative work. In 2018, he attended an event unveiling the Galaxy Express 999 design train and remarked, "The train is life itself because the final station cannot be seen," which became a topic of discussion again.

In fact, the motif for Galaxy Express 999 originated from Matsumoto’s experience at age 18 when he took a night train from his hometown Fukuoka to Tokyo over 24 hours. Although he had a ticket to go, he did not have money for the return trip and resolved "not to return even if I die." The unfamiliar memories of the facing wooden seats and floor colors from that time were directly reflected in Galaxy Express 999.

A wave of mourning continues in Japan as well. Jiji Press reported, "Matsumoto’s last wish was to draw the real Earth as seen from space," adding, "Although he could not fulfill his wish, he will continue to travel through space."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.