Over a 100 manga artists from Japan are are auctioning their artworks for charity in order to raise funds and support the people who were affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The project was initiated by Tatsuya Chiba, the author of Ashita no Joe and the chairman of the Japanese Cartoonists Association.

He was joined by prominent mangaka including George Morikawa (Hajime no Ippo), Akihito Tsukushi (Made In Abyss), Yusuke Murata (One Punch Man), Riichiro Inagaki (Dr. STONE), Jun Watanabe (RRR), Yuji Terajime (Diamond no Ace), Natsumi Mukai (+Anima), Kouji Seo (Fuuka), Masahiro Hirakata (Debby the Corsifa wa Makezugirai), Ban Ippongi and others.

A total of 146 shikishi drawn by 110 manga artists, with a theme of peace, have been created and will be put up on auction on Yahoo! under Japanese Cartoonists Association’s name in 3 instalments. Some of the illustrations are collaborations between artists featuring popular characters from manga series.

“I want to create pieces to express in a way that even children can understand that this is the outcome of war, and what should be done for it to not happen,” Chiba told NHK about the auction.

The author added that he wanted to do something as a manga artist that would encourage more people to do something to support those who are enduring hardships.

The auction will be held till Oct 23, 2022.

The proceedings from the charity will be sent to Doctors without Borders, an international non-governmental medical organization known for its work in conflict zones.

The Japanese Cartoonists Association had earlier issued a statement in March, affirming its anti-war stance and extending its support to Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense too have not shied away from using anime and manga references, especially in their tweets. Recently, the account put out a tweet quoting Luffy from One Piece. Before that they had used a modified illustration of Chainsaw Man‘s Volume 1 cover to highlight the use of HIMARS in its efforts against Russia.

Source: NHK News

© Tetsuya Chiba, Asao Takamori / Kodansha, © George Morikawa / Kodansha