Naoki Urasawa’s bagged the Best Series award for Asadora! manga at Italy’s Lucca Comics Awards 2021 on Saturday. It turned out, Urasawa won the same award previously for Monster in 2004, Pluto in 2010, and Billy Bat in 2012.

The awards are part of the yearly Lucca Comics & Games convention in Lucca, Italy.

Urasawa started his manga career in 1981 and made his professional debut in 1983 with “Beta!”, which was published in a special issue of Golgo 13.

The thriller Monster (1994–2001) was his first to receive international acclaim and success, which continued with the science fiction mystery 20th Century Boys (1999–2006). Monster also inspired a television anime series in 2004-2005, and 20th Century Boys inspired a live-action trilogy film adaptation in 2008-2009.

Following the acclaimed Pluto (2003–2009), which is a re-imagining of Astro Boy by Osamu Tezuka, one of Urasawa’s biggest influences, he and Nagasaki created the mystery series Billy Bat (2008–2016).

After two short series, a sequel to Master Keaton with Nagasaki and Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams, Urasawa began his currently ongoing Asadora! in 2018.

Additionally, his Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl manga inspired an anime series in 1989-1992, an anime film in 1992, and an anime special in 1996.

Shueisha to publish a new one-shot manga by Urasawa titled “Dr. Toguro Dokuro no Saigo” in this year’s 23rd issue of Grand Jump on Tuesday.

Source: ANN