Late artist designed creatures for Godzilla, Hellboy, more
Comic publisher Peow2 announced on Wednesday that it will publish the late artist Yasushi Nirasawa’s collection of works and artbook, Creature Core, in English.
Hobby Japan originally published the book, a collection of 2D and 3D monsters and demons, in 1992.
Nirasawa is known for his design and modeling work on television series and films such as Garo, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and multiple Heisei-era Kamen Rider series such as Kamen Rider Blade, Kamen Rider Kabuto, and Kamen Rider Decade. He also drew manga such as Phantom Core and Punishmenter Sodo, and did illustration work on books such as Ryūta to Aoi Bara.
Nirasawa started out as an assistant of illustrator Makoto Kobayashi, and debuted in the Hobby Japan Extra magazine in 1987 with a remodeled kit of the Kobayashi-designed Marasai mobile suit. He then served as the miniature effects assistant chief in the OAV adaptation of Kobayashi’s Dragon’s Heaven manga in 1988. Since then, he designed creatures for such anime as Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Guilstein, Hells, Bleach the Movie: Memories of Nobody, Zetman, and Iron Man: Rise of Technovore.
Nirasawa died in 2016 at the age of 52 from kidney failure.
Source: Peow2‘s Bluesky account
