Hirohiko Araki

Araki is best known for his long-running series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, published in Weekly Shonen Jump starting in 1987. The story is full of references to Western music and Italy, both of which Araki is reportedly very fond. Many of Araki's creations have been translated and released in Europe but so far only JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Baoh have been released in the United States. One popular theory is that Araki's frequent references to Western music may violate American copyright laws. Viz has eluded much of this problem in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by replacing some band references with album or song references, which do not appear to be as strictly guarded. Araki is a recipient of the Tezuka Award.