After starting out as an assistant on the samurai manga Rurouni Kenshin, Hiroyuki Takei in 1998 created Shaman King, which would go on to become a smash hit Shonen Jump adventure with an anime adaptation broadcast on Fox. Its success led to three spinoff and sequel manga. His cited influences include Osamu Tezuka, Hiroaki Samura's Blade of the Immortal, and Mike Mignola's Hellboy.