Kenichi Sonoda is an iconic artist of the retro anime aesthetic. He was the character designer for the classic 1980s cyberpunk saga
Bubblegum Crisis, and in the 1990s for
Otaku no Video, the anime from legendary studio Gainax (
Neon Genesis Evangelion) that popularized the term "otaku." In 2024, Kenichi Sonoda was given the prestigious Inkpot Award at San Diego Comic-Con.
Gunsmith Cats is Sonoda's longest manga series, making its original 1991 debut in Kodansha's
Afternoon magazine, home of such stories as
Vinland Saga, Blade of the Immortal, Oh My Goddess! and
Wandering Island. Kenichi Sonoda traces his roots to Kumamoto, Japan, where in recent years he has become the 19th family head of his ancestral
wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) shop, founded in 1582--for which Sonoda now designs character mascots!