A lawsuit has been filed by Kurumada against the defendants for allegedly misappropriating funds.
Masami Kurumada, the creator of popular manga series such as Saint Seiya, Ring ni Kakero, and B't X, revealed in a press conference on 3 September, that he has filed a lawsuit against a former board director and others from his three previous companies or allegedly misappropriating funds without authorization. He is suing the defendants for JP¥ 2.8 billion (about US$18 million).
Why is Masami Kurumada suing his former company members?
One of the three companies whose members Kurumada is suing Kurumada Productions, which manages the copywriting and merchandising of his works. According to the lawsuit, the former director of the company, who was also Kurumada’s former manager, was in charge of accounting and knew the creator for 15 years.
The lawsuit claims that the defendants, including the former manager, allegedly misappropriated funds from 2018 to 2024 by transferring company funds to other accounts without authorization. They also allegedly moved license fee payments transferred to accounts under different company names.
The total amount of misappropriated funds is about JP¥ 4.6 billion (about US$29 million), while Kurumada and his legal counsel are suing for JP¥ 2.8 billion in compensation, excluding the JP¥ 1.8 billion (about US$ 11 million) that has already been paid.
Kurumada’s Saint Seiya manga was serialised from 1986 to 1990. His other works include Ring ni Kakero (1977-1981), B’tX (1994-2000), and many more.