Yoko Umezu was known for their illustration work.
The official X (formerly Twitter) account of Shonen Gangan, a manga imprint of Square Enix, reported that Yoko Umezu, who is most known for illustrating the romantasy comedy manga “Vermeil in Gold”, passed away on 7 July, 2026 from a cerebral infraction.
The announcement, through a machine translation, reads:
Manga artist Yoko Umezu passed away on July 7, 2026, due to a stroke.
This sudden passing must have been an unwelcome event for the professor herselff, but it was an incredibly sad event for her family, the editorial staff, and everyone who was involved with her.
We respectfully inform our readers, who have shown us their patronage during her lifetime, of her passing.
On behalf of the entire editorial team, we express our deepest respect and gratitude for the artist's work, and offer our heartfelt condolences.
We would also like to inform you that the funeral service was held privately with only family and close relatives in attendance.
Yoko Umezu's manga series "Vermeil in Gold: The Failing Student and the Strongest Scourge Plunge Into the World of Magic" which has been serialized in our magazine Shonen Gangan, will conclude with the July issue, released on June 12, 2026. Regarding the publication of uncollected volumes and other future plans, we will announce them again on the Shonen Gangan website, the Nara official website, and the official site as soon as they are decided.
Who was Yoko Umezu?
Yoko Umezu was known as an illustrator, with her major work being for “Vermeil in Gold” , which concluded serialisation in June of this year. She also drew the gag spinoff manga series of the popular game franchise Danganropa, titled “Minidura”.
“Vermeil in Gold” received an anime adaptation, which aired from July to September 2022.
Not much is known about Umezu's personal life, as she kept these details private. Her age at the time of her death is also not publicly known.
Umezu however, had an active presence on the Japanese online social networking service Pixiv, where she posted a number of her illustrations and other artworks, which spanned original content to fan works. She was also previously active on X, but stopped posting at the start of 2026.
The industry mourns the loss of this talented artist.