Author: Japan Reacts Editorial

News that Shingo Kurumada, creator of the manga Saint Seiya, has filed suit against a former accountant in Tokyo District Court over an alleged ¥4.6 billion embezzlement became a hot topic on 5ch. Rather than the sheer size of the damages, what really stunned posters was that Saint Seiya is still raking in massive sums from figure sales and licensing royalties alone, long after the series ended its run. The thread branched into chatter about the “scale of money” involved with famous manga artists and celebrities, bringing up Eikichi Yazawa’s debt-repayment saga and comparisons to Eiichiro Oda’s annual income, along with posts claiming to know how the embezzlement was actually discovered.

Manga artist Shingo Kurumada victim of ¥4.6 billion embezzlement — sues former accounting staff at Tokyo District Court

Source: jiji.com / Original article here

*This article is compiled as an excerpt/summary of the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “Manga artist Shingo Kurumada victim of ¥4.6 billion embezzlement.”

Masami Kurumada, the manga artist known for Saint Seiya and Ring ni Kakero, has filed suit at the Tokyo District Court against former directors, seeking about ¥2.8 billion in damages over a total of roughly ¥4.6 billion allegedly diverted without authorization from three companies where he serves as representative director. About ¥1.8 billion of the diverted funds has reportedly already been repaid. On 5channel, the thread’s reaction focused less on the details of the case and more on sheer shock at the scale of the sum — conversation spread to the size of Saint Seiya’s licensing revenue, its pachinko/slot-machine business, and the income gap between manga artists and novelists.

Masami Kurumada, the manga artist known for the hit series Saint Seiya (Seinto Seiya), held a press conference in Tokyo on the 2nd,

revealing that he has filed suit at the Tokyo District Court against former directors of three companies where he serves as representative director, seeking a combined roughly ¥2.8 billion in damages over funds allegedly diverted without authorization.

The total amount diverted reportedly comes to about ¥4.6 billion, and he argues that the roughly ¥2.8 billion remaining after subtracting the approximately ¥1.8 billion already repaid constitutes the damages.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5channel (Hello! Project board) thread “Saint Seiya manga creator Masami Kurumada sues former directors, alleging about ¥4.6 billion diverted from funds of three companies where he serves as representative director.”

In a gravure photo of a Sakamichi Series member published in Shonen Magazine, fans spotted a spot where a likely retouching error left the subject with six fingers, sparking discussion on 5ch’s Hello! Project board. The prevailing theory is that the line between the fingers got erased while smoothing out the hand’s outline, and posters brought up how Juice=Juice’s official MV had similarly drawn criticism in the past for unnatural AI-style editing. Beyond questioning the retouching technology itself, the thread also noted that different groups seem to get called out with different intensity for the same kind of mistake, veering into a discussion of the temperature differences across fan cultures.

47AnonymousSep 2, 2026 13:04

There's even a reply where the person herself says she really does have six fingers

51AnonymousSep 2, 2026 13:07

Guess she's not Ono but 'Roku-no' ("Ms. Six") now lol
Next to this, the flaws in Juice=Juice's MV look downright cute

54AnonymousSep 2, 2026 13:09

Turns out it's five

56AnonymousSep 2, 2026 13:12

This might just be a blurring effect
You can faintly make out an outline to the right of the pinky, right?
That's actually the right hand's index finger (the thumb is folded inward)

*This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Hello! Project board) thread “[Sad News] Sakamichi idol’s Shonen Magazine gravure photo ends up with six fingers after way too much retouching lmaoooooooooooooooo.”