Aspiring football (soccer) player turned world renowned manga artist, Taiyō Matsumoto has gone from strength to strength. In 1986 he got his first break when his short story, Straight, was published in the magazine Afternoon. After which he went on to create, ZERO, and Tekkonkinkreet. Which of coarse was later adapted to a very successful animated feature film by Studio 4°C. Highly regarded and loved for his distinctive surrealist style, Matsumoto’s work continues to influential illustrators the world over. You can see more of his work here.