Risa Motoyama, manga creator of Start With a Happy Ending, announced on October 2 via Instagram that her brother, Kazuki Motoyama (real name Masumi Motoyama), has passed away. She did not share details regarding the date or cause of his death.
Kazuki Motoyama was best known for his long-running work on manga adaptations of Nintendo’s Super Mario games, a legacy that began in 1988 in Kodansha’s Comic BomBom magazine. His adaptations covered a wide range of titles, starting with Super Mario Bros. 3 for the NES/Famicom and later including Super Mario Land, Super Mario World, Donkey Kong, and Super Mario 64.
His final Super Mario manga was based on the Nintendo 64 title Yoshi’s Story in 1998. Motoyama’s work stood apart from Yukio Sawada’s Super Mario Bros. Manga Mania (Super Mario-kun) series, which ran separately.
Outside the Super Mario franchise, Motoyama also created an unofficial spinoff called Kinoppi-chan Forever, centred on a character he designed — Kinoppi, a female Toad inspired by the mushroom characters from the Mario universe. His other notable works include Dokkiri! Angel and Kirara QQQ.
Kazuki Motoyama is survived by his sister, Risa Motoyama, who debuted Start With a Happy Ending in 2010.
