The mangaka of Knights of the Zodiac sues a former collaborator for embezzlement of 25 million euros

The author of the Japanese manga The Knights of the Zodiac announced Wednesday September 2 that it had launched legal action against a former employee whom it accuses of having embezzled the equivalent of more than 25 million euros.

Masami Kurumada, 72 years old, whose work appeared under the original title of Saint Seiya met with worldwide success, estimates that this collaborator would have embezzled some 4.7 billion yen over more than ten years. “At the time this embezzlement was discovered, our company’s accounts only had very limited amounts, making it impossible to pay significant taxes”declared the mangaka during a press conference.

“Kurumada Production (his company) could have gone bankrupt and I myself could have been destroyed as a manga artist”he added. He claimed to have discovered the facts two years ago, and is demanding some 15 million euros in damages, taking into account the amount already reimbursed by the employee, according to local media.

Published in Japan in the weekly Shonen Jump between 1985 and 1990, Saint Seiya has sold more than 50 million copies worldwide, according to the specialist site Mangazenkan.e

Adapted into an animated series

The work, which borrows heavily from Greek mythology, has been adapted into an animated series, animated films, video games and playing cards. Known as the Knights of the Zodiac in France, the cartoon had its hour of glory in the 1980s – 1990s thanks to the Club Dorothée.