Masami Kurumada, creator of Saint Seiya, announced at a Tokyo press conference on September 2, 2026 that he is suing a former manager and business associates over the alleged misappropriation of roughly 4.6 billion yen (about $29 million) from his production companies between 2018 and 2024.
The filing was confirmed the same day by Kurumada’s legal representatives, and was first reported in English by Anime News Network and The Japan Times, both citing the Tokyo press conference directly.
What Kurumada Is Alleging
The lawsuit names a former board director who also served as Kurumada’s manager and helped establish Kurumada Production, one of three Kurumada-affiliated companies involved in the case; the other two were not named in initial reporting. According to the complaint, the defendants transferred company funds to outside accounts without authorization and redirected licensing-fee payments — money owed to Kurumada for use of his characters and art — into accounts tied to different company structures. The former manager had reportedly known Kurumada for more than 15 years.
The Numbers Behind the Lawsuit
| Figure | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Total alleged misappropriation | ¥4.6 billion (~$29M) | Occurred 2018–2024, per the complaint |
| Already repaid before filing | ¥1.8 billion (~$11M) | Deducted from the damages sought |
| Damages sought in the lawsuit | ¥2.8 billion (~$18M) | The remaining balance, per legal representatives |
Who Kurumada Is, for Readers New to Saint Seiya
Kurumada created Saint Seiya (also known as Knights of the Zodiac) as a manga in 1985; it became one of the defining shonen action franchises of the era, built around warriors called Saints who fight in mystical armor tied to the constellations. The franchise has run continuously across manga, multiple anime series, films and a Netflix CG reboot for four decades, and Kurumada Productions is the entity that holds and licenses the underlying copyrights and merchandising rights the lawsuit centers on.
Why This Case Is Different From a Typical Industry Embezzlement Story
Most reported financial-misconduct cases in anime and manga publishing involve a publisher or studio’s internal accounting — the kind of institutional structure that at least nominally has audit oversight built in. Kurumada Production was set up to do the opposite: consolidate the creator’s own copyrights and merchandising income under his direct control, specifically to keep that revenue out of a publisher’s hands. The lawsuit alleges that structure was turned against him by the one person brought in to run it, over six years, by someone Kurumada had trusted for over 15 years. It’s the same failure mode Comic Book Co covered in Shogakukan’s own third-party investigation — personal trust standing in for institutional controls — playing out this time inside a single creator’s own company rather than a publisher’s.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Saint Seiya?
Saint Seiya (Knights of the Zodiac) is a manga and anime franchise created by Masami Kurumada in 1985, following warriors called Saints who wear constellation-themed armor called Cloths. It has run across manga, multiple anime series, films and a Netflix CG reboot.
How much money is Kurumada suing for?
His legal team is seeking 2.8 billion yen (about $18 million) in damages, on top of 1.8 billion yen already repaid, against an alleged total misappropriation of 4.6 billion yen (about $29 million) between 2018 and 2024.
Has the accused former manager responded to the allegations?
No public response from the former manager or the other named defendants has been reported as of publication.
Does this affect new Saint Seiya anime, manga or merchandise?
No production or release changes have been announced. The lawsuit concerns alleged past misappropriation of company funds and licensing income, not the franchise’s ongoing IP or upcoming projects.
For a related case of anime-industry financial misconduct, see our coverage of the Shogakukan investigation that found 44 incidents and reform proposals at the publisher. For more on the mythological gods woven into Saint Seiya’s story, see our breakdown of the most powerful gods in anime.
Sources: Anime News Network and The Japan Times.
