Japanese manga artist Kazuki Takahashi – best known as the creator of the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” — died while trying to save people from drowning, eyewitnesses claim.
Report from Star-striped – a military newspaper – revealed the tragic details of how Takahashi died when three strangers were swept away by a strong current.
Jody Cortez / SanDiegoComicCon
Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the Yu-Gi-Oh series, has died at the age of 60
According to people on the scene, Kazuki is the ultimate inspiration behind the “Yu-Gi-Oh!” trading card game – dive into the current in hopes of bringing a woman and her 11-year-old daughter back to shore on the Fourth of July.
major Robert BourgeoisThe 49-year-old US Army officer and scuba instructor also took action … and while he didn’t personally encounter Takahashi during the rescue mission, several people say they saw the artist try to help.
Bourgeois managed to save the 11-year-old girl and her mother … but when he went to the aid of a 39-year-old US soldier who was also struggling in the water, he feared he would lose his life if he went any further.
Fortunately, Bourjot was able to shout the order to help the soldier out of the rough water.
Kazuki’s body was found about 1,000 feet from shore two days later.
Bourgeois called Takahashi a “hero” … saying, “He died trying to save someone else.”
Bourgeois was nominated for the Soldier’s Medal for his actions … an award given to those who perform acts of heroism that do not engage the enemy.
