Shigeru Mizuki mourned: 'Death of a master'

Manga fans around the world are mourning the death of famed Japanese artist Shigeru Mizuki, who died on Monday

Known for having popularised horror manga globally, Mr Mizuki was best known for his series Gegege no Kitaro, about a young boy fighting monsters based on Japanese folklore. It was also made into an animated series that ran for several years.

Death, destruction and rebirth were common themes in his work, many of which were also based on his personal experiences during World War Two, where he lost his left arm.

'The death of a master'

Tributes poured in from grieving fans on Twitter, with many using Mr Mizuki's characters and stories to pay tribute to him.

"The death of a master. Sayonara, Mizuki san," tweeted a fan in Tokyo.

"Sensei Mizuki has passed on. Farewell and I hope you'll enjoy yourself along with your yokai in the afterlife," said Sean Long on Facebook referring to yokai - a ghost character from one of his manga novels.

Japanese Twitter users also discussed Mr Mizuki's influence and remembered his famous wartime injury.

"He lost his dominant hand but made a career on the one he had left," said Twitter user Niyai.

"Imagine Roald Dahl and Doctor Seuss put together," said another user. "He's been in our national psyche ever since we can remember."

One user, nyororo shared illustrations on her account, honouring Mr Mizuki's work.

A huge fan, she told the BBC she used to practice drawing Kitaro, one of Mr Mizuki's most famous characters, when she was little. 

'Creatures in hell want your autograph'

Death has been one of the most reoccurring themes in Mr Mizuki's work.

"He taught us to embrace death and more importantly, showed us how to accept and celebrate strangeness in the world," said another user.

One of the most popular tributes to Mr Mizuki on social media came from a fan, who tweeted an extract from a classical horror manga.

In it he described an exchange between the late manga artist and the grim reaper.

"You have arrived!" the grim reaper says to Mr Mizuki. "And now the creatures in hell want your autograph."