The anime world lost a hero.
Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of the popular Japanese series Yu-Gi-Oh!, died July 4 while trying to save three others from drowning, according to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. He was 60.
Major Robert Bourgeau, who was working as a scuba diving instructor in the area where the manga artist drowned, told the publication Oct. 11 that Takahashi attempted to save three people from a riptide in the waters of Japan's Okinawa Island.
On July 4, Bourgeau said he heard a woman screaming for help as she, her 11-year-old daughter and a soldier were being swept away by six-foot waves. He was able to rescue the young girl and her mom, adding that he later instructed the soldier how to get out of the whirlpool to shore.
Unbeknownst to Bourgeau at the time, Takahashi—whose beloved manga series spawned a hit TV series and film—had also entered the water to help those being swallowed by the waves. Bourgeau's scuba diving students caught glimpses of the Japanese artist until he disappeared under the waves.
Two days later, the Japan Coast Guard confirmed that Takahashi's body was found near the shore of Awa, Nago. According to NBC News, he was found wearing snorkeling equipment and the Coast Guard said there were "damages to his body which looked like they were caused by some sort of marine animal."
Takahashi is now being praised for his bravery.
"He's a hero," Bourgeau said of the artist. "He died trying to save someone else."