{"rewrite":{"id":"r_c869338ebe7ab82d2efaf45a","clusterId":"c_8c3195ea9b3b9db4fc85d192","slug":"saint-seiya-creator-masami-kurumada-sues-former-manager-for-2-8-billion-yen","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Saint Seiya Creator Masami Kurumada Sues Former Manager for 2.8 Billion Yen","summary":"Masami Kurumada, creator of Saint Seiya, announced a lawsuit against a former board director and others from three of his companies, including Kurumada Productions. He seeks 2.8 billion yen in damages over allegedly misappropriated funds between 2018 and 2024. The former director was also his former manager and helped establish the company.","whyItMatters":"The lawsuit targets the management of Kurumada's own copyright and merchandising rights, alleging a long-running misappropriation that forced the cancellation of his first major art exhibition.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eMasami Kurumada held a press conference in Tokyo on Wednesday to announce the lawsuit. The former director, who also served as his manager and handled accounting, had known Kurumada for over 15 years and helped establish Kurumada Productions. The suit claims unauthorized transfers of company funds and license fee payments redirected to accounts under different company names.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe alleged misappropriation totals 4.6 billion yen, with 1.8 billion yen already repaid. Kurumada\u0026#39;s legal team is seeking the remaining 2.8 billion yen. The announcement follows the cancellation of Kurumada\u0026#39;s first major art exhibition, which was scrapped in March 2024 due to what his website called various circumstances.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Masami Kurumada sues former manager and others for 2.8 billion yen over alleged fund misappropriation at his companies, including Kurumada Productions. The suit covers 2018-2024 and follows the cancellation of his first major art exhibition.","twitterPost":"Saint Seiya creator Masami Kurumada filed a lawsuit against a former board director and others, seeking 2.8 billion yen in damages over alleged misappropriation of funds between 2018 and 2024.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Masami Kurumada, creator of Saint Seiya, has filed a lawsuit against a former manager and others from three of his companies, seeking 2.8 billion yen in damages. The suit alleges misappropriation of funds between 2018 and 2024, including unauthorized transfers and redirected license fees.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-02/saint-seiya-creator-masami-kurumada-sues-former-manager-others-for-2.8-billion-yen/.241225\",\"title\":\"Saint Seiya Creator Masami Kurumada Sues Former Manager, Others for 2.8 Billion Yen\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4579,"outputTokens":604,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1788521177,"createdAt":"2026-09-02T10:10:35.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-09-02T10:12:22.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-02T10:12:22.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_8c3195ea9b3b9db4fc85d192","canonicalTitle":"News\nSaint Seiya Creator Masami Kurumada Sues Former Manager, Others for 2.8 Billion Yen","representativeArticleId":"a_08d2eac2e91fec1f82b76b04","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Saint Seiya\"],\"manga_titles\":[\"Saint Seiya\"],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Masami Kurumada\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-02T09:08:29.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-03T11:12:59.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-03T11:18:27.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-02/saint-seiya-creator-masami-kurumada-sues-former-manager-others-for-2.8-billion-yen/.241225","title":"News\nSaint Seiya Creator Masami Kurumada Sues Former Manager, Others for 2.8 Billion Yen"},{"source":"Animehunch","url":"https://animehunch.com/saint-seiya-creator-sues-former-manager-for-embezzlement/","title":"Saint Seiya Creator Sues Former Manager \u0026 Others For Embezzling Over 4.6 Billion Yen; Says He Could Have ‘Been Finished As A Manga Artist’"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Saint Seiya"],"manga_titles":["Saint Seiya"],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Masami Kurumada"],"type":"news","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}