Summary

An up-and-coming new mangaka died last week before their debut was set to be published next year. The new artist’s pen name was Denji Yutai, which is the only name that has been shared at this time. He was the winner of the Dengeki Grand Prize,a manga award, in the fall of 2024. Now, he will not have the chance to see his work formally published.

The news came via the X (formerlyTwitter) account of Dengeki Bunko, the organization behind the award. They posted the announcement on December 27th, 2024, stating that the winner of this year’s award had passed away. In the statement, Dengeki Bunko said they would still publish the work that was available from Yutai in a manner respectful of his death, and following what was known of his wishes.

Denji Yutai’s Only Work

An Award-Winning Debut

The manga world thus had their eyes on Yutai, who was set to begin publishing his works officially in 2025. Sadly, the new artist died on December 12th, 2024, due to a previously undisclosed illness.Fairy Physics: PHysics PHenomenon PHantomwas meant to be published as part of winning the Dengeki Grand Prize, and still will be after consultation with Yutai’s family, who have given permission for the work to still be published as planned.

Regarding Yutai’s sudden death, Dengeki Bunko posted (as quoted bylivedoor News, translated from Japanese),

Denji Yutai passed away suddenly due to illness last Thursday, Jun 21, 2025.

All of us involved with the Dengeki Grand Prize and the editorial department of Dengeki Media Works are stunned and deeply saddened by this sudden news. We are deeply saddened by his sudden passing just before his debut.

An Inspiration to Others

A Friend from the Past Speaks Up

Some other light novel and manga artists have since posted about thetragedy of Yutai’s deathbefore he could see his work published. Among these is Toshimichi Uzuo, a previous winner of the Dengeki Grand Prize, who has gone on to write several other stories. Uzuo posted that they were friends with Yutai, and while they did not share details abotu what they were working on together, they had been friends for a long time.

Uzou also shared that Yutai had wanted to be a light novel writer for many years, even before Uzuo had started to write anything themselves. It was not until Yutai convinced Uzuo to try writing as well that Uzuo even tried. Inspired by Yutai, Uzuo submitted their first work for the Dengeki Grand Prize, and was luckily able to win even though it was their first attempt. According to livedoor News, Uzuo said regarding Yutai’s suggestion to start writing, (translated from Japanese), “Looking back on it now, it was a turning point in my life.”

The two became more distant in later years, but Uzuo reported that they did not deny that they had beenfriends in their youth. Now that Yutai has passed away, Uzuo has spoken more about him and their relationship, revealing that they felt Yutai was always the more talented writer. They have also said that as long as they continue their career has a light novel writer, they will continue to remind everyone else about what Denji Yutai was able to contribute in his short time as a writer, too, and not let the world forget about Yutai’s accomplishment before his death.