Who Is "Medalist" Author Tsurumaikada ? Gender and Age, Social Media Presence, and More Information Summarized

The manga "Medalist," currently serialized in "Monthly Afternoon," is a story about Inori Yuitsuka, a young girl who dreams of the world of figure skating, and Tsukasa Akeuraji, a young man who once failed as a skater, teaming up to aim for the status of medallist.

A TV anime adaptation was announced in May 2023, and the anime aired from January to March 2025. The role of Tsukasa Akeuraji was voiced by Takeo Otsuka, known for playing Aqua in "Oshi No Ko." Inori Yuitsuka was voiced by Natsumi Haruse, recognized for her role as Kaoru Ryuzaki in "The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls (DereMasu)."

This article summarizes information about Tsurumaikada, the author of "Medalist."

What is "Medalist"?

Tsukasa Akeuraji, who competed in the All-Japan Championships in ice dance, is asked by his former partner Hitomi Takamine to become a coach at the "LUX Higashiyama FSC" figure skating club. However, believing he lacks the ability to be a coach, he intends to turn down the offer.

At that time, a fifth-grade girl named Inori Yuitsuka, who has become interested in figure skating, visits the club with her mother. Although Inori has a strong desire to learn skating, she faces opposition from her mother.

Driven by Inori's passionate longing to be on the rink, Tsukasa decides to accept the coaching position. Previously self-taught, Inori rapidly blossoms under Tsukasa's guidance.

"Medalist" is a manga series written by Tsurumaikada and serialized in "Monthly Afternoon." The series has also been adapted into an anime. Additionally, a novelization by Jun Esaka is currently in publication.

Profile of Tsurumaikada, Author of "Medalist"

Tsurumaikada is a manga artist from Aichi Prefecture. From a young age, they enjoyed drawing and even began making manga in elementary school, inspired by "Fullmetal Alchemist." Tsurumaikada started drawing manga in earnest as a university student, initially aiming to become an illustrator or painter. They have said they were influenced by university friends who were also drawing manga.

As a university student, Tsurumaikada created their own website and published manga there. Although the website was small, once comments from readers started coming in, they became more conscious of the quality of their work and would redraw their comics repeatedly, resulting in unfinished manga during their college years. They also revealed having worked as a company employee at one point.

Aiming to complete a project, Tsurumaikada created the four-panel manga "Nakiyami." The story about a male student in kendo club was released as a doujinshi and presented at the original doujinshi-only event "COMITIA123."

At "COMITIA123," Tsuruma entered "Nakiyami" into Kodansha’s combined three-magazine manga award, "Same-Day Newcomer Prize in COMITIA123 (2018)," where it received the Excellence Award chosen by the "Monthly Afternoon" editorial department.

Winning the Excellence Award at the "Same-Day Newcomer Prize" led to a dedicated editor and inspired Tsuruma to pursue a career as a manga artist, prompting them to resign from their company job. Roughly two years later, Tsurumaikada submitted the first and second chapter storyboards of "Medalist" to the editorial department’s storyboard meeting.

As a result, serialization of "Medalist" began in the July 2020 issue of Afternoon (released May 25, 2020), making it Tsurumaikada’s debut work.

Personality and Admired Manga Artists

In a dialogue with Natsumi Haruse, the voice actress of Inori Yuitsuka, Tsuruma named Hiromu Arakawa, author of "Fullmetal Alchemist," as a manga artist they greatly respect. Although never having met Arakawa, Tsurumaikada said, "I respect them like a mentor even though we've never met. Creating a manga like 'Fullmetal Alchemist' would make me incredibly happy, though I believe the road is a long one. Still, I am striving towards that."

Tsurumaikada also described themselves as having a tendency to slack off when not being watched, so they try to draw storyboards close to their editor. By working somewhere the editor could walk in at any time, Tsurumaikada maintains focus.

Gender, Age, and Public Appearances

As of January 2025, Tsuruma had not made any public appearances through interviews or otherwise, nor disclosed their age.

While their gender has also not been revealed, there is speculation online—based on the style of their manga—that Tsurumaikada might be female.

Awards Received by Ikada Tsuruma, Author of "Medalist"

The doujinshi "Nakiyami" won the Excellence Award in Kodansha's "Same-Day Newcomer Prize in COMITIA123."

"Medalist," Tsurumaikada’s commercial debut work, won first place in the comics category of the "Next Manga Awards 2022," received the General Public category award in the "68th Shogakukan Manga Awards (for 2022)," and won the Overall Category at the "48th Kodansha Manga Awards" in 2024.

Additionally, the protagonist of "Medalist," Inori Yuitsuka, received the Best Lead Actress Award at the "Magademy Awards 2022," which celebrates manga characters based on reader nominations.

Titles of Tsurumaikada’s Previous Works

"Medalist" is Tsurumaikada’s debut work. As of January 2025, aside from "Medalist," Tsurumaikada’s other works include two doujinshi: "Nakiyami" and "Megami ni Nante Narenai" ("I Could Never Become a Goddess").

Because "Nakiyami" and "Megami ni Nante Narenai" were published only as doujinshi, they are currently difficult to obtain. However, sometimes manga collections featuring past works and one-shots are released, or past works may be included as bonus manga at the back of collected comic volumes. Therefore, there is a possibility that "Nakiyami" and "Megami ni Nante Narenai" will be published in some form in the future.

Behind-the-Scenes Stories About the Creation of "Medalist" Shared by Tsurumaikada

In an interview, Tsurumaikada mentioned that being from Aichi Prefecture, known as a figure skating hub, was a major influence on the creation of "Medalist."

Although figure skating is a familiar sport often seen on TV, Tsurumaikada found it hard to imagine what happens behind the scenes before the performances shown on television. Believing there are likely people interested in knowing how skaters acquire their skills, Tsurumaikada was motivated to draw a manga about figure skating.

Once they decided to make a work about figure skating, Tsurumaikada quickly began researching and even attended figure skating classes.

Originally, "Medalist" was intended to be a one-shot for the "Shiki Prize," a new talent award sponsored by "Monthly Afternoon." However, after submitting the storyboard to their editor, it was brought to the serialization meeting, which led to the series being green-lit.

There are no real-life skaters modeled in the characters of "Medalist." Tsurumaikada explained that basing characters on actual skaters could inconvenience those athletes, depending on the outcome of the story.

Does Tsurumaikada Have Social Media Accounts (X, formerly Twitter, Instagram, etc.)?

As of June 2025, Tsuruma does not have personal SNS accounts such as X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram. However, Tsurumaikada’s comments and illustrations are sometimes posted on the official "Medalist" X account.

For example, when the "Medalist" X account surpassed 10,000 followers, an illustration of Inori and Tsukasa was posted with the message "Thank you for 10,000 followers!! Yay!!" On December 25, 2024, an illustration of Inori in Christmas attire was posted with the comment "Merry Christmas!"

Summary

Tsurumaikada, the author of "Medalist," is a manga artist from Aichi Prefecture. "Medalist" is Tsurumaikada's debut work and won first place in the comics category of the "Next Manga Awards 2022." The series also won the General Public category of the "68th Shogakukan Manga Awards" and the Overall Category of the "48th Kodansha Manga Awards."

Tsurumaikada cites Hiromu Arakawa, author of "Fullmetal Alchemist" and "Silver Spoon," as their most admired manga artist.

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