Manga Artist Kentaro Yabuki Unveils Illustration of Yami from 'To Love-Ru' on His Birthday; Fans Respond "I Feel Like I Got a Present Instead"

Manga artist Kentaro Yabuki's official X account has been updated, unveiling a newly drawn illustration of the character Golden Darkness (Yami) from the 'To Love-Ru' series, which has become a hot topic.

In the post, he reported, "I was able to celebrate my birthday in good health this year," and expressed his gratitude for the congratulatory messages. He also revealed that he had been occupied with "a massive amount of illustration work" since the end of last year, and shared with emojis that he went out with his family that day for the first time in a while.

The image released alongside shows Yami (CV: Misato Fukuen) with her long blonde hair flowing. She is depicted in a daring swimsuit resembling a purple bikini, with bondage-style belts wrapped around her thighs and arms. The illustration is signed along with the date.

The 'To Love-Ru' series is a school romantic comedy manga with the script by Saki Hasemi and artwork by Yabuki. It depicts the chaotic daily life centered around Rito Yuuki, an indecisive high school student, and Lala, the princess of planet Deviluke who came to Earth for certain reasons, as well as the romantic relationships with numerous heroines. It is a popular work that has had extensive media mix developments including television anime adaptations and video game releases.

The reply section of this post was flooded with birthday wishes from fans. In addition to congratulatory voices saying "Happy birthday, Yabuki-sensei," many warm responses were received, such as "With such a wonderful Yami-chan, I feel like I got a present instead," "It's a feast for the eyes," and "I will continue to support your work as a fan of To Love-Ru."

(C)矢吹健太朗・長谷見沙貴／集英社・もっととらぶる製作委員会