'Yu-Gi-Oh' creator died trying to save people from riptide in Japan —report

Months after "Yu-GI-Oh" creator Kazuki Takahashi was pronounced dead due to drowning, a new report has revealed that he died a hero.

According to military newspaper Stars & Stripes, the Japanese manga artist aided US Army officer Major Robert Bourgeau in rescuing three people from a riptide at a popular Okinawa dive spot in Japan.

However, he drowned during the rescue attempt. The report said that several witnesses saw him in the waters until he disappeared beneath the waves.

The incident occurred last July 4. Takahashi’s body was found by the Japanese Coast Guard the following day in the northern part of Okinawa.

“He’s a hero,” Bourgeau was quoted as telling the newspaper. “He died trying to save someone else.”

Bourgeau has been recommended for a Soldier’s Medal for his own heroic actions.

Takahashi's "Yu-Gi-Oh" manga was published in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1996 to 2004.

It spawned a popular trading card game of the same name, which holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling trading card game to date. —JCB, GMA News