Spaniard Draws Manga About Hunter-Turned-Gamer; Foreign Artist Makes Inroads in Japan’s Manga Culture

By Tatsuma Hirose / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

14:04 JST, January 21, 2026

A retired veteran hunter who lives on his own in Akita Prefecture happens to pick up a game one day and makes a name for himself by becoming a formidable matagi (hunter) in the shooting game. That is the plot of “Matagi Gunner,” a unique e-sports action manga set in a rural part of Japan.

Despite the Japan-centered content of this Japanese comic, the artist behind the illustrations is a Spaniard who cannot speak Japanese well.

In late December last year, I met the artist, Juan Albarran, in Kitakyushu, where he lives. When the magazine serialization of “Matagi Gunner” started in 2022, readers saw his name printed beside Shoji Fujimoto, the writer of the story, and thought the manga was drawn by a Japanese using a foreign pseudonym.

“I told them I was from Spain many times on social media, but they didn’t believe me for a while,” Albarran said in Spanish and laughed.

Albarran was born in Barcelona and learned how to draw cartoons at a technical school. After graduating from university, he went to the United States where he worked as a company employee. When he was in his late 30s, he became a drawing assistant at a famous American comic magazine. He eventually quit the company and returned to his hometown. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he started receiving fewer drawing job offers, so he decided to become an assistant to a Japanese mangaka because he was able to do the job remotely from Barcelona. He ended up becoming an assistant of mangaka Masamichi Sato, who gave him an introduction that led to “Matagi Gunner” and Albarran making his debut as a professional mangaka.

The protagonist of the manga is Hitonari Yamano. After coming across the console by chance, he learns about a first-person shooter (FPS) game, a genre in which the player uses a first-person perspective to shoot targets. Yamano makes the most of his shooting skills, which he acquired as a hunter, in the game.

The Albarran’s debut manga ran in the Morning weekly manga magazine published by Kodansha from May 2022 to May 2025. The tankobon edition in book form has 11 volumes. The signature phrase by the protagonist is “Kurushimu Ma wa Nai. Ippatsu da.” (There’s no time for pain. Just one shot).

The village of Ane, where the story is set, is apparently modeled on the Ani district in Kita Akita, Akita Prefecture. Since Albarran has been busy drawing the serialized manga, he has not been able to take a long holiday, so he has not been to Akita yet. To learn the look of the forests and villages and the outfits worn by matagi, he referenced more than 1,000 photos taken by Fujimoto and the editor, who went to Akita for research, as well as sightseeing brochures from various places in the city.

“I’ve never seen the landscapes in Akita myself, but I drew them using my imagination and with respect for the place,” Albarran said.

He has received encouraging messages from readers in Akita.

“I’m happy to get messages wishing I will visit,” he said.

Albarran finds Japanese traditions and culture fascinating.

“I feel a lot of respect for matagi’s way of thinking, the reverence with which they treat nature and living things,” he said.

In the manga, there are also characters who try to win the game at any cost, even by using dirty tricks.

“I think Yamano represents a presence telling people about the importance of living honestly,” Albarran said.

“Matagi Gunner” was completed in May last year. Now Albarran’s “A Mangaka’s Road to Japan” is serialized in Comic Days, a manga app by Kodansha Ltd. The manga depicts his life story until his mangaka debut.

Albarran hopes to be able to write stories for manga as well.

“It’s tough for a foreigner to work as mangaka in Japan,” he said. “I think what I’ve done so far has opened a gate.”