Hitoshi Iwaaki (born July 28, 1960) is a renowned Japanese manga artist best known for his science-fiction horror masterpiece Parasyte (1989-1994). Inspired by Osamu Tezuka's works during high school, Iwaaki began his professional career as an assistant to Kazuo Kamimura in 1984. His debut story won the Tetsuya Chiba Award in 1985. Iwaaki received the Kodansha Manga Award for Parasyte in 1993. His historical epic Historie earned him the Japan Media Arts Festival Grand Prize (2010) and the prestigious Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize (2012). Working primarily with Kodansha, Iwaaki continues to captivate readers with his intricate storytelling and philosophical themes.