Yuki Ikeda is the pen name Hiroya Oku used to author the manga Thunder 3. Oku confirmed the pen name in September 2026, after the manga ended and while its anime adaptation was running. The credited author name has not been corrected in the series' credits.
For the run of Thunder 3, the manga's credited author was Yuki Ikeda. The series launched in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022, entered its climax in January 2025, went on hiatus that March over Ikeda's health, returned in February, and ended on June 5, 2026, with the final chapter in the July 2026 issue. The collected volumes total 10, and the last was released on August 17. An anime adaptation premiered on July 8, 2026 on Fuji TV's +Ultra block and streams on Netflix.
On September 24, 2026, Hiroya Oku, the manga artist behind GANTZ, stated on X that Yuki Ikeda is his own pen name. He said the alias protected the twist in Episode 1, so first-time readers would be surprised. Online speculation about the art style resembling GANTZ had circulated for some time before the post. The confirmation came after the manga had already completed without the credit being corrected, and one episode before the anime's finale, Episode 12, which was set to air on September 30.
Coverage on October 3 and October 4 restated the confirmation. Oku said on social media that the Oku name would have lessened the first-chapter surprise the pen name existed to keep intact. The reveal reclassifies Thunder 3 as an Oku work from its 2022 launch. The anime's main promotional video, released on July 8, revealed seven new cast members for the rebellion faction and featured the opening theme song 'Thunderbolt' by Yuri. That theme was announced on July 5, along with a same-day fan event in Shibuya distributing lightning-shaped fans.
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Hiroya Oku confirmed on social media Thursday that he created the Thunder 3 manga under the pen name Yuki Ikeda. He said the pen name kept a first-chapter surprise intact for new readers, one that the Oku name would have lessened. The series launched in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022, entered its climax in January 2025, went on hiatus that March over Ikeda's health, returned in February, and ended on June 5.
Hiroya Oku, the manga artist behind GANTZ, stated on September 24, 2026 that Yuki Ikeda, the credited author of Thunder 3, is his own pen name. Oku posted the confirmation on his X account. He said the pen name existed because a chapter 1 twist would have been weakened if his real name had been attached, and he wanted first-time readers to be surprised. Thunder 3 began serialization in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine in May 2022 and reached its final chapter in the July 2026 issue, released on June 5, 2026. The collected volumes total 10, with the last volume released on August 17. The TV anime adaptation premiered on July 8, 2026 and its final episode, Episode 12, is set to air on September 30. Online speculation about the art style resembling GANTZ had circulated for some time before Oku's post.
Hiroya Oku revealed on X that he is Yuki Ikeda, the pen name credited as the author of Thunder 3. He said the alias protected the twist in Episode 1, so first-time readers would be surprised. Oku thanked the anime staff and said he watches every episode. Thunder 3 ran in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine, concluded in June 2026, and its anime streams on Netflix.
The Thunder 3 anime released a main promotional video and visual on Thursday, revealing seven new cast members for the rebellion faction. The video also features the opening theme song 'Thunderbolt' by Yuri. The anime premiered on Fuji TV's +Ultra block on July 8 and is streaming worldwide on Netflix. The manga by Yuki Ikeda ended on June 5.
The opening theme for the TV anime 'Thunder 3' will be Yuri's new song 'Thunderbolt'. The anime, based on Yuki Ikeda's manga, premieres July 8 on Fuji TV's '+Ultra' slot. A fan event in Shibuya will distribute lightning-shaped fans on the same day.