Kōhei Horikoshi (堀越 耕平, Horikoshi Kōhei, born November 20, 1986) is a Japanese manga artist known for creating the shōnen manga series Ōmagadoki Dōbutsuen, Barrage and My Hero Academia, all of which are or were serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Horikoshi is a graduate of Nagoya University of Arts and a native of Aichi Prefecture. He was a former assistant for Yasuki Tanaka, creator and author of the manga series Hitomi no Catoblepas and Kagijin. Horikoshi's self-professed favorite and inspirational manga series include Naruto, One Piece, Akira, Tekkonkinkreet, and Boys on the Run. Horikoshi is also an avid fan of American superhero comic books, particularly Marvel Comics.