Reiji Miyajima

Reiji Miyajima is a Japanese manga artist and screenwriter who has made his mark with romantic comedies and idol narratives. Born December 15, 1985, he is best known for creating Rent-A-Girlfriend, a series that has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and spawned three anime seasons. His work often explores relationships, personal growth, and the gap between appearance and reality, delivered with a mix of humor and emotional depth. Miyajima also created AKB49: Ren'ai Kinshi Jōrei, a long-running manga about the idol group AKB48, and The Shiunji Family Children, a family drama. As of 2026, he continues serializing both Rent-A-Girlfriend and The Shiunji Family Children in Weekly Shōnen Magazine, maintaining a steady output that keeps his international fanbase engaged. [edit]

Reiji Miyajima grew up in Nakano, a city in Nagano Prefecture, surrounded by mountains and a quiet rural environment. He was an avid reader of One Piece from a young age, and Eiichiro Oda's epic adventure manga became his primary inspiration to become a mangaka. After graduating from Nakano High School, he moved to Tokyo to pursue a career in manga. His early submissions to Weekly Shōnen Magazine showed a traditional shonen style, but editors and a professor pointed out that his real strength lay in drawing cute female characters. This feedback steered him away from action series and toward romance, a genre he had barely read before. In 2005, he received the Magazine Grand Prix Encouragement Award for Sakka no Tensai and an honorable mention at the 75th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Newcomer Manga Award for Pool no Saboten. In 2008, he published a one-shot called Icon in Magazine Special, gaining further recognition. These early milestones gave him the confidence to develop his first serialized work, though it would take several more years to land a regular series. [edit]

Miyajima's first major serialization, AKB49: Ren'ai Kinshi Jōrei, launched in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2012 with story by Motoazabu Factory. The series ran for eight years and 29 volumes, following a male protagonist who cross-dresses to join AKB48. It showcased Miyajima's ability to blend idol culture with romantic comedy. His breakthrough came on July 12, 2017, when he began Rent-A-Girlfriend. The idea came from a Chinese news article about workers renting girlfriends during New Year, which he found both absurd and endearing. The manga quickly gained popularity, and in 2020, TMS Entertainment produced an anime adaptation that aired in July. Two more seasons followed in 2021 and 2023, each expanding the international audience. By 2026, the manga had surpassed 30 volumes. In 2022, Miyajima started The Shiunji Family Children, a series about siblings uncovering family secrets, which also continues. He occasionally contributes character designs for games and appears at anime conventions worldwide. [edit]

Miyajima is known for expressive character designs, particularly cute female characters with detailed eyes and hair. His art balances comedy with dramatic emotional moments, featuring detailed backgrounds and dynamic panel layouts. In interviews, he comes across as a thoughtful creator who values character development and emotional storytelling. His social media presence on Twitter and Instagram is professional and relatively low-key, used mainly for chapter release announcements and occasional sketches. The fanbase for Rent-A-Girlfriend is active online, with weekly discussions and passionate shipping debates. There is no official fandom name, but fans are often called Kanokari fans, from the Japanese abbreviation of the series title. [edit]

Reiji Miyajima commands a readership that engages primarily through general discussion of his works, specifically Rent-A-Girlfriend and The Shiunji Family Children, rather than as a unified, named collective. While the audience is often referred to simply as readers of Weekly Shōnen Magazine or viewers of the anime adaptations, no formal fandom name exists in documentation, nor are there organized fan campaigns or specific rituals attributed solely to him. His cultural mythology is defined less by adoration and more by significant controversies regarding the direction of his long-running series, which have become central talking points within the community. A primary point of contention involves the perceived stagnation of the plot in Rent-a-Girlfriend; when the series reached 42 volumes in October 2025, matching Dragon Ball, Miyajima responded to comparisons by stating character development was beyond his control. This sentiment fueled speculation leading to reports in September 2025 suggesting the fourth season of the anime adaptation could be in grave danger due to narrative choices. These events constitute the most widely retold stories about him: the tension between massive commercial success and critical backlash against pacing. Amidst this debate, he maintains high output with new volumes released regularly and educational initiatives like Kakikomi Manga School lectures in November 2025. In terms of global standing, Reiji Miyajima is currently the 96th most famous person from Japan and holds the position of the 34th most famous person in Manga. These placements, recorded in August 2026, reflect his enduring influence across media coverage and consumption signals worldwide, with both rankings holding steady from the previous cycle within the iFANN Global Fame Rankings.[edit]

Reiji Miyajima's primary inspiration to become a mangaka was One Piece by Eiichiro Oda. He initially wanted to draw a traditional shonen series before editors redirected him toward romance. He had not read much romance manga before creating Rent-A-Girlfriend. The concept for the series came from a news article about Chinese workers renting girlfriends for the New Year. He is a fan of foreign dramas and incorporates Western narrative techniques into his manga. Miyajima channels his own frustrations through protagonist Kazuya, finding catharsis in writing the character's emotional turmoil. A widely discussed story among fans involves the controversy surrounding Rent-a-Girlfriend's narrative stagnation. When the series reached 42 volumes in late 2025, mirroring Dragon Ball, Miyajima publicly stated that character development was beyond his control, a comment that ignited intense debate about the franchise's future. This led to further speculation in September 2025 that the fourth anime season might be in grave danger due to these creative decisions. Additionally, his involvement in educational initiatives, such as lecturing for the newly launched Kakikomi Manga School in November 2025, represents a notable shift from pure storytelling to mentorship, marking a professional milestone distinct from the usual folklore of celebrity idols.[edit]

Miyajima is a private individual who has not publicly disclosed details about his parents, siblings, or extended family. No information is available about his family background beyond his birthplace in Nakano, Nagano. He has not shared whether he has a spouse or children, and no pets or household details are known. [edit]

Miyajima collaborated with Motoazabu Factory on AKB49: Ren'ai Kinshi Jōrei. His works are published by Kodansha through Weekly Shōnen Magazine. The Rent-A-Girlfriend anime is produced by TMS Entertainment. He cites Eiichiro Oda's One Piece as his major inspiration. [edit]

Reiji Miyajima has maintained strict privacy regarding his romantic life. There are no credible, confirmed reports of any dating history, marriage, engagement, or public relationships. No partners, spouses, or children have been identified in any reliable sources. As of 2026, his relationship status remains unknown and not publicly disclosed. [edit]

No verified net worth figure is publicly available for Reiji Miyajima. As a successful Weekly Shōnen Magazine artist with over 10 million copies of Rent-A-Girlfriend in circulation across 30 volumes, his income derives from serialization fees, volume royalties, anime licensing, and merchandise. Standard rates for established creators at Weekly Shōnen Magazine range from ¥10,000 to ¥30,000 per page, with royalties typically at 8–10% of cover price. Given the series' global reach through Kodansha USA and international partners, plus anime licensing from TMS Entertainment, estimated lifetime earnings from Rent-A-Girlfriend alone could be in the range of ¥300 million to ¥500 million. Combined with his other ongoing series and occasional game character design work, research by the iFANN Editorial Team puts his net worth in 2026 at approximately $5 Million.[edit]

Miyajima's early career recognition includes the 2005 Magazine Grand Prix Encouragement Award for Sakka no Tensai and an honorable mention at the 75th Weekly Shōnen Magazine Newcomer Manga Award for Pool no Saboten. No major industry awards have been documented. [edit]