Famed Japanese manga and anime creator Leiji Matsumoto, whose real name was Akira Matsumoto, has died aged 85, his studio has announced.

In a statement, Studio Leijisha said he died of acute heart failure on 13 February.

Matsumoto was known for his epic science fiction sagas, including Galaxy Express 999, Queen Emeraldas and Space Battleship Yamato.

His work often included anti-war themes and emotional storylines.

Matsumoto’s daughter, Makiko Matsumoto, who heads Studio Leijisha said in the statement that he “set out on a journey to the sea of stars. I think he lived a happy life, thinking about continuing to draw stories as a manga artist.”

Born in 1938 in the south-western city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Matsumoto was only 15 when his debut work, Mitsubachi no Boken (Honey Bee’s Adventures), was published in a manga magazine.

After finishing high school, he moved to Tokyo to pursue his dream of becoming a professional artist.

He married Miyako Maki in 1961, a well-known manga creator and one of Japan’s earliest female artists in the genre. Together they collaborated on several projects, and he changed his name to Leiji Matsumoto.

His big break came a decade later after he published Otoko Oidon, a series about the life of a poor, young man preparing for university exams. It was hugely successful and won the Kodansha Publishing Award for Children’s Manga.

Several of his manga comics were made into anime television series, including the sci-fi epic Space Pirate Captain Harlock, which follows the adventures of an outcast turned space pirate.