Best known for launching the horror manga craze of the 1970s, Tsunoda has spent decades bouncing between genres—everything from shounen comedy to josei erotica—and established himself as one of Japan's most versatile and prolific mangaka.

He started young, working as an assistant to Shimada Keizou while still in high school in the 1950s. His official debut came in 1955 with "Shin Momotarou," and he soon became a regular fixture at the legendary Tokiwa-sou artist collective. His first major hit was the shoujo comedy "Rumi-chan Kyoushitsu" in 1958, followed by successful gag manga like "Black Dan" in 1965. Things got bigger in 1971 when he took on "Karate Baka Ichidai," a hugely popular series—though creative clashes with scenarist Kajiwara Ikki led to his replacement by Kagemaru Jouya two years later.

That setback proved to be a turning point. Around the early 1970s, Tsunoda shifted focus to horror manga with works like "Kyoufu Shinbun" and "Ushiro no Hyakutarou," both massive hits that essentially created the market for occult manga in Japan. The success catapulted him to the top tier of horror creators and even launched a side career as a parapsychologist. Since then, while horror remains his bread and butter, he's continued working across josei and shougi manga with solid commercial success.

Beyond comics, Tsunoda comes from a notably talented family. His older brother Takashi is a renowned lute player, his younger brother Hiro is a singer-songwriter, and his son Bitou Gou works as a manga scenarist.