CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Mine are:
(1) Arina Tanemura(arigato, Ashley-chan! She is AMAZING!!! And to think she was only around my age when she started KKJ...totemo impressive!)
(2) Naoko Takeuchi
(3) Chihou Saito
(4) Miwa Ueda
(5) Megumi Tachikawa
Some runners-up are Natsumi Ando, Nami Akimoto, CLAMP, Wataru Yoshikumi, and Yuu Watase.

1. Naoki Urasawa
2. Naoki Urasawa
3. Arina Tanemura
4. Nobuhiro Watsuki
5. Hiromu Arakawa

My current favorites. XD

1: Nobuhiro Watsuki

2: Kiyohiko Azuma

3: Kozue Amano

4: Naoki Urasawa

5: Wataru Yoshizumi

1.) CLAMP
2.) Kozue Amano
3.) Kaoru Mori
4.) Natsuki Takaya
5.) Aya Nakahara and Moyoco Anno tie! ^__^

Takaharu Matsumoto
Anne Grahame Johnstone (obviously not manga, but my favorite, shoot me)
eiichiro oda \ Yoshihiro Togashi
okama
masakazu katsura

1. Osamu Tezuka - The godfather of Manga and Anime. Here on principle, even though I'm not as familiar with his works as I would prefer.
2. Hiromu Arakawa - Wrote FullMetal Alchemist, which officially geared me towards all other Manga. I wouldn't be here if not for her work.
3. Naoki Urasawa - This man is a genius, and I would honestly rank his work on par with the majority of "Real" literature.
4. Hirohiko Araki - Reading Araki is like watching a man learn how to draw. his opening acts are crude, but slowly evolve into a brilliant artist.
5. Hiroaki Samura - If you've seen his art, you'll know why he's on this list.

In no particular order, although I think this is from oldest to youngest.

Osamu Tezuka - Invented the archetypal 'Manga' style
Kia Asamiya - Brought the Background to high art
Rumiko Takahashi - Created too many favorites not to be included.
Retsu Tateo - Keeps every frame fun, and can go from goofy to artistic seamlessly.
Yuki Urushibara - Raising both the real and the supernatural to new heights.

And honorable mentions to Shiho Inada, who doesn't yet belong on the list, but who shows great promise as the artist for 'Ghost Hunt', and Hitoshi Ashinano, artist and writer of "Yokohama Shopping Trip", who has a unique flare for bringing nature's beauty and human (or robot) emotion to life in such a simple medium as a black-and-white comic.

I don't include CLAMP, whose writing I love, because I feel they would do better with a uniform style that they raised to new levels. They always feel like they could have done much more, drawn more clearly, worked a little harder to make it right. It isn't the product so much as the missed potential that bothers me.

Nobuhiro Watsuki
CLAMP
Masatsugu Iwase
Mizu Sahara
Hayao Miyazaki

Top 5:

1. Naoki Urasawa - Monster, 20th CB, Pluto
2. Kentarou Miura - Berserk
3. Hiroaki Samura - Blade of the Immortal
4. Tohru Fujisawa - Great Teacher Onizuka
5. Katsuhiro Otomo - Akira

other notable mangaka (in no particular order):

Takeshi Obata - Death Note, Hikaru no Go
Hiromu Arakawa - FMA
Eiichiro Oda - One Piece
Osamu Tezuka - too many titles...

Honorary ("0th"): Osamu Tezuka (for obvious reasons)
1st: Hiromu Arakawa (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Why: I am incredibly impressed with the FMA manga. Arakawa manages to keep all of the characters involved in the plot in a significant way, which is no mean task given the expansive cast. Arakawa's art style also stands out to me (noses! Full-fledged noses!) and works very well in concert with the series.
2nd: Nobuhiro Watsuki (Rurouni Kenshin, Busou Renkin)
Why: It was through Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin that I was introduced to manga. While the series starts slowly, once the major plot arcs are underway, the series takes off like a rocket. Kenshin also stands out to me as a truly heroic character. However, Busou Renkin, though enjoyable, is not nearly so impressive. It's a pretty standard shounen series without the depth or charm of RuroKen. However, I'll still end up collecting it once I have the necessary disposable income (and after I finish collecting RuroKen!) Watsuki barely beats out the worthy Obata with help from some sentimental appeal.
3rd: Takeshi Obata (Death Note)
This is how manga is written! Obata does not cease to impress with a combination of a deep, labyrinthine plot, captivating dialogue, and excellent art. Death Note is a top-notch series that even non-"otaku" can pick up and be drawn into. Death Note loses points for [spoiler]killing off L Lawliet/Ryuuzaki[/spoiler] which, while somewhat minor, irritated me.
4th: CLAMP (Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, xXx_HoLiC)
While I have only read the aforementioned two CLAMP titles, what I've seen has impressed me. CLAMP's art style is beautiful and lush, emphasizing the fantastic nature of the two series. What stands out the most to me, however, is the memorable cast of characters. From the mysterious (and lovably twisted) Yuuko Ichihara to goofy yet clever Fai D. Flowright* and more, both series are full of characters who are enjoyable to watch and cheer for.
5th: Bisco Hatori (Ouran High School Host Club)
I award Hatori the title "Bringer of the LOLs," because Ouran is hilarious! Her main cast (the titular club) represent shoujo stereotypes without seeming one-dimensional. This series, in manga or anime form, is guaranteed to raise more than a few smiles.

.rai//

*While not the most officially correct way to spell Fai's name, it is my favorite and the one that I believe suits the character best. YNMV (your nomenclature may vary).

I'm trying to base this on who's actually good rather than my personal faves (which would include shoujo mangaka like Arina and Ueda Miwa)

Urasawa Naoki (well-rounder)
Tezuka Osamu (well-rounder and classic)
Obata Takeshi (for the art)
Fujisaki Ryu (for the art)

Honorable mention: Arakawa Hiromu (just for Hagaren, and for being a great female shounen mangaka)

BTW rai, Obata didn't actually write Death Note, just did the art.

For sheer artistic talent I would post:

1. Yukito Kishiro - Sheer talent and skill. Details to the 'nth degree. Draws every single line, including most backgrounds, by hand. First manga artist to truly amaze me, and draws this level on cyberpunk sci-fi to boot, requiring creativity on top of everything else

2. Naoki Urasawa - Amazing art, character expression and line work. Character design and design that makes them human and relatable. Creates one of the most 'real' worlds in his comics.

3. Kubo Tite - character design, chapter breaks, style flow and design sense. One of the best of the shonen artists for his use of ink.

4. Himoru Arakawa - Charachters and environment. Overall general comic talent.

5. Clamp - mostly for xxHolic. Amazing black and white design. Fun abstraction.

Well, here's my fiv-er, six:

Osamu Tezuka - The Godfather of Manga.
Himoru Arakawa - Fullmetal Alchemist. I'm still looking for her lesser-known work, "Stray Dog"
Hajime Yadate & Yoshiyuki Tomino - Gundam.
Akira Toriyama - Dragon Ball, Dr. Slump, Sand Land, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger... So Awesome.
Fred Gallagher - MegaTokyo. I know it's not Manga per-say, but...
CLAMP - Although some of their titles are a bit... off (IMO), Their artwork is undeniably awesome.

minakichan (post: 1210867) wrote:BTW rai, Obata didn't actually write Death Note, just did the art.

yeah. the person who wrote the story for Death Note is Tsugumi Ooba.

1. Hiromu Arakawa
2. Nobuhiro Watsuki
3. Osamu Tezuka
4. Yuu Watase
5. Kiyohiko Azuma