Hideaki Sorachi was born on May 25, 1979, and grew up in Hokkaido, Japan. His ongoing series, Gin Tama, became a huge hit when it began running in the pages of Japan's Weekly Shonen Jump in 2004. A Gin Tama animated series followed soon after, premiering on Japanese TV in April 2006. Sorachi made his manga debut with the one-shot story "Dandelion," which is included in volume 1 of the Gin Tama graphic novels.