小畑健
In high school, Watsuki received an honorable mention in the 33rd Tezuka Awards for his 1987 one-shot "Teacher Pon", which he wrote under the pen name "Nobuhiro Nishiwaki". "Hokuriku Yūrei Kobanashi" earned him the Hop Step award. It was included in "Hop Step Award Selection" volume 6 in 1991. After graduating, Watsuki moved to Tokyo and worked as an assistant to Yōichi Takahashi and Takeshi Obata. Watsuki worked on Obata's "Mashin Bōken Tan Lamp-Lamp" and "Chikara Bito Densetsu", the former's title character would later serve as a model for Sagara Sanosuke.