In 2008, a ghost wrote a white paper that changed the financial world forever. Satoshi Nakamoto created Bitcoin, mined a fortune, and then vanished into the digital ether. It is the ultimate modern mystery: a creator who is everywhere and nowhere at once.
We tend to think of this level of anonymity as a quirk of the cryptography world, but it is happening right now in our libraries. In the exploding worlds of web serials, LitRPG and manga, a new generation of titans has emerged. These are creators who hold the attention of millions, earn significant fortunes and shape the culture of roleplaying games and fantasy, yet they have no face.
We are not talking about a pen name used to hide a gender or a day job. We are talking about total erasure. These are the authors who have been “online” for a decade without leaking a single geo-tagged photo or slip of the tongue. From the relentless output of The Wandering Inn to the shonen giants of Japan, we are looking for the Satoshi Nakamotos of nerd literature.
Here are the ten candidates who, as of 2026, remain completely unsolved.
1. Pirateaba
The Current Champion. The author of The Wandering Inn (12+ million words) is the strongest candidate. Unlike others who eventually do a face reveal at a convention, Pirateaba has maintained strict anonymity since 2016. They stream their writing process live, but never their face. They are the “Final Boss” of the anonymous web serial world.
2. Kamachi Kazuma
The Machine. The Japanese author of A Certain Magical Index. He is a legend for his writing speed, releasing a new novel almost every month for years. Despite over 100 volumes published and massive anime adaptations, no photo or real name has ever surfaced. Rumours exist that he is actually a collective of writers or an AI, simply because his output is inhuman.
3. Tsugumi Ohba
The Mastermind. The writer of Death Note and Bakuman. “Tsugumi Ohba” is a pen name. While there is a popular theory that he is actually the manga artist Hiroshi Gamo, it has never been confirmed. His identity is one of the oldest and most debated secrets in the manga industry.
4. ONE
The Hobbyist God. The creator of One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100. He started as a webcomic artist with “bad” art but genius storytelling. He became a global superstar, yet his real name and face remain unknown. He proves that in the internet age, content is king, and the creator can remain a ghost.
5. Gege Akutami
The One-Eyed Cat. The creator of Jujutsu Kaisen. They appear in interviews only as doodles of a cyclops cat and use a voice modifier (or text-only communication). Despite having the best-selling manga in the world for several years, their gender, name, and face are unconfirmed.
6. Koyoharu Gotouge
The Crocodile. The creator of Demon Slayer (Kimetsu no Yaiba), one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time. Gotouge uses a crocodile avatar and has never appeared in public. There is intense speculation that they are a woman, but Shonen Jump has never confirmed their identity, protecting their privacy with extreme prejudice.
7. Zogarth
The Hunter. The author of The Primal Hunter. A giant in the Royal Road / Kindle Unlimited space. Unlike peers who eventually put a name on the copyright page, Zogarth remains “Zogarth.” He is the archetype of the “System Apocalypse” survivor: efficient, powerful, and hidden.
8. Casualfarmer
The Hermit. The author of Beware of Chicken. He wrote a story about quitting the rat race to become a farmer, and he embodies that ethos. While the series is a massive commercial hit, the author has avoided the celebrity circuit entirely, remaining a gentle enigma.
9. InadvisablyCompelled
The Paranoiac. The author of Paranoid Mage. It is fitting that the author of a book about hiding from a magical surveillance state uses no real name on their copyright page. They appeared, dominated the charts, and then faded into a digital shadow.
10. Selkie Myth
The Voice. The author of Beneath the Dragoneye Moons. While highly active in the community, often giving advice to new writers and doing voice-only interviews, they have successfully kept their legal identity separate from their “Selkie” persona. They represent the modern “Vtuber” style of anonymity: a distinct personality with no physical body.
There is something strangely comforting about these digital ghosts. In a creator economy that usually demands we sell our personalities alongside our products, these authors prove that the story is still the only thing that matters.
Perhaps we do not need to know who Pirateaba or Gege Akutami are. In fact, knowing might spoil the magic. If the author is a blank slate, the reader can project whatever they want onto the creator, making the connection to the text even more personal. The “Death of the Author” is usually a literary theory, but these ten are practising it literally.
They remind us that you can be the most important person in the room and still be invisible. Or perhaps, like Satoshi, they are just waiting for the right moment to move their coins and shock the world.
