Born prematurely in August of 1962 with a birth defect that rendered him unable to bend his wrists completely, Tsutomu Miyazaki spent most of his early childhood alone as the victim of bullying for his deformity.

Miyazaki kept to himself and rarely participated in social events or made many friends. He often hid his hands in photographs out of embarrassment. He did seem to delight in drawing, however, and comics while alone at home.

Though he wasn’t a social student, he was a successful one and he ranked in the top 10 of his class. He moved from elementary school to high school in Nakano, Tokyo, and remained a star student with the hopes of becoming a teacher.