Hideyuki Kikuchi is a Japanese author famous for his horror novels. His most famous works include the Vampire Hunter D series, Darkside Blues, and Wicked City. He has been compared to both Stephen King and H. P. Lovecraft. Kikuchi was born in Chōshi, Japan, on September 25, 1949. He attended Aoyama Gakuin University and was trained as a writer by famed author Kazuo Koike. His first novel, Demon City Shinjuku, was published in 1982. Kikuchi became close friends with writer and director Yoshiaki Kawajiri during his adaption of Wicked City and the two have since collaborated on Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and the OVA of Demon City Shinjuku.