A graduate of Hatushiba High School, up until 1984 he went by the name Yoshinori Iwamoto (岩元 義則,, Iwamoto Yoshinori). He has stated that he likes to stay home by himself and that his favorite actress is Mariko Kawana. Before he started school, he was an avid baseball player and fan and dreamed of one day becoming a Pro Baseball player. He liked to draw but has said that he didn't really read manga until he met Shimada.
