How Shaman King Was Born

What did you as an artist and your work gain from choosing “shamans” as a subject?
It would be great if “searching for material never used before” resulted in finding undiscovered gems, but for the most part it simply led to minor, unpopular subjects, or things that nobody bothered to attempt before for one reason or another. On the other hand, this also had some positive results for me.

This is because I originally was only interested in robots and machines. This search led me to encounter subjects I would have never known my entire life, had I been left on my own.
What’s more, I was able to share the excitement I felt at these discoveries with readers in real time.
Of course, however, my choice of subject matter was not entirely groundless. I do believe that, after going through some special experiences, invisible forces such as “attraction” and “chance” definitely exist.

How did you come up with the unusual expressive style of “treating shamanism like pop culture”?
I grew up in the 1980s surrounded by anime, games, and toys, so in a sense, it was only natural that my style would include an element of “pop.”
However, when I began writing manga around the year 2000, realism was taking precedence instead. The general mood in the industry was that we had to stifle the “pop” style.
I established this style because I am a fan of the old-school style and because of the need for originality.

How were you influenced by video games, such as fighting games?
I’m from the generation that followed the evolution of video games with excitement, so to me, games are my flesh and blood.
In particular, I was strongly influenced by the character design. Video game characters in the ’80s could only be expressed in dots, so they were inevitably designed to be as distinctive as possible at a glance.
Just as how having to express game music in 8-bit resulted in the creation of superior melodies, the more restricted a medium is, the more I learned to “work harder” at expression.

What did you realize by publishing a series on sorcery and religion from around the world in a “shōnen” manga magazine?
Probably that I had to pay attention to restricting the expressions I used. Things were looser back then, so I was able to start the series without paying particular attention to its content, but the number of things I needed to be aware of multiplied as time went on. I need to be careful as long as there are parties concerned regarding the motifs I chose for the manga, and there is a high possibility that I will have to add some corrections in the future.

What served as your inspiration while you were working on the manga?
Basically, most of my inspiration came from events that occurred around me. I was also inspired a lot by people I saw on TV and the internet, and what I felt when I saw them. I tend to dump my emotions into my work, and not in a good way.

A unique protagonist and worldview：　The protagonist Yoh Asakura has a distinctly “laid back” personality for a “shōnen” manga character. His signature phrase, “It’ll work out somehow,” which he repeatedly utters in the face of various difficulties, baffles and fascinates the readers and other characters. What is the worldview underlying this unique protagonist and work of manga?

Why did you choose an unusually “laid back”personality for the protagonist Yoh, instead of a “passionate” one?
First, because he couldn’t be the same as protagonists in other manga.
Second, because my own philosophy happens to be that way.
I feel really blessed to have been able to continue working as a manga artist like this, without having to kill my own soul. At the same time, I think I’ve been able to do this precisely because I’ve been so honest.

What has been the response to your expression of Eastern philosophical “harmony,” a rare theme for a “shōnen” manga?
As for the response, it’s been rare for anyone to put this into words and tell me. I think it’s difficult to put into words.
In the past, it was taken for granted in “shōnen” manga that enemies were to be defeated. This manga defies that common sense.
However, after two decades since I started the manga, I feel that the world has become quite a better place.
Even if I don’t explain it in words, you can just look around and understand what I mean.

What did you try to do to balance a deep theme with high entertainment value?
Unfortunately, the honest answer is that “I didn’t try.”
My thoughtfulness doesn’t extend that far. My only salvation is that I happen to “like interesting, strange things” and that I am “sort of a stickler for design.” I get the feeling I’m a lot less thoughtful than most people.
To begin with, there’s an infinite number of things to do in manga, and the parts I don’t consider are the parts that stick out in reality. But that’s also precisely why the artist’s personality comes out, and averaging it out would be boring, wouldn’t it?
…But of course, there’s nothing better than improving one’s art.

What were you particular about in depicting landscapes based on the real world?
I also like photography, so I’m particular about landscapes—especially nostalgic ones.
Ideally, I would like to visit every location and draw it myself, to create scenes in which you can feel the temperature, humidity, and even presences.
But realistically speaking, the reason I can’t do all that is that I think it’s not that high of a priority for me.
For now, let’s just hope that the places around the world I depict in the manga will eventually become “sacred pilgrimage sites” for the readers.

What was the most memorable feedback you have received so far?
Regardless of whether they’re from Japan or overseas, the letters I get from readers about their inner emotional worlds are all memorable. I was moved when I received a letter from a prisoner containing very sincere content. It was also surprising that many of my letters from abroad come from South America and Eastern Europe. I’m moved that my work has reached so many parts of the world.

What message do you have for future readers of “Shaman King”?
Don’t be swept away by the crowd. Believe in what you saw with your own eyes and what you felt.
Other than that, you’re free to do as you like.