Junji Ito knows a thing or two about horror. From supernatural haunts to demonic curses, the award-winning artist has seen it all. Ito is not called a Master of Horror for no reason, but even with his work in mind, Ito is not invulnerable to scares. The manga artist has a few boundaries, and it turns out aliens are near the top of that list.
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Seriously, don’t test him. Ito wants nothing to do with aliens. And if you are ever given the chance to talk with an extraterrestrial, Ito is begging you to turn the other way.
Junji Ito Wants Nothing to Do With Aliens
In a recent interview with Viz Media, Ito unloaded his distrust of aliens when asked whether he believes we are alone in the universe. The artist makes it clear that he believes aliens exist, but Ito doesn’t want humanity making first contact.
“The universe is vast, so I believe some life form exists somewhere, so I don’t think we’re alone,” Ito said. He goes on to talk about humanity’s first contact, and Ito asks those watching to never engage with an alien.
“Whatever you do, do not respond. Otherwise, we will open ourselves up to a terrifying alien invasion,” the artist explained. “Hold your breath and never make contact, otherwise horrible things will happen.”
Clearly, Ito feels strongly about aliens, and there is nothing positive about it. The artist is on the mind that aliens exist, but humanity is not in a place where we should be contacting them. While first contact may have gone over well enough in series like Star Trek, Ito doesn’t think real life will be so kind. Invasion is a real threat, and Ito thinks contacting aliens will make such an ambush likely.
Ito Has Already Explored Alien Horror Through His Manga
Given Ito’s wariness of aliens, it is not surprising to see that fear reflected in his work. The artist has dozens of manga to his name, and several of them dabble with aliens. For instance, his manga Sensor is tied to extraterrestrials as it was inspired by a UFO rumor in Ito’s hometown.
“The theory was that it was dropped by a UFO and I thought it was interesting,” Ito told Polygon, referring to the strange objects at the center of Sensor. The manga follows a group of locals who head out at night to find glowing, golden strands of hair raining from the sky. When Ito was a kid, he experienced this phenomenon for real, but the ‘hair’ was actually fallout from a nearby volcanic eruption. Still, rumors went around town that aliens were to blame, and the gossip struck a chord with Ito.
The artist has also explored aliens and extraterrestrial horror with Remina, a manga released in 2004. The story follows several scientists as they discover a planet is on course to collide with our own solar system. As the planet comes closer, experts discover it is not some land mass but rather a massive alien that wishes to consume Earth. Thanks to its unsettling story and raw visuals, Remina is considered a horror classic, and Ito has won a number of awards with the manga including an Eisner Award.
There is no denying Ito’s history with aliens, and he would love to keep it fictional. The artist doesn’t have great feelings about first contact, and honestly, who can blame him? The horror icon has thought up the worst endgames imaginable so far as aliens are concerned. So if you happen upon an alien some day, remember Ito’s warning.
What do you make of Ito’s warning here? Do you agree with his take on First Contact? Give me a shout at @meganwpeters with your take! You can also let us know what you think over on X (Twitter) and Instagram.
