My Hero Academia Creator Shares Their Secret to Making Manga

October 19, 2022, 4:26pm

You might think making a manga is easy, but if history tells us anything, that assumption couldn’t be more wrong. From grueling schedules to tight deadlines and health issues, manga creators deal with all sorts of troubles. Of course, they say those problems are few compared to the joy they get from inking their story, and a new interview with My Hero Academia’s creator proves as much.

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Recently, Viz Media and Shueisha teamed up on a new book titled The Shonen Jump Guide to Making Manga. It is there some of the magazine’s biggest authors participated in interviews, and Kohei Horikoshi was in the group. And according to him, he is pretty active when it comes to plotting out his manga.

The Inside Scoop

Horikoshi’s interview is a thorough one, and it touches on everything from his approaches to art and human emotions. In fact, the artist admits he wishes he’d known more about emoting and perspectives in art before beginning his career. But over the years, he has undergone a crash course in those things. He did study by reading other manga, but of course, nothing can beat lived experience where emotions are concerned.

Horikoshi also shared how involved he is with the direction of his work even with editors helping him. “When the editor gives a suggestion I don’t agree with, I push back and duke it out. Because nothing good can come from implementing a suggestion I just can’t accept deep down,” he shared.

Clearly, the artist has a clear vision for their work, and My Hero Academia is showing that these days. Despite a few rough steps at the start of its final act, My Hero Academia is reigning atop Shonen Jump with some of its best chapters to date. And with no end in sight at the moment, fans can look forward to more goodies from Horikoshi.

What do you think about this behind-the-scenes look? Are you a fan of Horikoshi’s work to date? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.