There is hardly a more eccentric and unorthodox figure in the manga world than Tatsuki Fujimoto, whose personality is almost more peculiar than his most influential series, Chainsaw Man. The most explosive and unconventional entry in the new-gen shonen scene, Chainsaw Man is already regarded as a modern classic, and its immensely successful 2022 anime adaptation only boosted the enormous popularity of Fujimoto's work.
The aspect of Chainsaw Man that makes the series so unforgettable and impactful is its quirky, idiosyncratic sensibilities — the manga is simultaneously a surreal comedy, a violent and gritty dark fantasy about a grim world swamped by Devils, and a genuinely touching drama that makes fans bawl their eyes out at every tragic event. The outlandish nature of Chainsaw Man is a direct representation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's own unconventional personality, which makes exploring the man behind dark shonen's modern masterwork so fascinating.
10 Fujimoto Has An Unconventional Background For A Mangaka
Most manga creators follow a fairly straightforward path to getting into the industry. They draw manga throughout their formative years, often finish higher education arts programs, and gain experience as assistants to more well-known authors until they're ready to begin their own series. Fujimoto's journey to success was much less by the books.
Fujimoto discovered an interest in drawing at an early age, but the only art-centric programs available in his hometown were oil painting classes, an unusual occupation for an aspiring mangaka. He took his first proper shots at creating manga while studying Western painting at college. Fujimoto never did any assistant work, jumping straight to drawing original one-shots. Surprisingly enough, this tactic was successful, and Fujimoto landed a chance to begin his first serialized manga, Fire Punch, in 2016, just two years after graduation.
9 Fujimoto's First Series, Fire Punch, Is Extremely Unconventional
Those who find Chainsaw Man unusual would be baffled at just how much more bizarre and shocking Fujimoto's first serialized manga, Fire Punch, is. Taking place in a frozen-over totalitarian dystopia, Fire Punch follows Agni, a man with regeneration powers who is constantly burning in a flame that can't be extinguished. On top of being outstandingly violent and cruel to its characters, Fire Punch is most notoriously remembered for being one of the strangest, most ridiculous wild rides in the history of shonen manga.
The unprecedentedly odd nature of Fire Punch made the series extremely controversial, with some fans regarding it as a masterpiece while others bash it for being incomprehensible. Regardless of the manga's inherent quality, Fire Punch is a series that demonstrates Fujimoto's unorthodox approach to writing most clearly.
8 Fujimoto's Inspirations Range From Obscure Horror Movies To Avant-Garde Anime
Every Fujimoto fan knows that the man is a huge film buff. References to movies are ever-present in his works, and he often writes characters who are massive cinephiles, like Fire Punch's Togata, Goodbye, Eri's protagonists, and Chainsaw Man's Denji. The concept of Chainsaw Man was inspired by the American horror classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
But the franchise is far from the only media influence Fujimoto incorporated into his work. The films that inspired Fujimoto include the disaster movie parody Sharknado, Tarantino's classic Reservoir Dogs, the bizarre horror comedy Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!, and the somber Japanese drama Typhoon Club. Anime is, expectedly, another one of Fujimoto's passions, and shows like FLCL, Kizumonogatari, and Devilman had a great impact on his manga.
7 Fujimoto Has A Real-Life Fascination With Dominant Women
Fujimoto's manga features some extremely unorthodox female characters. Be it the terrifying and manipulative Makima, the ruthless War Devil Yoru, or the no-nonsense assassin Quanxi, Fujimoto is notorious for centering his stories around powerful, somewhat devious women. This love for dominant female characters comes from the mangaka's real-life captivation with "tough and unreasonable" women.
Fujimoto is a self-proclaimed masochist who discovered his fascination with dominant women when a girl was bullying him in college, and instead of getting upset, Fujimoto enjoyed being tormented. Famously open about incorporating his compulsions into his work, Fujimoto continuously puts female characters in positions of power and gives them dominant, outlandish personalities.
6 Fujimoto Feels Very Laid-Back About His Characters
One of the things that many view as Chainsaw Man's biggest strength is the series' cast of unique, lovable characters. Surprisingly enough, Fujimoto himself doesn't share the same deep-rooted adoration of his heroes as the fans.
While there are definitely characters he likes, and he puts great effort into developing them, Fujimoto admits that the story for him is much more important than its heroes. This disconnect between the author and his creations allows Fujimoto to kill off beloved characters with ease and make dramatic changes to the series' cast whenever he pleases.
5 Denji's Origins Are Based On Fujimoto's Own Experiences
One aspect of Denji as a shonen protagonist that sets him apart is just how authentic and relatable he feels. A poor, mistreated child with no one to turn to, Denji only strives for basic accommodation, and, for today's youth, his mentality hits close to home.
Fujimoto admits that he sympathizes with the current generation and their nihilistic outlook on life, as, after graduating, he lived the same way. His early adulthood was, similarly to Denji's, defined by poverty and a desire for a simple, comfortable life many young people today want and fail to sustain.
4 Fujimoto Pretended To Be His Non-Existent Sister On Twitter
Fujimoto doesn't share much of his personal life with the public and doesn't have social media accounts under his own name. However, since 2013, he has infamously run a Twitter account pretending to be his fictional younger sister. Most of the tweets are written in a childish, simplified manner, as though they are observations a third-grader would make.
However, from time to time, Fujimoto's "sister" would give movie recommendations and shout out other anime and manga, crediting her "older brother." As expected from such an odd joke, the account was involved in many controversies, from age restriction issues to disagreements with Fujimoto's publishers.
3 Fujimoto Is Fond Of Self-Deprecating Humor
Unlike some creators of highly successful works, Fujimoto doesn't take his manga too seriously. Due to his lack of professional training in manga and the laid-back approach he takes to writing, Fujimoto doesn't think too highly of his abilities as a mangaka, a sentiment his enormous number of fans would disagree with. Fujimoto's self-deprecation and doubt usually find an out through humor.
From describing Chainsaw Man as "unbefitting of any reward" upon winning the Harvey Award for Best Manga to referring to MAPPA adapting his manga as funny due to him ripping off the studio's previous successes, Dorohedoro and Jujutsu Kaisen, Fujimoto is clearly unafraid to crack jokes at his own expense.
2 Fujimoto Had Some Famous Manga Artists As His Assistants
Assisting a successful mangaka is a common way for aspiring creators to get into the industry, and a surprising number of current big-shot manga authors were helping Fujimoto create his series. Hell's Paradise's Yuji Kaku, Spy x Family's Tatsuya Endo, and Dandadan's Yukinobu Tatsu all started as Fujimoto's assistants on Fire Punch, later releasing their own hit shonen manga.
Fujimoto's assistants referred to their time working alongside him as positive and even painted the mangaka's quirkiness in a positive light. One surprising fact Yuji Kaku revealed about Fujimoto is that, in real life, he speaks similarly to Denji — in a very laid-back and informal form of Japanese.
1 Fujimoto's Fans Adore His Weirdness
From uploading a video of himself trying to levitate on YouTube to openly talking about the time he ate the decaying corpse of his girlfriend's pet fish, Fujimoto has made his unorthodox personality very public. However, instead of alienating readers, the mangaka's eccentricities have made him only more popular.
Fans of Fujimoto and his manga adore the weirdness and unpredictability all of his works share with their creator. Fujimoto's quirks resonate greatly with the community he created, and fans commonly see the mangaka's idiosyncrasies as a part of his genius.
