Since 2019, Demon Slayer has been a successful anime thanks to its great animation by Ufotable, exciting action scenes, and fast storytelling.
Before the Ufotable adaptation, the Demon Slayer manga was already popular since its release in 2016, written and illustrated by Koyoharu Gotouge. It sold over 150 million copies as of 2021 and quickly became one of the best-selling manga series of all time.
Interestingly, the manga’s creator mentioned three popular anime as major inspirations for Demon Slayer. Surprisingly, he doesn’t mention Dragon Ball or One Piece as influences for his manga.
Also Read: Tanjiro Was Originally Planned to Have a Missing Arm Like Guts from Berserk
Three Manga Influences on Koyoharu Gotouge for Demon Slayer
A few months after the manga series began in October 2016, Koyoharu Gotouge participated in a Japanese “Twitcast” interview (via ScreenRant). In this interview, fans asked questions on Twitter (now X) about their series, including simple ones like character ages.
When one fan asked about Gotouge’s top three manga influences, he mentioned Bleach, Naruto, and Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The Bleach influence is very clear, with similarities between the Demon Slayer’s Hashira and Bleach’s Soul Reaper captains, as well as their unique abilities.
Naruto, another popular action series with swordplay and martial arts, also had an impact on Demon Slayer. Some characters in Demon Slayer even use techniques similar to ninjutsu, similar to Naruto. However, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a more surprising influence.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Demon Slayer Connection
When you consider it, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Demon Slayer share many similarities, especially if you look at Jojo’s early parts 1 and 2. In those parts, Jonathan and later Joseph fight vampires that need to feed on humans, can only be active at night, and are vulnerable to sunlight-based powers like Hamon.
These vampires are incredibly tough, can regenerate from near-fatal injuries, and are led by Dio, who created them. Comparing this to Demon Slayer, the demons in the series share the same traits as these vampires including having a single master demon, Muzan Kibutsuji.
Tanjiro’s Hinokami Kagura also known as the Sun Breathing style in Demon Slayer, is also similar to Hamon, as both are mystical abilities tied to the power of the Sun and crucial for victory.
Although Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure might not be the first thing that comes to mind as an influence on Demon Slayer, it’s obvious that it had a significant impact on Koyoharu Gotouge’s work and he is not shy and publically accepting it.
Source: ScreenRant
