The two biggest anime and manga series of the current generation, My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi and Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami might be set apart in two different worlds, but there is one thing that they share in common and that is their love for Tite Kubo’s Bleach and the inspiration they got from it.
Both Horikoshi and Akutami have confessed to the fact that Bleach has inspired them to create their own mangas in one way or the other and they are extremely grateful for it. In fact, their love for Bleach is so similar that both mangakas also share the same favorite character from Kubo’s Bleach. This character is none other than Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the captain of the 12th Division in the Gotei 13.
While they share a common interest in Mayuri in Bleach, the reasons for loving the character for both manga creators are slightly different. While Horikoshi loved Mayuri for his mysterious aura, Akutami admired the 12th Division captain for his grotesque Bankai that Bleach fans found creepy.
Kohei Horikoshi’s Love For Mayuri Comes From The Character’s Mystery
In 2019, My Hero Academia released an ultra-analysis of the characters of the series, which also featured an intriguing discussion between Horikoshi and Tite Kubo. During this discussion, the My Hero Academia mangaka was asked about his favorite Bleach character and his answer was unexpected for Kubo.
Horikoshi revealed:
Mayuri is my favorite character by far! As it happens, I asked Kubo-sensei to draw Mayuri for me when I got his autograph in the past. I like his first appearance the most, since he gave off a mysterious aura that made you question his humanity.
Kohei Horikoshi pointed out that ever since he saw the introduction of Mayuri in Bleach, he became a fan of the character because of the mystery he carried with his personality. No one knows what he is plotting for his next move and that is what makes him so intriguing as a character.
Tite Kubo’s Reason For Loving Mayuri From Bleach
Akutami had a chance to sit with Tite Kubo for a special interview which was published in the Jujutsu Kaisen official fanbook and was later released by Edomonogatari. During the interview, Akutami confessed that they loved Mayuri’s character because of how scary he was.
Gege Akutami stated:
Either Mayuri Kurotsuchi or Kenpachi Zaraki—if I had to pick one, Kurotsuchi. He was the earliest to perform Bankai, after all. I loved how utterly disgusted I felt when I saw him for the first time. His Bankai’s final form, Matai Fukuin Shotai (Demonic Recumbent Womb), made me scream “Yes, yes, that’s my man Kurotsuchi!” in excitement.
It was then that Tite Kubo pointed out that Mayuri’s character is particularly famous among manga creators mostly because of how grotesque his personality and his Bankai feel.
Mayuri is one of the most versatile characters in Bleach and while fans may feel disgusted by his appearance and his plot, he is one of the reasons why Bleach is so addictive.
Bleach is available to watch on Hulu. My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen are available to watch on Crunchyroll.
