Ever wonder about who could be the greatest villain? Hiromu Arakawa, mangaka of the Fullmetal Alchemist series, pointed to the Star Wars franchise. She claimed that Darth Vader was the greatest villain for her. This statement has sparked considerable discussion among her fanbase.
Her manga has sold millions of copies worldwide. It’s also regarded as a masterpiece that has ranked #1 on MyAnimeList for decades. However, Arakawa-sensei’s preference for a character from Western culture over her own creations has thus raised speculation about the influences of her works.
Hiromu Arakawa’s Path From Doodles to a Manga Artist
In a one-on-one exclusive interview via Tumblr, Hiromu Arakawa revealed how she became a mangaka. Arakawa-sensei’s path to manga began with her urge to draw on anything within reach. Her beginning, scribbling away on the margins of her school materials, has laid the foundation for becoming a mangaka.
She reminisced:
When I was a kid I doodled on everything near me…advertisements, my textbooks. I kept that up till the artist thing just happened.
Her Journey had to take a detour when she needed to balance her budding artistic aspirations with the demands of her family’s dairy farm. This experience shaped her work but also inspired her distinctive cow self-portrait.
Arakawa-sensei’s shift from farm life to the competitive world of manga wasn’t immediate. She had to hone her skills and drawing techniques that set the stage for Fullmetal Alchemist.
Unexpected Inspirations of Hiromu Arakawa
Many may think that Arakawa-sensei’s primary influences would be her fellow manga artists, which is true. During the interview, she mentioned Suiho Tagawa and Hiroyuki Eto as the root of her influence. However, what truly inspired Arakawa-sensei was her love for Western cinema.
I like the Star Wars series and the Indiana Jones series. Darth Vader is the greatest villain of all time and Sean Connery is the greatest old man.
Even though Fullmetal Alchemist characters like Homunculi and Father have been glorified for their nuanced motivations, it seems her heart belongs to someone else; Darth Vader from a faraway galaxy.
She also shared the journey of creating Fullmetal Alchemist. Her approach led her to research alchemy, which became the framework for her series.
First I came up with the Philosopher’s Stone. I don’t remember how I got the ideas for the plot, but it came to me while I was working on something else. Then I researched the Philosopher’s Stone and ended up reading about alchemy.
Her fans are left wondering how Arakawa-sensei’s admiration for Darth Vader might have influenced her work. Whether drawing inspiration from dairy farms or overseas industries, Hiromu Arakawa’s vision has produced an extraordinary series.
Fullmetal Alchemist is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Star Wars is available to stream on Disney+.
