In order to create a world-renowned series like Bleach, you have to be special. Tite Kubo has rarely opened up about his childhood habits and normal life, except in some rare interviews. And if you examine them, you would know how different Kubo was from other children.
In one such interview, the Bleach author has talked about his thought process as well as some “concerning” habits he had during his formative years. All of these experiences together built him up as a mangaka.
Tite Kubo’s Obsession with Drawing a Specific Body Part
In an interview with Masakazu Morita, the voice actor of Ichigo on Bleach, Tite Kubo talked about what he liked to draw best when he was little. Of course, he began by drawing things that he liked, just like everyone else. In Tite Kubo’s case, he loved to draw dinosaurs and insects.
But later on, the author confessed that he was fixated on drawing wrists. Yes, the author would fill up pages upon pages by drawing wrists. While it is a good drawing exercise since wrists and hands are hard to get down, being obsessed with wrists as a child isn’t very normal. Kubo himself realized how weird it was once he grew up.
And so, when I looked at my childhood notebook years later as an adult, I was creeped out by it and thought, “I’m surprised my parents didn’t try to consult someone about this.”
Even Morita was a bit concerned that Kubo had such a habit as a child. He exclaimed that Kubo was a ‘unique individual’ (for lack of better words). Once children have moved on from drawing dinosaurs and insects, they would normally imitate manga characters and such, but drawing wrists is an unexpected move.
Tite Kubo’s Deep Attachment to Music While Creating Bleach
Tite Kubo confessed that he listened to songs when he came up with many Bleach characters as well as their character details. There are also songs that he would imagine playing in the background when he thought about the characters’ pasts.
The author further clarified that he does not often listen to music while working, but the songs he does know play automatically in his head.
So when I’m drawing characters, or when I’m thinking up action scenes, there are songs playing in my head.
Morita was amazed at this revelation and realized that this was why he always felt that Tite Kubo’s drawings had a certain rhythm or melody. The interviewer then added another spin to his story by revealing that Tite Kubo’s drawing process is to play a video game in his head and pause at the coolest moments. Morita derived that Tite Kubo must have a sense of camera work then.
The voice actor then concluded that Kubo had formed a fateful connection with the interviewer with his answers as well as with every new manga artist who would read this article.
You can read Bleach on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
