Bleach author Tite Kubo revealed in a recent interview that his “life bible” is a supernatural shounen classic that inspired Kubo to become a manga artist when he was in second grade.
The interview, translated into English and posted on X (formerly Twitter), was conducted by voice actor and J-pop idol Daisuke Sakuma, a longtime anime fan. Sakuma asked, “What would you say is the work that serves as the Bible of your life?” to which Kubo replied, “Gegege no Kitaro.” Later in the same interview, the topic came up again, and Kubo stated that he was “between Gegege no Kitaro and Saint Seiya,” going on to clarify that the former series was “the first thing I liked as a kid” and “the first time I realized that being a manga artist was a viable career.”
Bleach's Tite Kubo Reveals the Inspiration Behind His Manga Career
Gegege no Kitaro debuted as a manga series in Weekly Shonen Magazine in 1960, where it ran until 1969. It has since received seven different anime adaptations (the most recent and only one currently available to stream in North America, airing from 2018-2020), as well as two live-action film adaptations. The story follows a young yokai boy, Kitaro, the last surviving member of the Ghost Tribe. The series became a cornerstone in the early popularity of yokai—supernatural creatures from Japanese folklore—in mainstream anime and manga.
Kubo went on to say in the interview that he was in second grade when he first discovered Gegege no Kitaro, and to this day, he still keeps a copy of the manga in his studio. Bleach is also a shonen series with supernatural elements, although its themes tend to be more mature and focus on the supernatural Shinigami (gods of death) and Hollows. Bleach has also become a cornerstone series in popularizing supernatural elements in anime and manga in Japan, as well as for the spread of anime and manga in the West in general.
Gegege no Kitaro is currently streaming on Crunchyroll, while Bleach is on Hulu. The original manga is licensed in English by Viz Media.
Bleach
High school student Ichigo Kurosaki, who has the ability to see ghosts, gains shinigami powers from Rukia Kuchiki and sets out to save the world from “Hollows”.
Author Tite Kubo
Artist Tite Kubo
Release date August 7, 2001
Category Adventure, Martial Arts, Supernatural
Chapter 705
Book 74
Publishing house Shueisha, Madman Entertainment, Viz Media
Extend
Source: X (formerly Twitter)
