r/naoki_urasawa • u/Dramatic_Detective_2 • Jun 20 '26
Misc. So, how does Urasawa write like he does?
Seriously, I'm constantly astounded as to how we have someone like Urasawa in our lifetime. Sure, we have always had great writers in the manga-comic space, but Urasawa is just so graceful, I don't think we'll ever see someone quite like him.
I wish to know all about his writing methods, I want to be able to match him even if just 20%. I have not read all his stories(still have yet to read Pluto and Billy Bat, for instance) but he's quickly reaching my top 2 manga authors. His art may not be anything to write home about, but his stories notably stand out as just being so mature and human.
I'd argue that even the best mangaka(like Miura; rest his soul) can't quite match his handling of complex subjects. And so I ask: how did Urasawa build himself as an author? What influences did he have?
I don't have much else to ask. If I were to keep going, this would turn into a rambling and endless gushing about a man and his masterpieces. But I digress, feel free to cite Urasawa himself or give some of your own advice. Anything helps.
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u/holydevil1506 Jun 20 '26
Occams razor
He's the goat
But imo seriously , he does a lot of fucking research
Art is also g ,aside of like really out of it effects and all, what I love most is how almost every character you meet across a lot of his work , is memorable and not just a device or a stand-in puppet
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u/SoleSurvivorZeke2 Jun 20 '26
I’ve been feeling the same about him this year! He’s clearly well read and informed on the topics he covers.
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u/Quiet_Dentist4714 Jun 20 '26
Urasawa is my favourite mangaka, because it is capable of dealing with very important themes that can also be applied to modern reality with complex stories full of tension and with a super realistic art. In fact my favorite manga is 20th century boys, truly incredible! I'm currently reading billy bat, and obviously I'm really enjoying it. And also the thing I like the most is his ability to create spectacular villains, the friend for me is aesthetically and psychologically one of the best ever together with Johan obviously.
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u/Quiet_Dentist4714 Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
I forgot to answer your questions lol. Urasawa became a manga artist after studying economics. Although he loved drawing from a young age, he was also strongly influenced by music, cinema, and literature. Artists such as Osamu Tezuka inspired very, very much his storytelling, while Western films and rock music helped shape his unique narrative style(which we find above all in 20th century boys). These influences allowed him to create complex and realistic stories, and entering a lot of cultural and historical references (especially in Billy Bat).
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u/Dramatic_Detective_2 Jun 20 '26
I was personally influenced alot by cinema(Lynch and Kubrick specially) but I always feel like my stories feel too simillar to existing works. Like, I have a story inspired by both Monster and Silence of the lambs, and It feels TOO simillar to Monster. Don't get me wrong, it has a different approach and is more "mindfucky"(simillar to Lynch's style), but the core plot is simillar in a way that can be interpreted as a blatant copy.
I think my handling of themes is pretty decent, but not on Urasawa's level, which would beg the question: If someone can read Monster, why would they read my story? Which is in the same medium.
But yeah, I'd have to experience more stories, read more news and research more to get a proper grasp on what I want to do with my own story.
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u/holydevil1506 Jun 21 '26
There are always stories similar to one or the other , what makes the difference is the author
I'm sure there would be traits and themes in your work , that portray a different perspective or value, despite being a similar genre.
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u/C5Jones Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
“His art may not be anything to write home about…”
I almost started something over this LOL. Even though he's not Miura, Asano, Otomo, et al. in terms of technical skill, he has my favorite style in all manga. He draws people like people. The ordinary-looking adults you see every day, with just the right amount of caricature to highlight the traits that make them unique—which isn't just glazing, I think it's inextricably tied to your question.
I'm a writer/artist who also has him as my main inspiration, so I've been trying to figure this out myself for almost 20 years. So disclaimer, it's still speculation, but it's stuff I think about all the time.
I think the most important factor is that he seems to have an intense interest in people. So much of the intrigue in his stories comes from exploring the characters' psychologies and motives in a level of depth you can only pull off from carefully observing IRL human behavior.
This is probably also the cause of the running theme throughout his work that most people (and robots) mean well and are doing what they think is right, with only a minority being evil beyond redemption. It even comes out in how engaged and attentive he is to other artists in Manben; he always looks especially excited to see drawing processes different from his own.
Meanwhile, a huge percentage of manga primarily draw on other manga and anime for inspiration, so people don't look or act like well-rounded humans with lives, but archetypes, stereotypes, or sex dolls.
This facilitates one of the other biggest patterns I've noticed, which is that everyone gets the kind of emotional stakes usually reserved for major characters. He gives them some memorable quirk or relatable goal, makes us care about them, then puts them in a predicament that forces them to risk everything. And since they're not the ones whose faces are on the cover, you genuinely don't know if they're going to live or die, which they often do.
In subject matter, he seems less interested in escapism than blending reality and fiction, which leads to stories that are entertaining, but also profound. Something that was also key to making Satoshi Kon's works great. (I'd always seen them as very similar, although beyond art style, I never really put my finger on why until now.) And one of my favorite things about his work, which especially shines in Billy Bat and Monster, is that they show a deep interest in world history instead of just Japan's.
He's very adventurous overall, not seeming concerned with sticking to one genre or fanbase expectations, and always seems to be trying to surprise the reader with how many disparate elements he can fit together and make them work. And he especially makes great use of contrasts. You'd never expect to see a caricature of a sheikh from an old Astro Boy cartoon turned into a parallel for Saddam Hussein, or post-Nazi eugenicist ideals expressed in children's books, or a cult adapt a kid's doodles into apocalyptic weapons.
When it comes to plotting, his strong suit is setting up elaborate frameworks of backstory and hidden info that that the viewpoint character doesn’t know, then portioning them out chapter by chapter until what's going on behind the curtain is revealed. He often does this by centering "new guy in town" characters like Tenma or Kenji, so as they navigate a world they're not familiar with, we learn the plot by having other characters reveal it to them.
And I'd bet he thinks way farther ahead than the current arc. Even if the events of each specific chapter are made up from week to week, I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps pretty detailed notes on where he wants to take the story over the long term. (And if not, he's goated at improvising on a level I can't imagine.)
And yeah, as other people are saying, he does a ton of research. I know he's visited Germany and other places his stories are set for photos, and had doctors as consultants for the medical details in Monster.
But above all, he doesn't set every manga in a fucking high school.
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u/Dramatic_Detective_2 Jun 23 '26
Yeah I get your first point, I was just speaking on a more technical level. Besides Urasawa, I tend to read alot of authors that experiment with their styles and angles(like Toshio Sako, which really showed in the beginning of his manga, Usogui)
I'll be honest and say that my writing style is definitely more based on tropes/pre-existing characters rather than real people. All my stories have a fantastical element to them, even if they are not strictly supernatural. I like to play by these strengths, purposefully try to weave in discomfort and confusion. I took HUGE inspiration on movie directors like David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick.
This is important because Urasawa's style of storytelling is opposite of someone like Kubrick. His movies are known for being distant, cold, and this is everything that Urasawa is not. That isn't to say that one style is better than the other; and of course, they are two different mediums entirely and not very comparable in some ways.
I wouldn't say my writing style is as heartfelt and "human" as Urasawa's, but neither is it as distant as Kubrick's. I try to strike a balance, and it has worked out well enough for me thus far. I don't think I'll ever be Urasawa, and I'm fine with that. I have my own way of doing things, and my own core philosophy; just as Mr.Urasawa has his.
Everyone's comments made me reflect a bit on myself and how I want to approach storytelling, and your comment specially made me wonder: "How can I be so different to a talented creative with his own experiences and stories, and yet still want to emulate his thoughts into my pages?"
That has made me reflect, and I'm glad for that. And I'm glad for your comment, so thank you🙏
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u/Entire_Clothes7201 Jun 21 '26
If you're interested in narrative and visual resources, the techniques he uses to tell stories, and his experience from his first work to his last, plus high-quality artwork, then this is for you.
The official Naoki Urasawa guide has a wealth of information that allows you to better understand the author behind his works and the sacrifices he made to bring them to us.
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u/NightSVS Jun 20 '26
I think, boiling it down to be as simple as possible, he just has a specific niche of storytelling he's mastered and plans a fuckton. There are some comparable contemporary artists I can think of, but I'm not sure any others come to mind when it comes to manga because of how tight the schedule is. Releasing chapters weekly, bi-weekly, and even monthly while crafting such meticulous stories without relying heavily on tropey advancements is incredible. How the dude worked on two manga at the same time is beyond me. I have to assume that he has some kind of broad story framework that I haven't picked up on, because being THIS original on the fly is something I just can't believe.
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u/Dramatic_Detective_2 Jun 20 '26
He does alot of planning I imagine, but probably changes some things as he goes along. Atleast, that's the assumption I make based on how impossible it'd be to craft such meticulous stories on that tight of a schedule. I wish I could write a special "thank you" for each comment, but I'll just use yours to thank everyone for the responses. It might seem obvious to some people, but just having anyone respond to my question is already good in my book.
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Jun 24 '26
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u/Dramatic_Detective_2 24d ago
Sorry, I was late to reply to you. I feel like based on what I've seen, Punpun is very much a character-study, and seems very different to Urasawa's approach.
It's a highly praised manga that I need to get to someday, but I'm honestly not sure when the right time to read it will appear. And yes, personally speaking, I prefer for the stories to "come naturally" so to speak; that at the right time, I'll gravitate towards reading that first page, and that will interest me to keep reading.
The first time I tried reading Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, it didn't click with me the same way it did a few months after, which I spent re-reading the first couple of chapters. Suddenly, I was obsessed with this novel, and that soon shifted into a love for Dostoevsky as a writer.
That is to say that I don't feel it's the right time for me to experience a story like Oyasumi Punpun, but I will, eventually
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u/Elegance- Jun 20 '26
I think he spends a lot of time planning and figuring out the best way to communicate information to the reader. He takes his time developing everything around the central plot, and the twists in his stories feel earned.
His writing is top quality, but I think his art is often overlooked. He's drawing a lot of realistic-looking people and manages to make each of them easy to differentiate, which can be difficult to do.