Interview:Jump Square (December 2007)



An interview with Hirohiko Araki about the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series, published in the January 2008 issue of Jump Square (published on December 4, 2007).

Interview
"- I would like you to tell me about Part 4 in detail. Araki-sensei, what kind of work is Part 4? Araki: In short, the theme of Part 4 is "building a city". It's meant to take JoJo's "mythical" story that its had up until Part 3, and drop it down into everyday life. Of course it's ordinary, but at the same time extraordinary. I wanted the "reality" in Part 4 to bring the story closer to the real world. That's why a certain manga artist, whose profession I know best, and a chef of a familiar restaurant also appear in this part.

- The year is 1999, and the fact that the stage is a "town" also brings about a sense of "reality". Araki: You get the feeling that the town of Morioh actually exists. Part 4 had to end because Kira was gone, but I really want to draw more. I want to put something else in that town, so maybe I will draw it again someday... In Part 8 and 9 (laughs).

- I would definitely want to read it. Is there anything else you tried to come up with in Part 4 regarding “reality”? Araki: I would often think about the different sides of characters that aren't really shown in the manga, but not like obscure trivia or something. For example, Josuke was truly hurt by the fact that he grew up never knowing his father. However, he covers up this pain with the pompadour man who saved him as a kid. He considers that man a hero, somebody he can rely on, and a symbol of his faith in people.

I didn't include this in the manga, but Yoshikage Kira actually has a backstory too. His mother was in essence abusing him, but his father would always turn a blind eye to it. All the trouble Kira's father goes through to protect Kira in the story is because he felt bad for what he did. That said, if I included this whole backstory in the manga, Kira would likely end up being a very sad villain and people wouldn't see him as the enemy. I couldn't include this, or rather, maybe I wasn't able to because this was a magazine for a younger audience."

[Translated by MetallicKaiser (JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia)]