One Punch Man is an iconic superhero series that has impacted the Seinen genre with its parody of heroism, the mangaka reshaped tropes, and our perceptions of characters. But there’s something most fans don’t know.
As popular and relevant as the series might be, it took tedious efforts to ensure its visibility. The whole process of bringing an idea to fruition was anything but a cakewalk. For one, this had to do with his talents.
Throughout his childhood, the mangaka had to hide his talents. He faced several obstacles on his journey as a manga artist. But what could be the possible reason behind this? Well, let’s find out for ourselves!
ONE opens up about hiding his talents early on
It was in 2009 that OPM made its debut as a webcomic. The 2010s were the time when webnovels were all the rage. They took the internet by storm, and ONE jumped on the bandwagon. He made the most of this opportunity.
For one thing, we know, webtoons and webcomics have one plus point about them. They have an upper hand when it comes to accessibility. It is the age of Kindle after all, but that’s not the point here.
While webcomics enabled artists to publish their works, they also entailed a culture of feedback. ONE’s webcomic received views and a barrage of comments within its initial release. But the journey was perilous nonetheless.
During his initial years, the mangaka refrained from exhibiting his work. This was mainly due to a feeling of intense self-consciousness mixed with fear of societal alienation. While talking to Tokyo Reimei Note in 2012, he confessed about his struggles and said:
I kept drawing manga from grade school onward, but never told anyone else about it, not even once. In grade school everyone else was into soccer or whatever video games were popular at the time, so I guess I was afraid of looking uncool if I drew manga. From middle school to college, I’d have friends who read manga, but didn’t know anybody who drew manga themselves, so I felt embarrassed about it.
Honestly, it’s quite heartbreaking to curb your enthusiasm. This hits differently mainly because of how much artists pour into their craft. Often, manga artists do not receive praise or acknowledgement from society for their skill.
That can be said for artists everywhere, but with manga, it is different. Weebs know the struggles involved in a mangaka’s journey. Be it serialization or conception, One Punch Man remains a tale of resilience in every aspect.
One Punch Man: A tale of resilience and perseverance
One Punch Man is a byproduct of blood, sweat, and tears. ONE started it out as a passion project and gave it his all. It was his perseverance that the webcomic turned into a success, but it was a bumpy ride!
The mangaka almost quit when Yusuke Murata stepped in. ONE inspired Murata to continue his journey as a mangaka. In the same 2012 interview, he revealed how the rejection ultimately affected him as an artist.
His frustration and disappointment are pretty much evident. It also reflects the society’s expectations of the upcoming artists. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen that happen, now, have we?
Akira Toriyama decided to quit his advertising job before he actively worked on Dragon Ball. With ONE, the mangaka also left his job to engage in his passion project. In the end, it all worked out, and they made their mark as iconic manga artists in their respective genres!
One Punch Man is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
