Anime has no shortage of incredibly iconic characters who get fans hyped and move loads of merchandise. Given the success these high-profile characters have brought to their creators, fans might be surprised to learn that their creators aren’t always enamored with them. The biggest names behind fan-favorite anime and manga series all have wildly different relationships to their most popular creations.
While some anime and manga creators absolutely love the characters they’ve crafted, others delight in revealing that some of their most popular characters are the ones they hate the most. Sometimes this is evident in the stories themselves, with the creator finding excuses to keep fan favorites out of the limelight. Still, regardless of how their creators feel, the icons of anime and manga always find a way to weasel themselves back to the forefront of their story and of fan attention.
Anya Forager is one of the most widely recognizable anime and manga characters of the last decade, which is why it’s so surprising thatSpy x Familycreator Tatsuya Endo apparently feels nothing for her, Loid, Yor, and pretty much every otherSpy x Familycharacter.Spy x Familyisone of the most wholesome anime everto fans, but for Endo, it proves to be a bit more challenging.
In a roundtable interview with Endo and several other manga creators published inEyes Only,Blue Exorcistmangaka Kazuo Kato gave Endo’s character designs high marks. In response, Endo commented: “I gave up on what I originally wanted to draw and drew what the world wants to see, not myself, so I have no attachment to the characters.” before laughing. While it’s clear that at least part of this response is a joke, Endo has talked several times about makingSpy x Familymore commercially viable at the expense of his interest.
During an interview celebrating the upcoming release of aSPY X FAMILY x VIVIANTcrossover,Spy x Family’sadmitted that he had little knowledge or interest in spies, and that he’d originally envisioned the story to be much more about the military.
Taking these two quotes into account along with other things Endo has revealed, it’s clear to see that while Endo cares about his work, it’s not what he originally envisioned his most famous work to be. It’s a testament then to Endo’s skill that his work onSpy x Familyis so masterful.
Neon Genesis Evangelioncreator Hideaki Anno is certainly no stranger to courting fan backlash. Though the creator is beloved by many and produced one of the most influential anime of all time, his artsy and sometimes abstract storytelling methods lead to fans still debating thetrue meaning ofNeon Genesis Evangelion’sendings to this day. Given the creator’s sometimes contentious relationship with fans of his most well-known work, it’s no surprise that fan-favorite EVA pilot Rei Ayanami is the one character Anno feels basically nothing for.
Hideaki Anno actually worked with Hayao Miyazaki as an animator onNausicaa of the Valley of the Windand the two maintained a longtime friendship afterward.
In an interview withRebuild of Evangelionproducer Nobuo Kawamaki for a book about Studio Ghibli, Anno was asked about the difference between Rei and Asuka. In the interview,Anno reveals that he has no attachment to Reiat all and actually forgot about her halfway throughEvangelion’soriginal run. According to a translation of the interview byCrunchyroll, Anno had some harsh words for Rei.
The truth is, I have no emotional attachment to Rei at all.
In the midst of making Eva, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten her. Her very existence. For example, in episode seven, I remembered and added one shot with Rei. I had no attachment to her at all. I think that was okay, because in episode eight, she didn’t appear. Not even in a single shot.
Looking back at the original run ofEvangelion, Anno’s words definitely ring true. While Rei gets some degree of focus in the beginning and is a pivotal character in unraveling the series' many mysteries, there are points where her appearances in the plot become exceedingly rare. While viewers learn a lot about the lore behind Rei, why she exists and who she really is,Rei’s emotionless demeanor means it’s difficult to gauge how she feelsabout the events surrounding her at any given time.
That last point might be what drove Anno’s antipathy toward the character. Anno’s work is, by and large, psychologically driven. Part of what makesEvangelionwork as well as it does is that it really dives deep into the heads of characters like Shinji and Asuka. However, while Rei isn’t quite as emotionless as she seems, thedetails of Rei’s backstory combined with her sometimes cold exterior didn’t give Anno as much material to work with.
Unlike Hideaki Anno,YuYu HakushoandHunter x Huntercreator Yoshihiro Togashi has a much better relationship with his fans. Though some might complain aboutHunter x Hunter’sfrequent hiatuses, they’re ultimately more than understandable given Togashi’s frequent health issues. Given Togashi’s more positive attitude, it may be surprising to learn that the oneYuYu Hakushocharacter he doesn’t like is Yusuke’s central love interest, Keiko Yukimura.
In an official doujinshi published by Togashi and his friends in 1994 calledYoshirin de Pon!,Togashi reveals that his least favorite character is Keiko, writing that he dislikes her because “She’s a very typical manga character.“While this might seem like an odd piece of criticism on the outside, it makes more sense to anyone more familiar with Togashi’s storytelling sensibilities.
As evidenced byHunter x Hunter, Togashi has always been something a boundary pusher when it comes to his manga. He recently revealed hisfour different options forHunter x Hunter’sending, and confirmed that the ending he likes the most is the one his fans will absolutely hate. Even inYuYu Hakusho, Togashi was trying to be a little more avant-garde than Shonen Jump publisher Shueisha would let him. InYoshirin de Pon!Togashi revealed that he wanted the manga’s last arc to really deconstruct the series' central characters and get into their psychology, but Jump rejected the idea.
Yoshihiro Togashi is actually married toSailor Mooncreator Naoko Takeuchi.
In this regard, it makes sense why Togashi wouldn’t be enamored with Keiko. While she’s a fine character and Togashi did a good job writing her, it’s easy to see how the series' creator would end up viewing her feisty personality and relationship to Yusuke a little bit too conventional.
Dragon Ballcreator Akira Toriyama was never shy about the fact that, while he’s fond ofDragon Balland the success it’s brought him, he viewed it as just another entry in his storied career. Given this, it’s easy to see how he developed a certain level of playful antagonism toward the audience fawning overDragon Ball. While that generally manifested in small ways throughout the original manga’s run, it’s a little more obvious to see that Toriyama initially had no love for the former prince of Saiyans.
InDaizenshuu 2, the second publishing of a popularDragon Ballfan magazine,Toriyama revealed he originally just didn’t like Vegeta. According to a translation by fansiteKanzenshuu, when asked about his favorite characters, Toriyama said “With Vegeta, well, I don’t like him all that much, but he was extremely helpful to have around.”. Similarly, in an interview withDaizenshuu: TV Animation, Part 2,Toriyama revealed that he actually killed Vegeta offin the Frieza Saga explicitly because fans asked him not to.
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While Toriyama clearly warmed up to the character as evidenced by his increased presence both throughout the end ofDragon Balland throughout the rest of the franchise, the character’s initial appearances seemed to be more out of necessity rather than any fondness. Toriyama also said in an interview published onDragon Ball’sofficial website around the release ofBattle of Gods(also translated byKanzenshuu) that he just didn’t understand Vegeta’s popularity given his nastiness and, humorously, his hairstyle.
Whatever Toriyama’s reasons for not liking Vegeta initially, fans can be glad that Toriyama kept bringing him back, as he’s easily becomeone ofDragon Ball’sbest characters.
Fans might argue about other creators who say they hate their characters, but there’s no debate surroundingJujutsu Kaisencreator Gege Akutami’s feelings about Gojo. Gojo is incredibly iconic, being frequently thought of as the series' face even more so thanJujutsu Kaisen’sactual protagonist, Yuji Itadori. Given Gojo’s cool guy affect and the fact that heranks among the strongest anime characters of all time, it’s easy to see why. Despite this though, Akutami has not been subtle about his disdain for the hero.
In author comments at the end of Shonen Jump issues, Akutami has let loose in terms of hating on Gojo. He famously said, “Something Satoru Gojo doesn’t have… probably a personality,” in a 2019 issue of Shonen Jump and later said that 2020 was going to be a good year because Gojo was sealed away.
Though he might be beloved by fans, and Akutami is ultimately responsible for making the Jujutsu High mentor as powerful as he is, there’s no mystery about why Akutami would be frustrated by his own creation. Gojo’s power is so far above the vast majority of otherJujutsu Kaisencharacters that he inherently warps the narrative around him, leaving Akutami to always have to invent a new reason why Gojo couldn’t come in and solve most problems.
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Given this, Gojo’s sealing duringJujutsu Kaisen’sShibuya Incident seems like a happy compromise. It’s a move that made sense in terms of the plot and also gave other characters a chance to shine. Characters with absurd powersets are notoriously tricky to write, and while most fans would agree that Akutami got it right with Gojo, no one can blame him for complaining about the character getting out of hand.
