Q: When did you decide to become a mangaka? Did you apprentice with anyone? How did you get your first manga serialized?

A: I had wanted to become a mangaka ever since I was in high school. I was never an apprentice. I came in second in a manga contest and an editor gave me work.

Q: Did you attend art school or study art formally? Are there works by any particular mangaka or artist that inspired you to take up drawing?

A: In high school and university I focused on oil painting. When I was in elementary school, I used to copy illustrations by Akira Toriyama. I loved the special effects makeup in movies like Alien and The Thing, so I wanted to do that kind of work.

Q: What tools do you use to draw Dorohedoro? What's your work process for drawing a chapter?

A: I don't use any particularly distinctive tools.
First I consult with my editor. We come up with ideas and determine the general flow of the story. Then I do some rough sketches of whatever I want in a sketchbook:

As I'm doing that, I write up a scenario with only the characters' dialogue. I decide the layout of the page, and draw up the storyboards:

The storyboards are on the right in these images. On the left are the rough drafts of the final manuscript. If there's anything I need to design while I'm working on the rough draft, I will do some simple drawings in my sketchbook again.

Q: Tell us about how you create the cover illustrations and collages for the graphic novel covers.

A: I talk with the designer and then draw the characters and background separately:

The designer integrates them, and adds certain effects such as embossing.

For the background collages, I glue on cloth or paper from cardboard boxes from places like Amazon, draw illustrations, paste in copies of pictures, use spray paint…whatever I feel like at the time:

Q: While Dorohedoro has a dark setting and a violent story, it's also very funny, and the characters all have likable qualities. In particular, the friendship between Caiman and Nikaido is touching. Does this balance of darkness and cheeriness come naturally to your storytelling, or do you make concerted efforts to achieve this balance?

A: I always intended to make it that kind of manga.

Q: How far ahead had you mapped the story of Dorohedoro before you started serialization in IKKI? How far ahead are you now?

A: I hadn't mapped anything out ahead of time. I just drew chapter by chapter. About the time IKKI became monthly, I decided roughly how it would end, and then each time drew whatever I wanted to draw most toward that ending. I'm getting pretty close to the end now.

Q: One of your earlier manga, Maken X, was adapted from a video game. Do you play video games? If so, which games are your favorites? Do you think video games had any influence on your storytelling or art?

A: I didn't start playing video games until I was an adult. That's a little late, but I do receive lots of inspiration from games. I love the Silent Hill series. I think the design of the various stages is incredible. These days I'm really into Dead Space.