Kouta Hirano has gotten major recognition around the world for his impressive work for his work in the popular manga and anime series, Hellsing. Hirano, in his dark fantasy anime and manga blends quite a lot of themes, such as horror, violence, religion, etc making it stand out from the rest.
Kouta Hirano’s popularity among the mangakas is second to none, especially among those who love the dark fantasy genre. So much so that he was even featured as a character in High School of the Dead by Daisuke Sato and Shoji Sato. Here is what he had to say about the feature.
Hellsing‘s Author talks about his feature in Highschool of the Dead
For anime fans who have watched High School of the Dead and are familiar with Kouta Hirano, it is inevitable to see where the inspiration for the character came from. From incredibly similar names to even sharing striking resemblance to the author of Hellsing, it’s quite obvious that Shoji Sato and Daisuke Sato wrote the character to pay homage to Kouta Hirano.
During an interview when asked about Kohta Hirano, the gun enthusiast from the High School of the Dead, and their shared resemblances, he went on to explain how he got featured in Daisuke Sato’s popular anime series. In the interview, he stated;
“It’s a wink from the designer Shôji Satô , and he didn’t warn me! In fact, you may already know this, but originally HotD is a story by Daisuke Satô , someone I know well and who one day asked me for advice for a manga adaptation. I didn’t consider myself good enough at drawing zombies and therefore advised him to entrust it to Shôji Satô who I found very talented. Apparently, it pleased Mr. Satô so much that he put me in the manga without really warning me ( laughs ).”
It is quite obvious that the author of Hellsing was quite honored with Shoji Sato and Daisuke Sato for taking him as an inspiration for a character in Highschool of the Dead. However, this isn’t the only time that he had praise for fellow mangakas during the interview.
Kouta Hirano reveals some of the authors and mangas that had a massive impression on him
Like all people on the planet, it would seem that Kouta Hirano gained inspiration from others in the same field of work. During the interview, when asked about the authors and titles that have left an impression on him, he stated;
“Undeniably Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo to whom I worship. The Inhabitant of the Infinite is also a fresco that had a great impact on me.”
“There is also a manga currently being published of which I never miss a single chapter: Hyôge Mono by Yoshihiro Yamada, which actually takes place during the Sengoku era!”
He also revealed that the inspiration for the universe of Drifters was strongly inspired by Sengoku Jieitai. Sengoku Jieitai was originally a novel by Ryo Hanmura which later became a film and manga adaptation. Hirano claimed that it was the manga and film versions that gave him the idea for the universe of Drifters.
You can stream Helsing on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
Frequently asked questions
How did Hellsing creator Kouta Hirano end up as a character in High School of the Dead?
Kouta Hirano, the mangaka behind Hellsing, was drawn into High School of the Dead as the gun enthusiast Kohta Hirano, who shares his near-identical name and resemblance. In an interview Hirano called it a ‘wink’ from the manga’s artist Shoji Sato, adding that Sato slipped him into the manga without warning him in advance.
Why didn’t Kouta Hirano draw High School of the Dead himself?
According to the article, when writer Daisuke Sato (whom Hirano knew well) asked his advice on a manga adaptation, Hirano said he didn’t consider himself good enough at drawing zombies. He instead recommended entrusting the art to Shoji Sato, whose talent he praised. High School of the Dead was later adapted into anime by studio Madhouse.
Which works did Kouta Hirano say inspired his manga?
Hirano named Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira as a work he ‘worships,’ along with The Inhabitant of the Infinite (Blade of the Immortal) and Yoshihiro Yamada’s Sengoku-era manga Hyoge Mono. He also said the world of his series Drifters was strongly inspired by Sengoku Jieitai, originally a novel by Ryo Hanmura.
