Nicolas Cage’s Face/Off Director Became a Big Inspiration for Hellsing Author Hirano Kouta
Kouta Hirano has made his mark among the mangakas as one of the best, especially when it comes to the dark fantasy genre. His work with Hellsing and Drifters has proven to be a source of inspiration for many young up-and-coming mangakas going the same route as him.
However, even as a great illustrator and writer, Kouta Hirano has some authors and titles he draws inspiration from. During an author interview all the way back in 2016, he would dive deeper into this topic, revealing some of the people he takes inspiration from, for his work.
Hellsing‘s author reveals some major figures that left an impression on him
Kouta Hirano is a mastermind when it comes to structuring the characters in his mangas. Characters such as Alucard and Shimazu Toyohisa have in some aspects, far exceeded even the popularity of the manga itself. However, despite how good of a mangaka Kouta Hirano is, he is ever so humble whilst giving credit to the people he draws inspiration from.
During an interview, he listed some people who he admires and studies in order to better himself. Among those, was the director of the hit action thriller movie Face/Off, John Woo. When asked about some titles and authors that left a strong impression on Hirano, he replied;
“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!”
“I’m a big fan of John Woo’s action cinema, and recently I loved Deadpool.”
The Author of Hellsing and Drifters is certainly a person that the people in the manga industry absolutely love and respect. So much so that he even became one of the few people who got to be a character in a popular anime and Manga.
Kouta Hirano reacts to being featured as a character in High School of the Dead
For the fans who have read or watched the popular anime and Manga series High School of the Dead, a character in the series might’ve seemed oddly similar to the author of Hellsing and Drifters. Well, that’s because Shoji Sato and Daisuke Sato, the author and illustrator of High School of the Dead intended to feature Kouta Hirano in their manga.
During the same interview, Kouta Hirano revealed his first reactions upon finding out he had been featured as a character in Shoji Sato’s popular manga and anime series. He said;
“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.”
Hellsing fans were certainly content witnessing Kouta Hirano be immortalized in a popular manga and anime series. And it certainly couldn’t have come to a more deserving person.
You can watch Hellsing on Crunchyroll and Hulu. High School of the Dead is available for streaming on Hulu.
