Kazuma Kaneko, the “Demon Artist” behind numerous iconic designs in the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series, talked about his creative influences in a recent interview with Animate Times. The former Atlus veteran namedropped early inspirations like Kamen Raider and Devilman creator Go Nagai, but also talked about his common points with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki – an artist whose work has often prompted comparisons to Kaneko’s art and the Persona series.
According to Kaneko, his and Araki’s biggest similarity is their love of high fashion. “I’ve been interested in fashion ever since I became sexually aware,” he comments. “You know the manga artist Hirohiko Araki, right? In the Persona series, which I worked on, characters fight by manifesting guardian spirits called Personas, and some people have pointed out that this concept is similar to “Stands” in Araki-sensei’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.”
Although the comparison of Personas and Stands is more conceptual than visual, Kaneko goes on to comment that, while there are certainly some similarities between his and Araki’s design styles, this is not a result of either artist copying the other, but rather due to them both pursuing a more realistic style of drawing. “What we have in common is that we both love fashion collections. Since we’re both into clothes and designer pieces, that influence naturally shows up in our work.”
By drawing inspiration from the same places, Kaneko and Araki have on occasions arrived at similar concepts. As an example, Kaneko cites Trish – an NPC in the Persona series. Coincidentally, the fifth installment of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure also features a girl called Trish – and both characters are inspired by US supermodel Trish Goff. “I once had a talk with Araki-san, and we both got excited over how beautiful Trish Goff is. It turned out we’d used the same person as inspiration for our characters.”
Another similarity Kaneko points out is his and Araki’s love of Western music. Araki is known for naming Stands after famous Western bands and songs, and Kaneko says he too has taken influence from music and music videos in his work. “When you watch music videos from overseas, you get to see all these interesting clothes and designs too. I think both of us have similar tastes, and those preferences naturally blend together into what we make.”
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