Tatsuki Fujimoto, the famous manga artist of the unconventional “Chainsaw Man” manga series, is recognized for his ability to blend horror, dark comedy, and action to create a world that challenges conventional storytelling norms.
In a testament to how personal experiences can shape an artist’s work, Fujimoto recently shared an intriguing anecdote in the comment section of his second one-shot collection. He described a time when he ate his dead pet fish, which sheds light on the potential influence of his experiences on his creations.
Fujimoto, at the age of 24, lived with his girlfriend in a modest apartment costing 15,000 yen. Despite their financial situation, they managed to have a balanced diet with the help of their generous neighbors. However, their pet Japanese Rice Fish passed away one summer.
Initially, Fujimoto considered disposing of the fish in the trash like in the anime “Parasyte,” but his girlfriend insisted on burying it. However, while trying to dig a grave in the park, the ground was too hard, and Fujimoto ended up leaving the fish on the surface.
As he watched the fish, ants soon appeared and started carrying the body away. Overcome by emotion, Fujimoto quickly brushed the ants off and ate the fish. The next day, he suffered from an upset stomach.
When his girlfriend questioned him about it, Fujimoto lied to avoid confrontation. Throughout his life, he has often resorted to lying when he feels frightened or under pressure. Although he usually gets caught, his deceit went unnoticed this time.
Fujimoto admits that the memory of lying to his girlfriend has had a greater impact on him than the act of eating the fish. Sharing this story serves as his way of coming clean about the incident.
The story was translated by a Reddit user and shared on the Chainsaw Man subreddit:
Tatsuki Fujimoto is renowned for his manga creations, Chainsaw Man and Fire Punch. His debut major serialized work, Fire Punch, was featured on Shueisha’s Shōnen Jump+ online magazine from April 18, 2016, to January 1, 2018, spanning eight volumes. Additionally, Fujimoto created two one-shots that were published on Shōnen Jump+ in April 2017 and May 2018.
Fujimoto’s second major serialized work, Chainsaw Man, was published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 3, 2018, to December 14, 2020. This series was released in eleven volumes, and a follow-up series began serialization on Shōnen Jump+ on July 13, 2022.
Chainsaw Man ranked first on the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2021 for male readers, and Fujimoto received the 66th Shogakukan Manga Award for Best Shōnen Manga. Moreover, the manga won the Harvey Awards for Best Manga in both 2021 and 2022.
