JoJo's Bizarre Adventure creator's reputation at stake as anonymous claimant poses as friend

On June 7, the Shueisha-managed Twitter account for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure mangaka Hirohiko Araki issued a statement denying any the claims made by a person reportedly sharing private information about Araki in a certain restaurant.

Hirohiko Araki, the creator, author, and illustrator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, is one of the most celebrated, acclaimed, and revered mangakas in the industry. By nature of his multi-universal flagship series alone, Araki’s impact on the manga industry over the last decade or so is truly undisputable and unerasable. With the success of David Production’s adaptations, new and old anime and manga fans alike have become well acquainted with Araki and his excellent work.

However, this also makes Araki a target for impersonation in many forms, such as posing as the man himself online or pretending to have a certain level of social familiarity with the author. It seems that last week, exactly this is what happened to the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creator, per the Shueisha-managed Twitter account that represents him.

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JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creator suffers from clout-chasing impersonator claiming to be close friend

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The tweet in question (Image via Twitter)

As mentioned above, Wednesday, June 7, 2023, saw the Shueisha-managed account representing the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creator share a disturbing message. The statement denies the legitimacy of an alleged person sharing private information about Araki in a certain restaurant, claiming to be an “acquaintance” of Araki’s. The full translated text of the tweet reads as follows:

“[Notice] It has been reported that someone at some restaurants claims to be an acquaintance of Mr. Hirohiko Araki and talks about his privacy, but it has nothing to do with Mr. Araki or Shueisha.”

Specific details regarding what this impostor shared were not revealed in the tweet. In any case, the account’s tweet suggests that their relationship with Araki was being misrepresented, which could’ve led to the spread of unverifiable or factually inaccurate information. Likewise, given how serious the concern is, Shueisha felt the need to address the situation publicly and directly.

This is somewhat unsurprising, as it’s obviously in Shueisha’s best interests to have any of their artists, but especially their most recognizable, represented in an appropriate manner. Likewise, it reinforces that Shueisha or other authorized sources are the only ones to be trusted when it comes to information concerning Araki and his works as a mangaka.

While Shueisha hasn’t officially stated who the suspect in question is, several Japanese fans have highlighted a potential suspect in Araki’s hometown of Sendai. Per these fans, the owner of the restaurant Waku Waku Tei claims to have been a junior high classmate of Araki’s and has “rare photos and New Year’s cards” of Araki displayed in the store. Unsurprisingly, the owner also declares himself to be a close friend of Araki’s, sharing “inside stories” about him with guests.

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