Monster author Naoki Urasawa reveals his aborted plan to retire before Pluto Anime

Ahead of the Pluto anime, Naoki Urasawa, the manga author known for series such as Monster and 20th Century Boys, has recently stated in an interview that he wanted to retire many years ago because of a shoulder injury he had. This goes back to twenty years ago, before he started the Pluto manga series. And now Urasawa has revealed that he was close to retiring.

The author also went on to say that it was his passion for Astro Boy that kept him going during those difficult times. Fans of the mangaka as well as the series will thus be happy that Urasawa prioritized the Pluto, the result of which is now palpable in the anime adaptation that will be released this year on Netflix.

---

Naoki Urasawa cites Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy as the inspiration to continue focusing on the Pluto anime

Mangaka Naoki Urasawa stated that around the time he finished the 20th Century Boys series, he started to have a serious shoulder injury that made him consider retiring from the medium. This is something that has happened to a lot of manga authors over the years, including Hunter X Hunter’s Yoshihiro Togashi, One Piece’s Eiichiro Oda, and the late Kentaro Miura of Berserk fame.

However, Urasawa, ahead of the release of the Pluto anime series on Netflix, said that the manga was very special for him because Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy was one of his favorite series growing up. In fact, the series inspired him to get into the business, which is why he felt a great towards Tezuka's manga since it prompted him to keep going.

It is also the reason why Urasawa decided to call off his retirement plans and started working on the serialization of Pluto, a series that reimagines the classic Astro Boy story arc - The Greatest Robot on Earth. In the process, the mangaka created a classic murder mystery that turned the series upside, which highlighted his ability to write and illustrate a complex and compelling storyline - a fact that has been noted even in his earlier works.

---

More about Urasawa before the release of the Pluto anime

Naoki Urasawa is one of the most celebrated manga authors of his generation. His work with series such as Monster and 20th Century Boys has elevated him to the upper echelons of the medium, often praised for his ability to write and illustrate compelling mystery thrillers, strong characterizations, and rarely falling into traditional tropes.

Monster has been Urasawa’s biggest success, both critically and commercially. It has been regarded as one of the finest manga series of all time, with the character of Johan Liebheart, in particular, being praised as one of the greatest antagonists in fiction. The series has also sold over 20 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling manga in the world.