Rent-a-Girlfriend creator unveils the shocking inspiration behind Kazuya

At the K Manga Launch Party held on Thursday, June 22, 2023, starting from 9:00 pm ET, Reiji Miyajima, the mangaka behind Rent-a-Girlfriend, revealed the inspiration behind the creation of the series’ central character. K Manga, as manga readers know, is Kodansha’s new smartphone application and website, which entered the digital manga distribution service market earlier this year.

Alongside Reiji Miyajima, Hiro Mashima, the creator of Fairy Tail, was also present at the launch party. A special interview movie featuring Hajime Isayama, the creator of Attack on Titan, was also shown. The entire event is available on the Kodansha USA YouTube account for fans to enjoy.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.

The creator of Rent-a-Girlfriend admits to being a model for his characters

Kazuya as seen in the anime adaptation of Reiji Miyajima's manga series Rent-a-Girlfriend (Image via TMS Entertainment) — Kazuya as seen in the anime adaptation of Reiji Miyajima’s manga series Rent-a-Girlfriend (Image via TMS Entertainment)

During the recent K Manga launch party, Reiji Miyajima revealed that he himself served as the inspiration for the protagonist of Rent-a-Girlfriend, Kazuya Kinoshita.

The author explained how he shares similar qualities with Kazuya, particularly in struggling to deal with certain emotions. As a result, he uses the character as a means of expressing these feelings. Thus, it makes him really happy when fans like his work, as they are deeply personal to the artist.

But Kazuya is not the only character that reflects the mangaka’s personality. When discussing Chizuru Mizuhara, Miyajima remarked that despite her unlucky circumstances, she refuses to give up. This stubbornness mirrors Miyajima’s own stoic nature. The mangaka acknowledged that life can be unkind at times and that he found solace in this brand of philosophy.

Chizuru as seen in the anime adaptation of the manga (Image via TMS Entertainment)

Miyajima also shared that the series itself was inspired by a newspaper article about Chinese youngsters bringing rented girlfriends home during the Chinese New Year, as their parents insisted on them getting a girlfriend. He found the situation endearing and genuine, as the young people did it solely to reassure their parents.

What is Rent-a-Girlfriend about?

Kazuya and Chizuru as seen in Rent-A-Girlfriend anime season 3 trailer (Image via TMS Entertainment)

Rent-A-Girlfriend follows the journey of twenty-year-old college student Kazuya, whose girlfriend dumps him after dating him for only a month. Disillusioned by this experience, Kazuya loses interest in dating altogether. However, he eventually chooses to use a dating app to hire a girlfriend named Chizuru.

During their second meeting, Kazuya receives the news that his grandmother has fallen ill, so he and Chizuru hurry to the hospital. To his astonishment, Kazuya’s grandmother adores Chizuru. This forces Kazuya to keep hiring her in order to maintain the illusion.

Kazuya as seen in the anime adaptation of the manga (Image via TMS Entertainment)

Things get further complicated when they realize that they are not only neighbors but also attend the same college. However, as the story progresses, Kazuya finds himself developing genuine feelings for Chizuru.