JET: He probably faces a lot of difficulties. JET: If it weren't for Akon, Squad 12 would be quite capable of heading in the wrong direction, huh. There is a sense of 'good' and 'evil' in his value system, but his standards for 'good' and 'evil' are vastly different from the others to begin with. Kubo: Mayuri doesn't have a benchmark for 'going too far'. JET: The only likely scenario would be him overstepping a boundary while trying to satisfy his intellectual curiosity. Mayuri's not the type that goes, 'I will overthrow Soul Society!' anyway. Kubo: I won't go into specifics, but something like that. Could he have been captured because he went overboard with his experiments? Perhaps the authorities imprisoned him to prevent more casualties. JET: He was the only one kept behind bars. Kubo: Which reminds me, I didn't draw about that, huh. JET: Back when Urahara went to the Maggots' Nest, there were readers who wanted to know, 'Why was Mayuri imprisoned?' Kubo: In the first place, Mayuri doesn't think of human experimentation as a bad thing. JET: Do they still secretly perform human experimentation today? Kubo: They are doing stuff behind the scenes, so the appropriate answer to your question might be: 'Yes.' (laughs) As I read about the events happening in Soul Society in the novels, I believe the institute might be fairly involved behind the scenes. If there is any information about the Research and Development Institute that hadn't been included in the main story, please tell us about it. It seems that Kubo-sensei really likes Mayuri, to the extent of cosplaying as him. Kubo: That was the only time I was troubled over character design. JET: (laughs) The other design candidates for Mayuri's attire can be found in the small booklet. I was creating new character designs, and I placed them in front of her and asked, 'Which is good?' (laughs) I think it was in the last chapter when I couldn't decide on the design, so I got my niece to choose for me. JET: Mayuri's attire underwent the biggest changes, didn't it.

Kubo: Marilyn Manson's makeup is unique, so if I left it as is, it'll give the impression of 'Man, this is completely Manson!' (laughs) That was enough to change the whole impression. Kubo: I didn't want it to be the same, however, so I tweaked it. Kubo: I had designed Mayuri's original makeup that way because I was a fan of Marilyn Manson. (Question by: Ōshima Daidaiiro, and others)

Where did you get the idea for Kurotsuchi Mayuri's very distinct makeup and accessories? Were you inspired by anything?

Bleach mayuri english translation