title
Zone into
D.Gray-man The area known as Noah's Ark was based on
science fiction concepts rather than the supernatural influences behind the Akuma. After conceiving the Ark's role, Hoshino decided to include a song played on a piano while Allen rebuilds it. She requested help from her editor, a university graduate, but ultimately used her own lyrics, attributing this to her own ego.
Lavi is based on the protagonist of Hoshino's planned series,
Book-man, which she had originally intended to write. Other characters, such as the Millennium Earl,
Lenalee Lee, and
Komui Lee, are based on real people whom Hoshino has not specifically identified; some are well-known scientists, and Komui is based on Hoshino's boss. The character of
Yu Kanda, based on a
samurai, was created to vary
D.Gray-mans Western setting. In 2011, the author visited New York City for research, believing the city had greatly influenced her work. Hoshino visited cemeteries and was deeply impressed by her guides' comments at
Ground Zero of the
World Trade Center (the site of the
September 11 attacks). She expressed a desire to spend more time in New York City to gather further material for the series. Although the title's meaning was not fully explained, Hoshino stated that the "D" stands for "dear". According to the author, most of her ideas for the series came to her while sleeping in her bathtub for six hours. One exception was the second-volume plot, based on a
Noh story entitled "Koi no Omoni". When the manga moved from weekly to monthly serialization in 2009, Hoshino addressed readers' concerns about possible cancellation and reassured them the series would continue. She established Kanda's backstory by introducing the Third Exorcists, characters related to him and Alma Karma. Hoshino's original drafts for Kanda's past contained several
plot holes. The rewritten, published version initially depicted a young Kanda walking a path surrounded by dead caretakers. Due to its violence, this was replaced with Kanda learning that Alma Karma had killed them all. When the chapters were collected into a volume, Hoshino added a small chapter that included the corpses. When producing the series, Hoshino entrusts her storyboards to her editor, a process initially complicated as
D.Gray-man was her first serialized work. The weekly serialization resulted in multiple changes to the storyboards. After switching to a quarterly serialization, she began working digitally from the storyboard stage, inspired by manga author
Tite Kubo's similar style on
Bleach. This allowed for more detailed illustrations and more unique character faces. Hoshino works with two assistants, though the number sometimes increases near deadlines. Under the quarterly schedule, her assistants often work from home using material she sends them, though Hoshino has expressed regrets about this method due to potential misunderstandings. Hoshino has claimed in an interview that she finds fight scenes difficult to draw. However, manga author
Osamu Akimoto has praised certain compositions, such as the handling of Lenalee Lee before Noah's Ark and the depiction of Jasdevi's guns.
Characters When designing characters, Hoshino first imagines their lives, even if some details are not featured in the story. She writes down their personalities, habits, and eating preferences, though she has admitted to not having written details for many
D.Gray-man characters. For the Earl, Hoshino gave him a colorful look to contrast the exorcists' black uniforms, intending to convey a gentleman associated with tragedy, whom she linked to a poisonous flower. The author noted that Lavi was popular with fans, placing third in a poll (behind Allen and Kanda) despite infrequent appearances in later story arcs, and she promised he would return. The Alma Karma arc, featuring several characters, was difficult for the author; the subsequent arc, in which Allen leaves the Black Order, contained fewer characters per chapter due to its different format. The character Apocryphos was introduced to hint at the Heart, a plot element briefly described earlier that would later reappear. Following the dark narrative of
D.Gray-man, Hoshino expressed her intent to create more lighthearted series in the future.
Themes According to Hoshino, the series' main theme is tragedy. Although characters like Kanda express
unconditional love for Alma, their happiness is short-lived due to Alma's subsequent death, which another writer found fitting for the series' dark tone. Additionally, Allen's life becomes increasingly tragic as he is forced to abandon the Black Order after the
Pope revokes his rights as an exorcist and is treated as a Noah due to his connections with them. Nevertheless, Hoshino aimed to keep the narrative engaging for readers, stating that Allen will always have allies. In
Representing Multiculturalism in Comics and Graphic Novels, Jacob Birken identifies
identity as another theme. This is reflected in Allen and the exorcists familiarizing themselves with their supernatural powers to become more human. Conversely, Allen's revelation as the 14th Noah makes him less human. Another theme is grief, as seen in the Millennium Earl's appearance as a tired, middle-aged man constantly searching for his former comrade, Nea. Hoshino believed the Earl would fit the manga's demographic. In
Anime and Philosophy: Wide Eyed Wonder, Josef Steiff and Tristan D. Tamplin discuss how
D.Gray-man, alongside
Spriggan and
Ulysses 31, focuses on the
"end of the world", with
D.Gray-man and
Spriggan drawing references from the
biblical flood. Hoshino's illustrations often depict Allen covered in threads, symbolizing his connection to God and his bound duty to exorcise Akuma. Similarly, early color pages depicted Kanda with multiple threads, symbolizing his role as a puppet in his futile search for a specific person throughout his life. ==Media==