[This Week in Japan] Manga Creator Hisashi Eguchi Faces Backlash Over Tracing Scandal

The Difference Between Tracing, Referencing, and Inspiration

When discussing this controversy, a key question arises: Where is the line between “referencing” and “tracing”? In Japan’s art and illustration industry, these terms are generally distinguished as follows:

■Tracing
The act of directly drawing over someone else’s image as an underlay. When shapes or compositions match, it can constitute copyright infringement.

■Copying
Drawing something while looking at the original to imitate it. This is acceptable for practice, but commercial use or public display without permission may cause issues.

■Reference or Motif
Using a pose or atmosphere as inspiration while significantly altering the composition, character, clothing, or background. When enough originality is added, it is typically considered acceptable.

The extent of alteration determines the boundary between legality and ethics. For example, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creator Hirohiko Araki often references fashion magazines and sculptures for poses, but since he substantially transforms the figures, outfits, and settings, his work is not considered problematic. In contrast, Eguchi’s drawings, which closely traced photo outlines, may lack sufficient creativity and could be seen as “reproduction or adaptation.”

Whether this interpretation is definitive remains unclear to non-experts. Since copyright and portrait rights violations in Japan are offenses prosecuted only upon complaint, many cases simply remain unchallenged. There also seems to be a cultural attitude that venerates artists like Inoue or Araki as near-divine figures, leading people to think, “It’s fine because it’s them,” or “That was a long time ago.” I admit I share that sentiment.

In Eguchi’s case, what likely intensified the backlash was that the traced image was not used as part of a manga panel or illustration element it was sold as an independent artwork. Furthermore, after being called out by Kyu Kanai, Eguchi’s follow-up post was perceived as condescending, which may have aggravated public resentment even more.