Akira Hattori (Born April 27, 1980 in Akita-ken, Japan), is Akito Takagi's and Moritaka Mashiro's editor. He helped them with their names and eventually got them serialized for Detective Trap. Once they got serialized, however, Hattori had to hand them over to Goro Miura due to conflicting responsibilities. During the serialization of The Perfect Crime Club, Hattori returns as their editor.
Appearance
He is a thin, odd-looking man with a wide-eyed gaze and distinctive lips.
Personality
Hattori is often portrayed as one of the calmer and more calculating editors in the series. He comes across as a very wise and experienced editor which leaves him raising his voice only when he sees it absolutely necessary to do so. He is very fond of Takagi and Mashiro and continues to be interested in their progression as mangakas, offering off-hand advice to Miura when he can.
Summary
Ashirogi Muto and The Two Earths manga
Hattori's first appearance
Hattori is first introduced when Takagi and Mashiro bring in the manuscript for The Two Earths in chapter 8.
He first tells them the good parts of it, then the bad parts, stating that it is too narrative and it would be better as a light novel. As a result Mashiro and Takagi make plans for alternative ideas.
Hattori pointed out that Takagi is a calculative type, a person who figure out how to make a successful manga. However, he told them that unlike the rather the calculative type, a person that just draw what they like often becomes successful.
Takagi and Mashiro's Break Up
At one point, when Mashiro decides to break their team up because Takagi was not able to send a name on time, Hattori found out about it. He did not want the two of them to split up and conversing with the two separately made him realized how much the two still need each other to complete a work. Surprised that the two, even though never talked anymore, almost had the same idea for their next work, he schemed to bring them back together. Hattori told Takagi to about how the two of them are really "in-sync with each other than they thought" and keep it a secret (how he was working on a mystery story rather than a mainstream battle manga) from Mashiro. Eventually the two find out, and schemed to get back at Hattori for plotting behind their backs. Hattori is later surprised by the two finally back together and completing a name together, with eight chapters done for serialization. With the result of their hard work, he tells them to enter the "Golden Future Cup" and get a good result, if they do good, there's a possibility for them to get a serialization. However, Hattori still wants them to wait until after they graduate from high school to be serialized.
Golden Future Cup
Ashirogi Muto's New Editor
Shortly after Mashiro and Takagi got the news they would be serializied, they got a new editor. Hattori comes with Miura to discuss the finances and their pay. Soon, Hattori tells them that Miura will be their new editor. Takagi and Mashiro want Hattori to continue being their editor but it's not possible as he is editing the new series Tarakon and also the established series One Piece. He tells them it's common for newly published mangakas to be assigned to new editors. Hattori leaves, and Miura says Hattori was demanding to stay as their editor. They then bow to him, thanking him for everything he has done for them. He wants them to come up with something good.
When Mashiro hospitalized, the mangakas from Team Fukuda boycotting Jump editorial by mass hiatus due to Editor in Chief's decision. Hattori and other editors tried to convincing them and forming solutions.
+Natural
Hattori meets Iwase that proposing a storyboard for him and he considering to submit Iwase's work for serialization. Iwase then personally ask him to find the best illustrator for her manga, since her ability only limited as story writer. Hattori then thinking for various illustrators (except Mashiro for obvious reason) and decides to pick Eiji Niizuma as Iwase's illustrator. His decision secretly was made to motivate Muto Ashirogi for competing with Eiji's series.
When Detective trap cancelled and Ashirogi comes with new comedy manga called Tanto, he personally tells Mashiro about his feeling, saying that Tanto is their worst work. This causing Mashiro wants to quitting the current manga despite the manga was not in cancellation blacklist...
Ashirogi's New Storyboard
After times passed, Hattori feels uncomfortable and annoyed with Iwase's attitudes mainly because she often discussing personal life and romantic feelings instead story building or manga. With addition of Ashirogi's request to cancel Tanto, these moments increasing his motivation to become Ashirogi's editor once more. He gives some suggestions to Miura for new manga ideas and even visits Ashirogi by himself. Hattori's attitudes lead Takagi to invite Mashiro spying him on whole day he's working, finding out about Iwase's romantic attitudes against him and his true feeling to Ashirogi that he tells with Miura and Yujiro.
Ashirogi then comes with new manga called Perfect Crime Club, which later renamed to PCP. After PCP get accepted, he found himself being Ashirogi's editor again, causing he doubting himself. After being told by Sasaki that PCP needs to surpass any of Eiji's manga in 6 months and some cheering up by Miura, he become more confident and meet Ashirogi again. He feels relieved when they are not changed in personalty but also get improved in their works.
PCP
Hattori gives many advanced suggestions and revisions for PCP, working hard to surpass Eiji's manga. He feels so proud with first chapter counted 422 votes in first position, but also get pissed when next chapters get votes below +Natural and Crow. Eventually, PCP surpassing +Natural votes in chapter 25 that previously he didn't feel confident with Ashirogi's idea to make longer arc.
PCP eventually get more popular and constantly get high rank (at least top 10 and often in top 5). But Takagi get pissed when PCP was not considered as anime which Hattori explains to him the reason for PCP being realistic and can causing bad influence. Takagi then turned down his ambition after Hattori and Mashiro ask his understanding. Hattori ask him to create other manga that can be considered as anime.
While PCP's story keeps on going, he also reviewing and submitting new series that comes from Ashirogi's assistants (only Shiratori's storyboard that get accepted), Ashirogi's new romance one shot, and the come back of Azuma. However, those titles are not lasting long but in other side those titles also competing with PCP in rank surveys and causing Ashirogi to improve better story and art for PCP. He also playing part on confronting Nanamine that tried to surpassing PCP with methods that Hattori personally hate as Nanamine doesn't appreciate editor's work and later the whole editorial department.
Through his job as PCP's editor, he learned in-depth of Mashiro's past and motivation to become mangaka and realizing more of his relations to Taro Kawaguchi.
Reversi
When Hattori reviewing about Sigma, an anti-hero on PCP, Ashirogi told him about their new planned manga. After seeing their storyboard, he thinks that the manga can be better than PCP and more suitable with Weekly Jump and more possibility for anime adaptation.
After Reversi accepted as serial, Hattori states that Ashirogi can't working with 2 weekly series with the tight deadlines. The new Editor in Chief, Yoshihisa Heishi decided to put Reversi to Monthly Hissho Jump (HJ). Because HJ technically in different magazine, this means Hattori won't be their editor for Reversi and causing him disappointed. Hattori tries to hide his feeling but his mind can still be guessed by Ashirogi and Yujiro. Later Yujiro find his true feeling from his yelling due to drunk and proposed Reversi for Weekly Shonen Jump in the serialization meeting on next day. Heishi personally accepted Yujiro's proposal but only if Hattori confirm it from himself. After Hattori called to the meeting (together with Ashirogi), he shows his true feeling for wishing as Reversi's editor, encouraged by Yujiro and Ashirogi to support his statement and thus choosing Reversi for Weekly Jump while PCP moved to HJ.
Reversi keeps competing with Zombie Gun and dominating rank 1 or 2 on rank surveys and also breaks the record for most votes on first chapter. It's also considered as anime but causing few problems, mainly related to the story direction (debating on long or short story) and Miho Azuki as voice actor. Hattori act as mediator when Ashirogi get conflicts with anime staff and public's gossip about Azuki that eventually get resolved despite the solution comes from Ashirogi themselves.
It's unknown about his fate after Reversi (and the Bakuman series itself) ended, but Hattori make a promise to become Ashirogi's editor for whatever their next manga in future. He even insisting to quit his job if he doesn't allowed to become their editor. In the anime's ending, Hattori reviews one of their new manga but the title was not shown.
Trivia
- A number of editors in Bakuman are based on real editors from Shuiesha. Akira Hattori is based on two different actual editors at Shuiesha. His namesake, Akira Jean-Baptiste Hattori, was an editor for One Piece, which is referenced in Bakuman. However, Hattori's appearance was actually inspired by a lesser known editor at Shuiesha unrelated to Hattori's namesake.
- Hattori's face (especially his lips and eyes) resemble the character Ryuk from the manga Death Note which is also drawn by Takeshi Obata.
- In the 20th episode of the anime series, he even bit an apple while looking at it with a greedy look on his face. This was probably intended to be a nod to Ryuk.
- Hattori wears New Balance brand sneakers.
- He is one of the best editors at Jump, being able to work efficiently with Muto Ashirogi.