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Be real with me for a sec. When 2025 rolled out, did you tell yourself, "This is the year I finally make my manga?" Well, the year is nearly over. And what have you got to show? Did you make your first manga? Did you even try?
If for some reason you still haven't started, then let 2026 be the year you stop lying to yourself. Our pro mangaka mentors who have over 50 years of combined experience have helped our students turn their manga dreams into reality. With their guidance, we've helped over 400 beginner mangakas create their very first manga and join manga contests [music] in as fast as 3 months.
Today, we're giving you the full rundown on everything you'll need to start making your own manga, too. And if you stick around until the end, we'll reveal how you could even take your manga all the way to Japan.
Before diving in, take a look at the tools that you've got. You don't need fancy drawing supplies or a high-end tablet. As Naoki Urasawa, the creator of Monster, once said, "With manga, all you really need is a white piece of paper and pen." Let's be real, no one's really buying a drawing tablet on day one. Most of us just start with scratch paper and a pencil. One of our students, Joe, admitted, "I think the first comic I finished made on A4 printer paper held together with like bits of cellar tape, and it's just been hooked ever since." So, if all you've got is pen, paper, and a dream, that's good enough to start.
But don't just dream about making manga. Let 2026 be the year you actually do it. And the best way to start, make a oneshot. A short story told in 16 to 24 pages. Pretty much every famous manga began as a oneshot, like Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, Attack on Titan. Our mentor, Pro Manga editor Vivi explained why. "You need to understand that all these mangakas, they started with very, very small works first before even getting to that point. This is because they needed that time to improve their craft before even going for long period serialization." If you've ever dreamed of creating a manga series, you got to learn the ropes first by making a oneshot manga.
And here's your chance to get guidance from our pro manga editor and pro mangaka mentors. From drawing to pitching your idea to scripting to storyboarding to inking and shading, you'll get mentorship every step of the way in our online manga drawing program. This is your chance to get personalized feedback on all your ideas. And get this, our best students will go on an all expense paid trip to Japan's biggest comic convention. We'll even translate your manga to Japanese and hire a translator on the ground. It doesn't matter if you have little to no experience. We'll meet you where you're at and take you where you want to go.
So, if you're serious about making your manga this year, then book a free one-on-one manga consultation call with us today. The link is in the description.
Now, let's talk about the actual steps you need to take to make your manga.
Step one, capture your idea. Inspiration is fleeting, so you need to capture every idea you have, no matter how rough or random. As Hirohiko Adaki, creator of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, says, "You should always write down ideas as they come to you. That way, [music] you can look it up later. You have to put it in the work." Gather all your random thoughts, then choose one idea to focus on. [music]
Take a look at our student Jaime's first oneshot. Crayon color daydreams. His story was about a girl whose passion for art fades away [music] as she grows up. Can you relate? In this one shot, readers are meant to empathize with the protagonist's journey. The goal is to make you relate to a tired, jaded adult who's trying to reconnect with her inner child. So, when you're refining your idea, ask yourself, "What's the core message behind this story?" "What do you want your readers to take away from it?" Once you can answer that, you can plot your story.
Step two, writing your story. Manga uses a Japanese storytelling structure called Ketu, which means introduction, development, twist, and conclusion. In your oneshot, keep your plot simple by following the structure. Save your complicated schemes [music] and betrayals for another day.
Step three, create your characters. Now for the fun part, designing your characters. If you've already got original characters, then you can go with them. But if you're still coming up with new characters, there are three main things you need to know about them apart from what they look like. First, what do they fear? Second, what do they want? And third, what are they willing to do to get it? Once you know that, you'll understand who they are.
Step four, storyboarding. This is when you plan your layout. What scenes go where? Which moments get the big panels and how the story flows. This is the part where you put your director's hat on and decide on how you want your scenes to look. What do you want your readers to feel as they read each panel? Everything has to be intentional. Don't worry about making it look pretty at this point. It's supposed to be messy. In fact, [music] our mentors encourage you to make and remake your story boards several times. When you've got a solid storyboard, we recommend getting feedback before you draw the final version. Our student Courtney learned this firsthand. After getting feedback from our mentors, she adjusted her poses, perspective, and added reaction shots to make the moment more impactful.
Step five, sketching. You can move on to the undersketch, a more detailed pencil version of your story board that will guide you when you're inking. This is typically when you sketch backgrounds, costumes, props, and other details.
Step six, [music] inking. Next is the point of no return, inking. As Urasawa Sensei says, "A sketch is still just a sketch, [music] no matter how much you draw it, because there's no resolve to it. It's at the end when you're inking that you take responsibility."
Step seven, finishing touches. Lastly, you can add effects, screen tones, and all the finishing touches. You can do this traditionally or digitally. And that's it. You've made your manga.
If you're afraid you're too young or too old to try and make manga, don't worry. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. It's never too late to try. Want proof? Check out this video.
Before you rush off, take note of the golden rules pretty much every mangaka swears by.
One, show don't tell. You've probably heard this one countless times before, and there's a reason for that. Manga is all about visual storytelling. As our pro manga editor Vivv reminds us, "The main rule is show don't tell. But if you have to tell, show first and then tell. That's how it works."
Number two, share. Don't gatekeep. You might be tempted to keep your manga all to yourself, afraid that someone will steal your ideas or criticize your work. But if you gatekeep too hard, your work will just gather dust in your drawers. If you're worried that people will think it looks bad, here's some advice from Posa De Mizu, the artist behind The Promised Neverland, "Don't dwell on is this good or bad. Just get the work done. Get the work done however you [music] can, then show it to an editor." Friends and family might not give you the reaction you're hoping for, but an editor can point out what you've done well.
Finally, the phrase we always hear from Yazawa Sensei and all our other mentors. Take action. Don't wait for talent to somehow spring from your fingertips. Your dream manga won't magically appear in your hands if you wish for it hard enough. If you want something, you need to do something about it yourself with your own two hands. You've already wasted yesterday and all the days before and tomorrow is never truly assured. All you really have is this moment. So, what will you do today?
If you want to make 2026 the year you finally make manga, then you can sign up for our free manga training through the link in the description. You'll get a much more detailed walkthrough of the seven-step process pro mangakas use to make their manga. And if you want to know whether you should make manga digitally or traditionally, then this video is for you.