Arakawa Hiromu Avoids Social Media to Stay Uninfluenced

In today’s world, where content creators are increasingly active on social media, the renowned author of Fullmetal Alchemist, Arakawa Hiromu, stands out for her decision to stay away from the digital environment. In a recent interview, she explained her reasons for not using social media and how this impacts her relationship with readers and her creativity.

Arakawa Hiromu Avoids Social Media to Stay Uninfluenced

When asked about her choice to not be present on social media, Arakawa responded directly:

“I already work 365 days a year. If I have any free time, I’d rather dedicate it to my children. Besides, I’m the type who expresses everything through my manga, so I end up releasing any thoughts there.”

This statement shows that, beyond a lack of time, the author prefers to channel her emotions and opinions directly into her stories instead of sharing thoughts in the digital space.

Although she now avoids social media, Arakawa once had more interaction with online forums. In the past, she was part of communities focused on specific interests, such as history and horror. In fact, it was through these forums that she met fellow artist friends before moving to Tokyo.

She also managed a forum within an acquaintance’s website but decided to shut it down after the success of Fullmetal Alchemist. According to the author, as her popularity grew, ill-intentioned individuals discovered the admin password and started vandalizing the space. This episode contributed to her decision to completely withdraw from online platforms.

The Danger of Being Influenced by External Opinions

Another crucial factor in Arakawa’s decision was observing how some manga authors were negatively impacted by fan opinions on the internet. She recalled a case where an author began strictly following reader suggestions from forums like 2channel, but over time, the work’s popularity declined drastically.

This experience made her realize an important risk:

“If I see predictions about my story and they match what I already planned, people will say, ‘See? I was right!’ If they don’t match, they’ll claim I changed the plot because of the comments. So I’d rather keep my distance to avoid being influenced.”

This strategy allows Arakawa to maintain total creative control over her works, ensuring that her narratives follow her original plan without direct interference from external opinions.

Today, many authors use social media to connect with their audience—such as the author of Re:Zero, who is very active and often answers many fan questions. However, Arakawa prefers to let her work speak for itself. While it may seem that her absence from digital platforms makes communication with readers more difficult, her stance helps her avoid emotional strain and focus entirely on creating her stories.

We already know she is an incredible author, especially when a fan rereading Fullmetal Alchemist recently discovered an interesting hidden detail in the story.