Nick Simmons is mostly known for his participation in the reality TV show Gene Simmons Family Jewels, but his break into the comic book world with the release of Incarnate in August 2009, distributed by Radical Publishing, was filled with controversy after drawing attention from readers due to its striking similarity to Bleach.

Gene Simmons’s Son Was Accused of Plagiarizing Bleach’s Artwork and Character Design

The Comic Book Was Pulled Out Following the Accusations by Bleach’s Fans

After the release of Incarnate’s first issue in 2009, fans of Bleach began to notice an alleged similarity with the artwork of Bleach. However, it was after the second issue that the plagiarism accusations extended, with some Bleach's fans taking upon the task of creating a post on the LiveJournal website with a comparison of both works, claiming that Incarnate traced Bleach’s s, character designs, expressions, structure, and composition.

The controversy became viral on social media platforms, also fueled by the fact that Incarnate’s creator was the son of KISS frontman Gene Simmons, and Bleach fans began to reach out directly to Viz Media, which publishes the manga in North America. In March 2010, Nick Simmons addressed the accusations, stating that "certain similarities" were meant to be a homage to works he respected.

“Like most artists, I am inspired by work I ire. There are certain similarities between some of my work and the work of others. This was simply meant as an homage to artists I respect, and I definitely want to apologize to any Manga fans or fellow Manga artists who feel I went too far. My inspirations reflect the fact that certain fundamental imagery is common to all Manga. This is the nature of the medium. I am a big fan of Bleach, as well as other Manga titles. And I am certainly sorry if anyone was offended or upset by what they perceive to be the similarity between my work and the work of artists that I ire and who inspire me.” - Nick Simmons.

However, the resemblances and growing claims proved to be too much for Radical Publishing, which announced in 2010 the decision to halt Incarnate production and distribution after only three issues. While axing mangas after a plagiarism claim is something common in the industry, the forced cancellation of a comic book related to a rock legend and reality TV star was an unprecedented occurrence in the medium and remains a curious anecdote of Bleach.

Bleach’s Creator Commented About the Plagiarism Accusations

Tite Kubo Was Well Aware of the Band Kiss

While he is more a fan of alternative music, Bleach’s creator, Tite Kubo has talked about his love for music, showcasing a preference for Western rock bands like Nirvana, Incubus, or The Rasmus. Moreover, the name of his series, Burn the Witch, was inspired by the song of the band Radiohead. As a result, it was only natural that Kubo knew about the band KISS due to their popularity. Consequently, upon being notified about the plagiarism accusations, the manga artist responded in an amusing way rather than showing concern.

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Although Tite Kubo's post on Twitter (now X) was later deleted,manga imitating Bleach, but he was more interested in the fact that Gene Simmons's son was a comic artist than if he was really copying his work or not.

Incarnate Was Also Accused of Copying Other Mangas

There Have Been Several Instances of Plagiarism to Popular Mangas in the Industry

While Incarnate ignited allegations due to its resemblance with Bleach, the comic book was also accused of allegedly taking away from other popular mangas, with the series' protagonist having a character design that resembles Alucard from Hellsing and featuring a character strikingly similar to Crocodile from One Piece.

Nonetheless, Incarnate wasn’t the only comic suspected of tracing from popular mangas, as this was the case with Korean webtoons like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, which was canceled after being accused of copying from Monster and Evangelion, and Seongmo Kim’s High School Life Record, which was pulled out after 4 chapters due to controversy for apparently having traced from Slam Dunk. However, this was re-edited and re-serialized with another name.

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While it isn’t strange for some artists to try to emulate a work they ire at the beginning, as they strive to find their own style, as can be seen with Fairy Tail’s manga artist Hiro Mashima, whose art style was similar to One Piece at the beginning, when it goes past the line of inspiration with attempts to take over the identity of another artist, it can’t be considered a homage. Nevertheless, there's no doubt that Bleach is one of the most influential shonen, and its legacy only continues to grow after inspiring many hit series.

Source: LiveJournal, Anime News Network, Crunchyroll

Bleach

Created by

Tite Kubo

First Film

Bleach: Memories of Nobody

First TV Show

Bleach

Cast

Johnny Yong Bosch, Michelle Ruff, Stephanie Sheh, Jamieson Price, Derek Stephen Prince, Wally Wingert

TV Show(s)

Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War

Movie(s)

Bleach, Bleach: Hell Verse, Bleach: Fade to Black, Bleach: Memories of Nobody, Bleach: The DiamondDust Rebellion

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