The Face Burglar: A character is able to take on the facial features of others.

The Tomie series: The titular character constantly generates new instances of herself from (parts of) her body.

Many of Ito's stories involve characters dealing with copies of themselves or others. Ito is also notable as one of the few manga writers who has addressed the subject of Japan's war crimes during World War II-the 'death stench' in Gyo is implied to be the result of Imperial Japan's horrific human experimentation. For instance, Hellstar Remina can be seen as a satire of Japan's highly exploitative pop idol culture, while the constant privacy invasions of The Town Without Streets allude to the rise of the Internet and other methods of tracking others.Ī few of Ito's stories also invoke horror through 'improper' treatment of the dead, such as desecration of grave sites or burial of a body without cremating it first (both are seen as highly unnatural in Japanese society). Sometimes, Ito uses elements of Japanese society (or society in general) as story elements, often painting them in a negative light. Street of Gravestones, Tomio: Red Turtleneck, or Army of One). The Neighbor's Window, Hellstar Remina, and The Thing That Drifted Ashore), and the aftermath of severe injury or death (e.g.

Long Dream, The Enigma of Amigara Fault, and Dissection Girl), portrayal of aliens and monsters (e.g. This includes gruesome transformations (e.g. Most of Ito's work includes detailed imagery of human (and sometimes animal) anatomy twisted into something bizarre and frightening.

However, more 'normal'-looking characters can also act as antagonists, such as the Ice Cream Bus driver, even without falling victim to supernatural corruption. Souichi Tsujii, the neighbor from The Neighbor's Window, and the Reanimator) characters are usually antagonistic and/or supernatural in some way conversely, most of the protagonists are relatively mundane in appearance. Tomie, The Intersection Bishonen, and the girls affected by the 'beauty disease' in Dying Young) and unattractive (e.g. Physical appearance is often used as a shorthand for various alignments in Ito's manga.

He also has several recurring themes in his work. Junji Ito uses a distinctive style to portray his stories in manga, with large amounts of detail and use of dramatic sound effects at important scenes.

Smashed junji ito