Watsuki’s Notes & Soujirou
The following is taken directly from the English version of the manga published by Viz Media. No changes have been made. You can find it on page 86 of volume 9.
The Secret Life of Characters (26)
“Like Shishio, this character shouldn’t be showing up in here just yet either, but I’ll again give you another taste, since so many have asked.
Personality-wise, Sojiro’s model is Okita Soshi, captain of the Shinsengumi first unit. The name ‘Seta Sojiro’ comes from ‘Okita Sojiro’– Soshi’s name earlier in life. Since the name is the same, some readers have sought a connection between Okita and Sojiro – but let me just put it out there – there isn’t one. Okita is just Seta’s model.
Okita Soshi is so famous there’s no need to speak of him here – there’s always a variety of books about him at the stores, if you’re curious. He’s so popular that, during the first Ruroken popularity poll, he ranked seventh… even though he’d only appeared in a few panels! Watsuki has used Okita as portrayed by [well-known historical novelist] Shiba Ryotaro, but (this time) it’s not the Okita of Shiba’s ‘Moeyo Ken (Burn, O Sword),’ but Okita of ‘Shinsengumi Keppuroku (Record of Shinsengumi Bloodshed)’ he’s using… and that Okita has lost an important part of his human heart, making him emotionless and pretty scary. Some Shinsengumi fans are upset that a character modeled upon Okita is appearing as a villain, but since it’s the ‘Keppuroku’ Okita that’s the model, I believe it works well, and helps to make Seta a strong antagonist.
Seta is more difficult to draw than first thought. As of present, I’ve only done about 1/4th of what I’ve imagined in my mind. I do want to do him justice, as he is a popular character, but…
Design-Wise, there’s no real model. Okita was always envisioned by me with the bangs, and so when he came out looking like this, it was no suprise. I also gave him a slightly feminized air… so that a smile would look good on him.