Even though Rave Master, Fairy Tail, and Edens Zero, have their own unique sets of characters, settings, and storylines, they still have quite a few things in common. All of them are shounen action/adventure stories with elements of fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, and romance sprinkled throughout. That means the foundational elements of Hiro Mashima’s works are more or less the same.

Some might think that using this approach will make every new title feel like a copy of the previous one. As a matter of fact, that is pretty much one of the biggest complaints regarding Hiro Mashima’s manga. That and his penchant to draw scantily-clad ladies and six-packed gentlemen.

While that is a fair assessment, we also need to look at the other side of the argument. Mashima-sensei uses the same foundational elements because he knows his audience. He knows that all of the things mentioned above are precisely what his readers want to see in his work. By building every new story on top of the same foundation, he makes sure that people who read his previous works will instantly feel familiar with his new ones. That means it’s highly likely that readers who enjoy reading Fairy Tail will enjoy reading Edens Zero as well.

There are manga out there that will expect you to ponder the heavy themes, the clever way the story utilizes its plot/settings/characters, or the obscure main objectives of the characters. Some of the best examples of these kinds of stories are Asano Inio’s Goodnight Punpun, Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys, and Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira. You need to dig deep into your mind and feelings in order to fully enjoy and appreciate them.

Hiro Mashima’s works are the absolute opposite of those kinds of manga. You can pick up any of his manga, turn your brain off, and simply enjoy the silly antics, the exciting action sequences, and root for the heroes as they go against the villain. These stories are made to entertain their readers. Nothing more, nothing less. In a way, they’re quite similar to those superhero movies.

Not only that, but by keeping the story simple, Mashima-sensei ensures that his works will have a big pool of audience members. Be it an elementary school student or a 30-years-old office worker, we can all enjoy Fairy Tail when we come home after a tiring day. The same can’t be said about those thought-provoking manga like Goodnight Punpun.

When you combine the fact that Mashima-sensei only creates stories that he knows that his audience will like, and he always keeps the whole thing simple and easy to understand, what you get is a strong and easily recognizable brand. You know what to expect when you pick up his new series, and you know that you can simply enjoy the stories without having to think too much about them. That is his brand of manga.

In a world where thousands of new manga are published every year, not to mention manhua and webtoons as well, it is incredibly important to have a strong and recognizable brand. That is the only way you can differentiate yourself from your peers. That is also one of the best ways to build your reputation, and retain the care and attention of your audience. After all, if they know what to expect from your work, it’s highly likely that they’ll become your loyal readers. And that is essentially how Hiro Mashima managed to create multiple hit series.