Naoki Urasawa Personally Animated the 'Monster' Song by Rodrigo y Gabriela
The creator of the Monster manga, Naoki Urasawa, stepped onto the stage this time not with his pen, but with his brush and camera. It was announced that the music video for the new single 'Monster' by the famous Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela was entirely animated by him. Released on June 12, 2026, the video is notable for being the first time Urasawa has been so directly involved in an animation project in his career.
Rodrigo y Gabriela's piece 'Monster' was composed inspired by Urasawa's manga series of the same name. The duo's music, synthesizing flamenco and rock, reflects the tense atmosphere of the series. For the video, Urasawa created an entirely new, fluid animation language instead of animating classic manga panels. In the predominantly black-and-white imagery, the shadows of the series' unforgettable characters Dr. Tenma and Johan Liebert dance.
Urasawa's move is much more than just a musician-manga collaboration. The Monster manga was published between 1994-2001, and was adapted into an anime by Madhouse in 2004-2005. The fact that the series is still such a strong source of inspiration after twenty years proves its cult status. Urasawa personally making the animation can be read as a message: 'I am still here and looking for new ways to tell my story.'
The music video was released on Rodrigo y Gabriela's official YouTube channel. Receiving over 2 million views in the first 24 hours, the video garnered great interest from both manga fans and music lovers. In particular, Urasawa's signature attention to detail and richness of expression are evident in the animation frames.
This collaboration seems destined to be recorded as one of those rare and special moments where the manga world intersects with music. Whether Urasawa will take on other animation projects in the future remains a matter of curiosity for now. While we fans content ourselves with this short but impressive video for now, we are also whispering the question, 'I wonder if Monster will get another adaptation?'
