The following article contains discussion of suicide and self-harm.

Junji Ito is the creator of many iconic works in the manga horror genre. Following in the footsteps of another horror legend, Kazuo Umezu (the creator of iconic works such as Orochi and The Drifting Classroom), Ito adheres to a particular style of storytelling that metaphorically explores the human condition, whether that's love, grief or narcissism, or the complexity of human relationships. His artwork is also known to deal with extremes such as clashes of light and dark, or a stark contrast between realistic imagery and grotesque horror. One of Ito's most iconic works that embodies each of these details is his first work, Tomie.

The Tomie anthology follows a specific format with recurring themes: each story begins with Tomie either paying a visit to a couple at their home or encountering a random person in a public space. During the first encounter, Tomie always comes off as irresistibly beautiful, outgoing and smart, but is also pretty smug. From there, she integrates herself into the lives of the people she meets, and through a combination of gaslighting and humiliation, always succeeds at destroying her victims' self-esteem and pushes them to the point of death. If Tomie's victims are women, they often end up taking their own lives, and if her victims are men, they always brutally murder her.

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Given the nature of Tomie's horror, it's easy to conclude she's the living embodiment of men's worst fears: her beauty makes her highly desirable, but her narcissism always leaves them feeling trapped, invalidated and worthless. On closer analysis, however, there's actually more to Tomie's narrative than just embodying traits men find threatening -- especially when those same traits are often used to justify violence against women. When you also consider why Tomie is consistently integrating herself into the lives of various people while at the same time destroying them, it becomes clear that she actually embodies the various tragic circumstances women live through.

One of the first obvious ways Tomie embodies this is her beauty itself, which explores sexism. She is immediately recognized for her beauty in every story, precisely because it upholds the unrealistic standards men and women are taught to value. Tomie possesses highly attractive facial features, a slender body and silky black hair. Every man who encounters Tomie wants her for himself, and is even willing to break up with his current female partner to be with her. Every woman who meets Tomie is immediately intimidated by her beauty and is made to feel worthless when her male partner leaves her for Tomie.

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While Tomie is completely aware of her physical attractiveness and uses it to her full advantage, she's also never content with admiration alone. She always wants to be treated as superior to others and is easily offended when she's ignored or told she's ugly, which is symptomatic of narcissism. Tomie has a grandiose sense of self-importance, a strong sense of entitlement and does genuinely believe herself superior to others. However, all of these traits mask her self-loathing and fragile self-esteem, both of which easily come out the moment she experiences any form of invalidation. This interestingly ties in to the reasons Tomie constantly pursues new relationships.

Tomie's constant need for validation often sees her targeting two types of people: emotionally vulnerable and other narcissists like herself. Through emotionally vulnerable people, she fulfills her desire to be loved by someone, and through other narcissists she fulfills her need to be in control. With emotionally vulnerable people, she gets treated like a queen and Tomie herself depletes the other person of their emotional energy. With other narcissists, she delights herself in having control over someone with a fragile self-esteem because it affords her significant power over that person. These are all symptomatic of codependent relationships, which are always bound to end badly -- or in Tomie's case, in death.

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As mentioned earlier, all of Tomie's stories either end in her death or the suicide of another woman. More often than not, however, she is the victim of a brutal murder in the hands of a man, which offers a strong examination of misogyny. What exactly drives the men in Tomie's life to murder her? Is her narcissistic behavior the sole culprit, or does it expose what was always lurking underneath? One thing that often drives the men in Tomie's life to commit acts of violence against her is their inability to control her, which many attempt to do at some point.

In her relationships with men, Tomie always communicates her thoughts honestly and never validates what the men believe to be true. When they attempt to prove her wrong, they find she is never swayed by their efforts and often pokes fun at their mediocrity. When Tomie threatens to leave men, that's when they get violent and opt to murder her.

While it can be argued that Tomie is responsible for her narcissistic behavior, her murders often expose male entitlement and their objectification of women. As such, Tomie's stories often encapsulate the tragic circumstances of women, which in turn makes her a tragic figure.