The creator of Rent-a-Girlfriend is facing criticism from fans after a significant change to the main character’s appearance in recent chapters. Despite the online controversy, particularly outside of Japan, the series remains incredibly popular. A fifth season of the anime is planned for next year, and the manga is projected to exceed the length of well-known franchises like Dragon Ball. However, the series continues to attract negative attention from fans.
The manga Rent-a-Girlfriend recently reached over 400 chapters, and is about to achieve a milestone similar to the Dragon Ball series with its next volume. To mark this new phase, the creator, Reiji Miyajima, gave the main character, Kazuya Kinoshita, a new look. Kazuya has returned to his natural hairstyle after being blonde for much of the series, and fans have noticed a striking resemblance between him and Miyajima himself, leading to speculation online – like from X user @Santanaelchan – that the character is a self-insert.
Rent-a-Girlfriend Creator Faces Backlash Over Kazuya’s Makeover
hey why does he look like the mangaka now.
— Ash (@SantanaelChan) October 28, 2025
Kazuya, the main character in Rent-a-Girlfriend, started the series heartbroken after a breakup, so he rented a girlfriend to cope. He quickly fell in love with her, Chizuru, and has been trying to win her over ever since. However, after hundreds of chapters, he’s repeatedly confessed his feelings only to be rejected. This ongoing cycle has frustrated many fans, who are losing hope that Kazuya will ever achieve a happy ending, especially after his most recent unsuccessful attempt.
Kazuya’s recent redesign gives him a look similar to his younger self, and many believe this signals a change in his character. However, fans have also pointed out the striking resemblance to the game’s creator, leading to speculation about self-insertion. This isn’t the first time fans have questioned the creator’s connection to characters in the series, and they see this new look as further proof of that connection.
What’s Going On With Rent-a-Girlfriend?
Miyajima, the creator of the series, has faced criticism before regarding his use of AI and other issues. However, the most recent concerns arose from illustrations of the character Chizuru in suggestive, real-world settings. This led some fans to speculate about the creator’s feelings towards his own work. While these concerns are largely speculative, a recent character makeover has fueled the idea that Miyajima intends for the protagonist, Kazuya, to end up with Chizuru as a way of inserting himself into the story.
The series Rent-a-Girlfriend continues to spark discussion and disagreement among fans – a pattern that’s been happening since the beginning, and will probably continue for a while. Even after 400 chapters, the story isn’t showing any signs of stopping, and remains incredibly popular in Japan with each new release. If this current storyline leads to a conclusion, fans might find the way it happens a little strange, but they’ll likely be glad to finally see the story end.
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2025-11-05 20:10