Making Monsters Delicious with Delicious in Dungeon Manga Creator Ryoko Kui

ANN’s coverage of Anime Expo 2024 sponsored by Yen Press and Ize Press!

Hot off the heels of its season one finale, Delicious in Dungeon captivated audiences with its ensemble cast’s humorous chemistry, appetizing meals, and impressive world-building. It’s impressive to imagine everything from the series’ magical ecosystem to its ever-shifting dungeon was all brought to life by manga creator Ryōko Kui. A self-proclaimed “picky eater,” Kui’s manga chapters are filled with meals brimming with equal parts warmth and horror. Laios, Marcille, Chilchuck, and Izutsumi are just likely to gather around Senshi’s wok to eat roasted red dragon meat as warmed-up succubus milk. What are the ethics of eating Barometz Balut; is it vegan, or is it veal?

We sat down with Kui-sensei at Anime Expo 2024 to discuss the community of food, why Senshi is so sexy, seeing neurodivergence in Laios, and more.

Note that this interview contains some spoilers for the manga series.

Kui-sensei, one of the primary themes of Delicious in Dungeon is building community via shared meals. Could you share a meal or recipe that is similarly important to you?

Ryōko Kui: So I thought about your question a lot, but I couldn’t come up with anything special. But one thing is my mother used to say, like when we make okonomiyaki, she advised me to use grated yam instead of water. So since then, I always use yam instead of water. But honestly, I’ve never compared the two recipes, so I really don’t know the difference, but that’s what I do. 

Of all the dungeon meals in Delicious in Dungeon, which seems most appealing to you and why? Which is one you’d be least likely to eat?

KUI: Honestly, I’m a picky eater myself, so I don’t think I want to eat any of them (laugh). But while I’m drawing the manga, I’m thinking about how fun it would be to eat it if I could.

From the manga series, it’s obvious you enjoy TTRPGs. Can you tell us about one of your favorite player characters?

KUI: So, actually, I’ve never played Dungeons and Dragons; even the word “TTRPG” I hadn’t learned until I became an adult. But I’ve seen a lot about Dungeons and Dragons, so I bought the Players’ Guide and some of the related novels. So I have the knowledge to some extent, but I’ve never really played a TTRPG myself. 

If you were to play one, do you know what kind of character you’d like to play? 

KUI: When I played Baldur’s Gate 3, I played a human rogue.

Delicious in Dungeon features a very well-constructed ecosystem. How did you construct the unique relationships between monsters, for example, the Mimic and the Treasure Bugs?

KUI: When I first thought about what kind of creature a treasure bug was, I wondered if the shape of it would be flat, what it would feed on, and what kind of life it would lead, and that’s when the idea came to me. Then, it was just all my imagination. There’s a monster; how do they move or develop? It’s purely based on my imagination. 

Do you have a similar monster fascination as Laios? What was the first monster to capture your imagination?

KUI: So I love monsters, but not at the level of Laios! But, as a kid, I played the game Panzer Dragoon and was attracted to the dragon that the protagonist of the first Panzer Dragoon rides. I found it really cool.

Similarly, how did you come up with Laios’ perfect monster?

KUI: So when I was little, I drew all the monsters and wondered, “What kind of monster is the strongest, or which one is overpowered?” That [part of the manga] is based on that memory.

A lot of fans had a strong reaction to Laios and Toshiro’s confrontation with one another. Quite a few fans on social media seemed to relate to Laios’ difficulty with reading social cues and related it to their own experiences on the autism spectrum. Did you envision Laios as autistic when conceiving his character? How would you describe the friction between Laios and Toshiro?

KUI: So my understanding is Laios is a really normal person; there’s nothing special, and everyone can relate [to a person like him]. I also relate to him, so I don’t think I’m writing anything special [regarding Laios]. That’s why I think people can relate to or appreciate him. Some people might say Laios is a little bit autistic, but Shuro has his own difficulties.

Everyone has their individual problems. It’s not just Laios or Shuro; the problems are mutual. We always need to try to understand and learn from each other. Sometimes, you might hurt another person, but that’s the process we need to understand other people.

In both the anime and manga adaptations, most of the series’ “fanservice” comes from peeks at Senshi’s underwear. In the spirit of this, could you describe Senshi’s sex appeal?

KUI: So the term “fanservice” feels a little off to me, but I have seen people talking about Senshi’s sex appeal. The reason I came up with this idea [of showing Senshi in his underwear] is that when I was little, I used to live in this city where there was an old man hanging his laundry while just wearing his underwear. 

It was awkward for me, and I really didn’t want to look at him. But from his perspective, he really didn’t care. He didn’t care what other people thought. I found that vibe interesting. So, Senshi is a similar type of person who really doesn’t care what other people think about him. Laios is probably more like me [and feels] a little bit awkward looking at other people in just their underwear. But I thought this vibe was really funny and interesting. That’s why I drew Senshi that way.

Senshi’s rather handsome, though, isn’t he? He has really nice hair and a full beard…

KUI: Dwarves are cool!

I actually thought Marcille’s dress during her time as the Dungeon Lord was really appealing, even though her friends made fun of it. Were there any references for its design?

KUI: Actually, there’s no real-life model or reference for that dress. I just combined the clothes that Marcille’s mother liked and also combined that with the hood, which was considered a little bit childish. So, [Marcille’s friends] are poking fun in a joking way, but the people around her don’t really think her dress is funny or not cool. They’re just making fun because the dress is a little bit out of character for Marcille.

Did you expect such strong fan reactions to the relationship between Marcille and Falin?

KUI: When I draw my manga, I try to develop it differently than the fans’ expectations. If I care too much about how the fans will react, I think the story might become less fun or interesting. So, I try not to think too much about how readers will react. In general, I’ll just leave the reader’s imagination, like how they react or how they conceive my manga. 

Regarding the manga’s finale, do you envision any sort of spin-off following Izutsumi’s pursuit of the black magician, or will she continue her life as she pleases as a beastman?

KUI: I haven’t decided yet, but for now, there’s no plan to make the spin-off. But Izutsumi might want to pursue and find the Black Magician and finally beat him. Or she might just live her life as she does. You know, she’s like a really free person. So she might just live her life as she likes. 

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