ikeda drew inspiration from the monster manga series "kaibutsu-kun" and has incorporated some references later into the first serialization of the "rosario+vampire" manga. in an interview at lucca comics 2012, ikeda said he is a big fan of tim burton and was inspired by his works, including "the nightmare before christmas", and particularly "edward scissorhands" because the monster has a sensitive soul. his first character design was moka, a beautiful girl vampire with a crucifix around her neck; he then created the school of monsters and tsukune afterwards. he credits the beautiful girls for the series' popularity and added the fighting elements. after the series ended in "monthly shōnen jump" but was going to be featured in "jump square", he retitled the second series to give it a sense of renewal.