“When I think about villains, I always focus my mind on who I want them to fight with, and how they can be interesting.
Kidōmaru was the first member of the Sound Four. Picturing a ‘spider man’ in mind, I gave him spider-like limbs.
Up next was Tayuya: I wanted a “lone woman in a group”.
Then it was Jirōbō. I wanted to include a big man, that way the characters wouldn’t overlap.
The last one was Sakon, but I had a hard time deciding which Konoha ninja I should have him fight.
In the end, I imagined a 2-on-2 battle with Kiba & Akamaru — and with that in mind, I put the twins together and they became one... (Sakon/Ukon)”