Phantom Blood was written and drawn by Hirohiko Araki. Prior to working on the series, he created a manga that resembled the works of Hisashi Eguchi, an artist known for his art of female characters; Araki's editor, Ryōsuke Kabashima, angrily told Araki to never draw something as derivative again, which led him to take another direction with his art, and the creation of Phantom Blood.
Phantom Blood was conceived by Hirohiko Araki. Before starting the series, he created a manga that mirrored Hisashi Eguchi's style, which featured prominent female characters; however, after being discouraged by his editor, Ryōsuke Kabashima, from creating derivative work, Araki redirected his artistic approach and went on to create Phantom Blood.