Masashi Kishimoto
Hiei is a popular character with fans, coming in first place in the series' first two popularity polls. He also came in first in the American "Shonen Jump" poll. He was ranked as the first, then second, then third most popular male anime character in "Animage"s Anime Grand Prix for the consecutive years of 1993, 1994, and 1995. The Japanese publication "Newtype" ranked him as the fifth best male anime character of the 1990s. Masashi Kishimoto said that he used Hiei as a reference when creating Sasuke Uchiha from "Naruto" and his Sharingan technique.