Ki-shō-ten-ketsu

The 4-Act Structure

In Manga in Theory and Practice, Hirohiko Araki (creator of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) presents ki-shō-ten-ketsu as the immutable rule for building any narrative story, whether a short story or a long series.

📐 What is Ki-shō-ten-ketsu?

It is the classic Asian four-step structure, consisting of:

Ki (Introduction): Introduces the protagonist and the initial situation. Araki’s rule is: the protagonist must appear as quickly as possible. The reader shouldn’t be left wondering “where is the main character?”.
Shō (Development): The protagonist encounters the obstacle, the antagonist, or the hardship. Tension begins to build, and the pace is set.
Ten (The Twist / Climax): The crucial point of the story, often located just before the conclusion. The protagonist rises to face the challenge, but an almost impossible dilemma emerges. The reader frantically turns the pages to find out how the hero will get out of it.
Ketsu (Resolution): The victory or the end of the conflict.

✍️ Variations and Applications

Araki emphasizes that this structure is not rigid; it is a foundation that allows for infinite variations:

You can create a frantic pace with ki-shō-ten-ten-ten-ten-ketsu (throwing the hero from one obstacle to another, each one bigger).
You can use ketsu-ki-shō-ten (start by showing the hero already defeated or at the end of the battle to spark curiosity: “How did they get there?”).

The “Ten” is your acid test

The biggest challenge of a successful story (and for a contest) lies in the Ten. Araki suggests not planning the exact way out too far in advance. Place your protagonist in a dilemma so complex that not even you (the author) immediately know how they will escape. If you manage to solve the scene using only the character’s already established abilities and nature (without miraculous coincidences or deus ex machina), the reader’s emotion will be authentic and powerful.