Herman Melville is the original creator whose literary works have served as the foundation for several anime and manga adaptations. He was born on August 1, 1819, in New York City and worked as a sailor on whaling vessels, an experience that profoundly shaped his writing career. His time at sea included service on the whaling ship Acushnet, and these years provided the detailed knowledge of maritime life and whaling that he would later channel into his fiction. Though his first books achieved popular success, his later work, including his most famous novel, did not gain widespread recognition during his lifetime, and he died on September 28, 1891, before a revival of interest in his writing secured his place as a central figure in American literature.

Melville is the author of the 1851 novel Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, which has become the source text for multiple anime productions. The novel follows the narrator Ishmael as he joins the crew of the whaling ship Pequod, commanded by the obsessive Captain Ahab, who is consumed by his quest for revenge against the white sperm whale, Moby Dick, that had previously maimed him. The story is noted for its blending of adventure narrative with philosophical meditations on obsession, fate, and the conflict between humanity and the natural world.

The most prominent anime adaptation of Melville's work is the 1997 television series Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick, also known as Hakugei Densetsu. Directed by Osamu Dezaki, this twenty-six-episode series reimagines the classic narrative in a futuristic outer space setting, where space pirates hunt giant abandoned spaceships referred to as whales. In this version, Captain Ahab, whose real name is Ahab Ishmael Ali, pursues the legendary white whale ship, Moby Dick, which is depicted as a super space battleship. While transforming the original sea voyage into a science fiction adventure, the adaptation retains the core characters of Ahab and his obsessive pursuit. Melville also receives credit for the story of the 2009 manga Moby Dick Five.

Beyond direct adaptations, Melville's legacy appears in anime and manga through references and character interpretations. The character of Herman Melville appears as a member of the Guild in the manga and anime series Bungo Stray Dogs, where his ability is named Moby-Dick and takes the form of a white whale. This portrayal reflects his status as a literary figure whose works have become ingrained in broader popular culture.

Recurring themes in Melville's work, particularly as explored in Moby-Dick, have carried over into these Japanese adaptations. The original novel grapples with obsession, particularly through Captain Ahab's monomaniacal pursuit of the whale, which has been interpreted as a symbol of an individual's will against vast, indifferent forces. Themes of geopolitical anxiety and pacifism are also central. An academic analysis of Hakugei: Legend of the Moby Dick argues that the anime adaptation retains Melville's anxieties about creation and destruction, reframing the sea-based narrative of nineteenth-century expansionism into a space-based fable reflecting Cold War psychology and concerns for world peace in the late twentieth century. This demonstrates how Melville's foundational story continues to be a vehicle for exploring contemporary issues across different cultural contexts.