[2] Ito's initial concept for the manga was to depict the strangeness of a girl who was nonchalantly attending school, but in reality was dead.

[4] As he developed the story, Ito established that the titular character would be a mean-spirited girl because he believed it would be more interesting if the manga featured someone that wasn't likable.

[3] He noted that the proliferation of Tomie was created while writing a serial storyline, which helped greatly to convey the concept of regeneration.

In 1998, during the casting process of the first film adaptation, Ito picked actress Miho Kanno for the role and coached her for the audition.

Other than her beauty and ability to psychologically manipulate others, her most iconic trait is a form of regeneration that operates similarly to that of a sea star or a planarian.

Thus, when her stricken admirers cut her to pieces, Tomie inevitably comes back, often using this opportunity to wreak havoc in their lives after they believe her to be dead.

Tomie also demonstrates a form of asexual reproduction similar to vegetative propagation in plants or budding in yeast, in that when she undergoes severe psychological stress, she may begin spontaneously splitting into two clones, starting by growing a second head.