Certain Type of Pens

Japanese Mangakas usually use a specific type of pen which are called dip pen. Dip pens have their nib detachable from the pen holder and doesn't have a built in ink supply (that's why its called a dip pen). So in order to draw manga people need to buy a separate ink supply. There are three main types of pen nibs used in manga. Usually the pen nibs are sold separate from the pen holder. The three different type of pen nibs are called the g-pen,  the kabura pen and the maru pen. Each pen nib has its own specific capability.

The G-Pen (Gペン)

The g-pen is a pen nib which is originally used for writing letters in the old days. G-pens are the most famous type of pen nib used by professional mangakas. These pen nibs can produce both thick and thin lines depending on the amount of pressure applied from our hand towards the paper. Among all the other pen nibs in manga g-pens can produce the thickest line. G-pens are mostly used for shonen manga genres (such as action, sports, etc) since most shonen manga uses thick lines to deliver strong impressions to the readers. If you are a beginner it isn't suggested to use the g-pen since if you can't control the amount of pressure added towards the pen you might make a very thick line that would ruin your drawing or even a line that is too thin for your drawing.

The Kabura Pen (カブラペン)

These pen nibs have a spoon like shape and are stiffer than the g-pen. Similar to the g-pen the kabura pen was once used for writing letters in the old days. The kabura pen has similar properties to the g-pen since you can control the thickness of the line by adjusting the amount of pressure from your hand, but since it is stiffer and less flexible the kabura pen cannot produce a line as thick as a g-pen can produce. With the kabura pen being stiffer than the g-pen it is suitable for beginners to  practice with, because it has the same properties as a g-pen and stiffer than a g-pen, so it is easier to control the line thickness.With the kabura pen stiffer people would commit less mistakes than using a g-pen. These pen nibs are suitable for any type of manga.

The Maru Pen (丸ペン)

Maru pens are the stiffest pen nibs of all nibs. These pen nibs produces thin lines. Even though the maru pen is very stiff it can produce a pretty thick line but it may rip small parts of your paper and ruin the whole drawing, but the maru pen isn't made for drawing thick lines it is meant for drawing thin lines. The maru pen is useful for all type of manga   to draw small detailed parts of the drawing. Well mostly the maru pen is used for shojo manga since shojo manga doesn't use that much thick lines for the characters and the background. The maru pen isn't very suitable for beginners especially beginners aiming to create shonen manga, because the maru pen has a really stiff body and hard to adjust the thickness of the line. So the maru pen is more suitable for experienced mangakas to professional mangakas.

The Pen Holder

The pen holder is just the body of a dip pen where it has either one or two slots at its ends to insert the pen nibs. There are many kinds of pen holder but most of them have the same shape. There are some pen holders which are simply made of wood there are also pen holder which are made of plastic and there are some with a rubber grip or two nib slots. Pen holder are sometimes sold together with pen nibs and sometimes separated. In order to draw with a nib you must have a pen holder because its impossible to draw without it. 

Example of a manga pen holder

The slot where the pen nibs are inserted