Manga Extras
Volume 19
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| The Making of Ranma 1/2, Part 19: Konatsu | |
| Translation provided by: Robby Stine of Kanabits |
A kunoichi, or “female” ninja, with the kind of talent only born once every few generations, Konatsu lives deep in the forest. What are the origins of his character?
Q: Konatsu kunoichi makes his appearance as the manga is beginning to wrap things up. Where did the idea for him come from?
Takahashi: He’s really no different from any of the other characters. I didn’t need him for any specific purpose. Basically, I thought it would be fun to have a kunoichi character.
Q: Speaking of kunoichi, there was also a female ninja, Kaede, that appeared in Urusei Yatsura. Martial arts is a theme hard for you to escape from, huh?
Takahashi: Honestly, I think kunoichi are the best. My generation grew up with The Legend of Kamui*, after all. And it was fun imagining them working in a hostess club, what their attack names would be, and so on.
Q: A sleazy hostess club like that deep in the mountains is suspect enough.
Takahashi: Well, they are ninjas. (laughs) They have reasons for doing things the way they do.
Q: But Konatsu is a poor, unfortunate soul, isn’t he?
Takahashi: He’s like Cinderella. He’s got a cruel mother and equally cruel older sisters.
Q: Yeah, he ends up not being the antagonist at all. Battling his monstrous family was the crux of the story.
Takahashi: He does fight with Ranma at one point, but he was never supposed to be considered an enemy. If anything, he’s supposed to be someone you felt kind of bad for.
Q: In regards to Ukyo and Konatsu, and going back to what you said in an earlier interview, do you think they pair well together?
Takahashi: With Ukyo? Hmm. Well, Ukyo is a beautiful woman who dressed as a man, so it felt natural to have the opposite to counter that. I think they go quite well together.
Q: I’m glad things worked out for the best in the end.
Takahashi: Me too.
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Translator Notes:
*You can read a bit about The Legend of Kamui series on Wikipedia.
Also, you can read up on Kunoichi at The Ninja Encyclopedia.