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Rumiko Takahashi Twitter Character Stories

Taken from Rumiko Takahashi's Twitter
Translation by: Harley Acres


Rumiko Takahashi opened her official Twitter account on June 1, 2021 and launched an infrequent series of tweets discussing the background of various characters.

Character - Shampoo (September 7, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

I wanted to give her a name that wasn't a panda-type repetition, like Xiang Xiang. Somehow I came up with the idea of someone Chinese with the name "Shampoo", as I liked the "Pu" part. I asked someone who was familiar with Chinese to figure out what kanji would be used to write her name.


Character - Kirara (September 9, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Kirara means "mica", and I wanted a mineral connection from Sango (coral) and Kohaku (amber). When Inuyasha and his friends entered the Demon Exterminator's village I came up with the idea that they would encounter something interesting there.


Character - Ataru Moroboshi (September 12, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Moroboshi is a cool name, isn't it? Ultra Seven's Dan Moroboshi and Daijiro Morohoshi. I thought it would be nice to have a name related to the stars. And then "Ataru" because he encounters various challenges.

(Translation note: "Ataru" means "to hit", "Ataru Moroboshi" means "to be hit on the head with a star".)


Character - Sabato Rokudo (September 14, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Generally speaking, I was in need of a villain. I wanted to serve up a real piece of scum in RINNE. He's careless with money, greedy, but surprisingly without any ill-will or malice. He's just really awful. That was the sort of person I was aiming to create when I made him. His name comes from (Rinne's) grandpa being a mackerel. I also liked that his name sounded like "Sabbath" which had devilish overtones as well.

(Translation note: Sabato's father/Rinne's grandfather was reincarnated as a mackerel (saba) after his death. Consequently the kanji used to write Sabato's name is "mackerel man".)


Character - Oyuki (September 17, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Oyuki was a character that appeared in one chapter in an episodic series, but she was a character that emphasized coolness as well as being a classmate and childhood friend of Lum. I fleshed her out in various ways to differentiate Oyuki from Benten and Ran, she was a lot of fun to draw.


Character - Koga (September 19, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Koga is a demon with fragments of the Shikon Jewel, I wanted to create a demon that wedges himself into the story and immediately likes Kagome from the get-go. I thought that would be really amusing.
I also wanted to have a character that showed it wasn't bad to run away anytime he sensed danger.


Character - Nabiki Tendo (September 21, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

At first I wanted her just to be the cool kid, but she pretty quickly became a character I really liked. Her money-grubbing was something I added later. I was very happy with Minami Takayama's voice work which was the ideal fit.
Nabiki is in the same class as Kuno, and I thought that romance would sprout, but they never hit it off at all.


Character - Shun Mitaka (September 23, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

The editor in charge at that time suggested that I have a rival for Godai. I thought it would be good to have a character that was really conceited and overdone. I intended to just have a gag with his teeth shining, but I'm glad it became a trademark.
Looking at a route map, it had the name Yotsuya on it, so I thought there might need to be a Mitaka as well.

(Translation note: Yotsuya and Mitaka are not only character names in Maison Ikkoku. Yotsuya (and Roppongi) are districts within Tokyo, Mitaka is a municipality just outside of the formal borders of Tokyo.)


Character - Ten (September 26, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

I wasn't sure he really felt like a mascot character, plus I thought it would be fun to have a character who behaved differently depending on who he was interacting with. So Ten did that from the very beginning.
Kazuko Sugiyama's voice was really cute, and she gave me the courage to say, "If this is how Ten comes off, then it's okay to hit him if he's saying smart alec things."

(Translation note: The term "mascot character" refers to a specific type of small, usually cute character. In Takahashi's work Ten, P-Chan, Shippo, Rokumon and Otoya can all be said to fit this model.)


Character - Bankotsu (September 28, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Since he was going to be the linchpin of the Band of Seven my concept was "he has to be the coolest". Afterwards I thought he gave off a very scary presence. Rather than give a proper greeting he's the type just to cut your head off.
No one had worn a braid in Inuyasha since Hiten. I wanted the sight of it flicking and flitting to become a familiar sight during action scenes. Bankotsu is really a barberic barbarian.
Mr. Kusao's voice was really the best.

(Translation note: Bankotsu (蛮骨) is written with the kanji for "barbarian" (蛮) so Takahashi is punning his name when she says he is a barberic barbarian.)


Character - Sakura Mamiya (September 30, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Since she can see spirits everyday, Sakura became a calm child who only speaks when it is needed for story purposes. She has a sense of calmness that can be offputting. Rinne often says he does not know what she is thinking but there were times where even I couldn't grasp what I was drawing. Sometimes I thought, "there's almost nothing to this character at all," there was nothing you could latch on to. I didn't know what Sakura was thinking, but I happily drew her.


Character - Mousse (October 3, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

I wanted to introduce a hidden weapon master. Because he was going to be using hidden weapons he should have long hair and loose fitting clothing.
It is the classic concept- a nearsighted person who takes off their glasses and he is that "handsome boy hidden behind thick glasses". I like birds and since I already had cats and pigs I had him become a duck. As for his name, it is tied to hair-care products.


Character - Sesshomaru's Mother (October 5, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

I was at a point where I had to ask myself, "Who can talk to Sesshomaru?" His mother was the only one left that communicate with him. Even Sesshomaru would give her a little latitude.
Because they are demons she is less concerned with her son's growth and approached him more from a point of, "if you don't come back here, then that's the end of this." As for her appearance it was based on Sesshomaru.


Character - Kosaku Hatanaka (October 7, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

I've been watching boxing since I was little and I always loved Ashita no Joe. Its always more fun to draw imperfect people, so I made a hero like Kosaku.
It would be frustrating to have to deal with someone like that in real life, but when it comes to a character I have a fondness for his type.


Character - Ryunosuke Fujinami (October 10, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

At the time, even if I was turned upside down and shaken I couldn't get any story ideas to come out. I decided to write about the sea because it was summertime, but still nothing interesting came from that...
When I put Mr. Fujinami and his child into the mix however I suddenly thought, "I can draw this!" She actually became a woman as I was drawing. Ryunosuke really extended the life of Urusei Yatsura.


Character - Kohaku (October 12, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Within the world of Inuyasha this was the hardest decision to resolve, and I was always thinking about how to save Kohaku. I kept wondering how can I help save him without killing him? It caused the story to be stretched out a little.
I couldn't really put him with Inuyasha's group because of his past, so I wondered if having him with Sesshomaru and Kikyo might work.


Character - Mana (October 14, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Mana is a girl with a tough personality, but I really like her. The way she eats is really sloppy, but she has that vitality and feeling of "I want to live" which is really great.
The number of "first time experiences" she had as the story went forward. She doesn't hide in the shadow of a man and really leans into everything. She's one of my favorite characters.


Character - Rei (October 17, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Urusei Yatsura had the tacit understanding that "a beautiful boy must be a bad guy", so I thought that he had no choice but to make Rei turn into a cow. He's an easy-to-understand character, what with him being obsessed with food and saying only a few words.
At that time, I drew the most handsome boy I could draw.


Character - Genma (October 19, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

A man becomes a woman → he become a woman if he gets wet → let's make it a cursed spring → likely in China → so if we have a panda lets have someone turn into the panda. His eyes are the same as when he is a human.
I've never seen a panda, so it's bigger than usual. Someday I would like to see a panda in the wild.


Character - New Moon Inuyasha (October 23, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

I decided to do a story about the Spider Temple and thought that I needed to show some of Inuyasha's weaknesses. Long white hair like Inuyasha was a special character design for me, so I drew the new moon version and it was very nice. He looked like the long-haired version of Ranma.


Character - Masato (October 28, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

At first I didn't know if he was going to be an interesting character, so it was a bit of a nervous beginning. It was fun to think about how the harassment techniques of Masato, "how petty and dumb can they be?" I was very particular about how beautiful his face should be and then his character started to develop quite well. He's not strong, he's not smart, but I love characters like this.


Character - Akemi Roppongi (October 30, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

If you are living around a ronin I thought it would be interesting to have someone Godai's own age around him. I decided to make Akemi a regular, recurring character from the beginning.
At the end Kyoko has a wonderful send-off, but I say that because we watched the development between Kyoko and Godai the entire time. The last thing I wanted to add was to make sure Akemi got a happy ending too.

(Translation note: A "ronin" is someone that failed to get into college on their first try and must sit out for a year or more while studying to retake the entrance exams. In this case she is referring to Yusaku Godai.)


Character - Totosai (November 3, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

Well, I needed a swordsmith. Since the sword was coming to be a big part of the story, I wondered if a swordsmith would explain various things and expand the world of the story.
I like a strong grandfather-type. I thought it would be nice to have a yokai grandfather who can fight like a swordsmith with flames and a mallet.

(Note: Kappei Yamaguchi, the voice of Inuyasha quoted this tweet and added, "Joji Yanami has a presence that makes you want to teach yourself the joy of being able to say "Inuyasha" in Totosai's voice. I loved it ^^")


Character - Ran (November 7, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi:

I was surprised that Ran was received better than I expected. Lum never shows her any ill-will, but Ran always gets dragged along somehow. She always appears to be very A-type, but deep down has this intense grudge against Lum. But I think Ran is a good girl.

(Note: An A-type personality is characterized by people that are highly competitive, impatient and associating their self worth with personal achievement.)


Character - Hinako Ninomiya (November 9, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: It was fun to think about how the same person would wear the same clothes. It was decided that I would put create a new character that was a teacher, so I tried to make it a transformation-based character that was not related to Jusenkyo. Her class is the strongest class in the series, but I think she goes easy on her female students.


Character - Sakura (November 14, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: She was originally set up just to be a shrine maiden but because the series was primarily set in a school I decided to make her the school nurse. She was my favorite character so I wanted to ensure she would become a regular. She was one of the few working/employed members of the Urusei cast so she was always refreshing to draw.

(Note: Fumi Hirano, the voice of Lum quoted this tweet and added, "I love her too!! Machio Washio had a great sense of Sakura even in our first recording, everyone was really taken aback!")


Character - Kanna (November 17, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: Because Kanna is "nothing", she could not scheme and plan on her own, but had to follow Naraku's commands. The reason why Kanna, who looks like a child, is the elder sister of Kagura, is because I thought it would be more interesting. After that, I thought that small children could be frightening, so she became a small child.


Character - Yuta (November 20, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: This is my favorite character. He is an upright person who has lived for 500 years, but is not overwhelmed by it, somehow he accepts it and tries to live like a normal human being. In the case of the Mermaid Saga, all the guest characters are strange, so I thought that the main character should be a decent person and he wound up becoming a very well-balanced character.


Character - Tsubasa Jumonji (November 26, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: I created Tsubasa to be a rival for Rinne. However, Rinne and Sakura were a hero and heroine who don't get waver easily. Rinne, of course, was somewhat troubled by Tsubasa's existence.
Tsubasa has a hard time with things and tends to find faults. Overall though he is a strong and positive boy.


Character - Kozue Nanao (November 28, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: I created Kozue as a rival for Kyoko, however rather than being a rival she's someone that made Kyoko's heart murmur. She was fun to draw while having to keep in mind that was "preventing people from saying imporant things", which is the story of Kozue Nanao. I was conscious of creating a cute, ordinary girl.


Character - Kasumi Tendo (December 2, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: I wanted to make each sister a different type, so I made the older sister very tranquil. She's a bit out of touch, but also the responsible one. She doesn't even realize that Dr. Tofu likes her. I think its likely she's an interesting person.
Personally, even from the beginning I never saw her as a potential love interest for Ranma.


Character - Naraku (December 4, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: Let's create Miroku → Let's give him the Wind Tunnel → Who cursed him with the Wind Tunnel? → Let's create Naraku → Let's connect him to Inuyasha and Kikyo. He's a character born from creating the background. By drawing Onigumo I could then see the whole picture.
It was a lonely feeling when I drew the end of Naraku as I thought about how he would never be rewarded.


Character - Sister Angela (December 8, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: Boxers and sisters are pictorially interesting. Since the main character is a hopeless case, I started from the scene of him in confession, but the church pointed out that "a sister is not in a position to hear confession". After that, I was grateful that the church granted me an interview.


Character - Jaken (December 11, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: Jaken is an interpreter for Sesshomaru. He tells me all about how Sesshomaru is feeling. That way I'm able to say things without having Sesshomaru speak but I'm not saying anything out of character. I think his feelings for Rin changed little by little. Furthermore I felt like I had to handle that just right or I'd get told off.


Character - Cherry (December 15, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: The first chapter rough of Urusei was redrawn 7 or 8 times, and the draft that came out at the end had Cherry. The editor in charge told me that it would be better to have a conversation with someone rather than having a character by themselves. I thought it would be good to make him a shady monk. His name is a bad pun, so I was surprised that it worked.


Character - Sango (December 18, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: The roughs were redrawn a couple of times for her debut chapter. At first she had a quieter appearance with a different name. The demon slayer organization is an element that I had been thinking about from the beginning, but then I decided for things to take a cruel turn. If I wanted her to become friends with everyone, then she had to have a reason to hate Naraku, so that became her fate. Then while drawing the story her relationship with Miroku began.


Character - Ageha (December 23, 2021)
Rumiko Takahashi: I really wanted to create a shinigami girl, I remember. I had planned for her to be a romantic rival, but I that wound up not coming to pass. She and Rinne just weren't a match. Rinne was absolutely unshakeable. However it was fun to draw Ageha like a phonenix rising again and again.

(Note: The kanji for "Ageha" (鳳) can also mean "phoenix" so Takahashi is making a pun at the end when comparing Ageha to the bird that rises from its own ashes.)


Character - Kodachi Kuno (January 3, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I wanted to draw a female version of Kuno and I wanted to use the name Kodachi, so I created her as his younger sister. Kuno is not so cowardly, but I wanted Tatewaki and Kodachi to be quite similar. Rather than a romantic rival, Ranma is very popular between the pair. In terms of design there wasn't a lot in common between Kodachi and Ranma.

(Note: Kodachi's voice actress, Saeko Shimazu, commented on Twitter in response, "From the anime Ranma 1/2, thank you for the storm of praise for me. - Kodachi Kuno")


Character - Ryoga Hibiki (January 15, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: He's also a love rival, but originally he was only going to be a martial arts rival for Ranma. At first, I thought about things like making him weak to girls, but after I redrew the rough designs two or three times the sense that we had a bad sense of direction started to come out. I took his name from "Ryoga" (寮駕/excelling,surpassing) but wrote it as "Ryoga" (良牙/good fang) since the former had too many strokes. Mr. Yamadera was wonderful.

(Note: "Mr. Yamadera" is Koichi Yamadera, Ryoga's voice actor from the Ranma 1/2 anime.)


Character - Shippo (January 22, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I wanted a mascot-like child character. The design also came out to be very fox-like. Inuyasha himself is childish in a sense, so I thought it would be better to have a child who can compete with him at that same level. He's a child who came from a surprisingly sad background so he knows sadness and can see those situations around him.
Kumiko Watanabe was perfect for this role.

(Note: Kumiko Wantanabe is Shippo's voice actress in the Inuyasha anime.)


Character - Tamako (January 29, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: She has the role of the storyteller. I personally like her a lot. She is someone that doesn't worry about the little things. Only someone like Tamako could deal with a son like Sabato. However there may have been times when even she wanted to kick him up to the Wheel of Reincarnation and have him pass on. I was really happy with Satsuki Yukino's performance.

(Note: Satsuki Yukino is Tamako's voice in the Kyokai no Rinne anime. She is also Kagome in Inuyasha.)


Story Extra Edition - Shikon Jewel (February 6, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I read about the one-spirit-and-four-souls of Shintoism and decided to make a jewel out of that. The reason I shattered it was to create a reason for the journey. The fact that it was inside Kagome's body also made it a good item to create a sense of reincarnation.
The story started with the Shikon Jewel, so I made it end with the Shikon Jewel.


Character - Ukyo Kuonji (February 12, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I wanted to create a new character and decided to have her dress like a man. After finishing the manuscript and all the assistants had gone I thought, "Ukyo is too ordinary, let's have her be a fighter." Ranma is a story about fighting so I gave her a huge okonomiyaki spatula to make her stand out.


Story Extra Edition - Jusenkyo (February 19, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I had decided that a man would turn into a woman, but the timing was difficult to figure out. I thought it would be funny if he was covered with cold and hot water. When I came up with this idea, I intuitively thought, "This'll be a curse." I thought, "Anything is possible in China. There are many hidden places and springs."
You can't break the curse, so you have to overwrite it.


Character - Rokumon (February 27, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Ten and Shippo were antagonististic to the main characters, so it was refreshing for me to see a little person that was not going against the main character. He's practical, but he's basically there for Rinne. Once in a while Rokumon rebels, but I thought he kept his private life separate.
He doesn't wear clothes, but whether he is naked or in costume is a mystery.


Character - Kikyo (March 12, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I was thrilled when I drew her, wondering, "What is Kikyo going to do?" When she's in the story, the tension is racheted up. How Kagome deals with the negative feelings that Kikyo brings to the table has helped to reveal Kagome's inner feelings. Surprisingly, Inuyasha didn't change, but Kagome grew up after meeting Kikyo.
The way I came up with the way that she revives is from picking up Mashiko ware during my travels.

(Note: Mashiko ware is a type of pottery made in the town of Mashiko in Tochigi Prefecture. The town is noted for its open air, earthen kilns like those Urasue uses to craft Kikyo's body.

Noriko Hidaka, Kikyo's voice actress also commented on the post saying: "Playing her was exciting, troubling, and difficult, but I loved the tense purity that Kikyo possesses. I am glad I was able to play the role.")


Character - Kotatsuneko (March 20, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: The character was born with the idea of drawing a story titled "There's a cat on the stairs!" The editor in charge at the time liked the character and asked me to put him in more, so I made him appear in subsequent stories. It was easy and fun to draw. I like the fact that he is friendly with the principal character and puffs on his pipe. Kotatsuneko is comfortable doing whatever he does.


Character - Yotsuya (March 27, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: The same is true of Sekoi in "Dust Spot" that I drew at the time of my debut, but I had been drawing men of that design for a while back then. I liked that design a lot, so I reincarnated it as Yotsuya in Maison. I think this man can be found in many different world lines.


Character - Shinobu Miyake (April 17, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: In the initial ten-part serialization, I drew a future in which Shinobu would marry Ataru, and I kept wondering how I could resolve this future.
I came up with a parallel world and a door, and was able to introduce Inaba as well, which I thought would make Shinobu happy. The Urusei serialization ended because I saw Shinobu was happy.

(Note: The "initial ten-part serialization" that Takahashi refers to is the fact that the first few chapters of Urusei Yatsura were done while Takahashi was a college student. The series was serialized in spurts throughout 1978 and 1979. While she says the story was part of the initial ten-part serialization it was actually chapter 12.

Saeko Shimazu, the voice of Shinobu, responded to the tweet saying: "When the TV anime was recorded, I always felt sorry for Shinobu... As a message to my fans, I often said, "Please think about Shinobu's happiness, too. Now I know what Rumiko-sensei was thinking, and I am crying tears of joy...I was happy to play Shinobu. Thank you very much. 🌹")


Story Extra Edition - Tessaiga (April 24, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I wanted to do a haunted sword as a rusty sword that changes and a katana that grows. It grew up with Inuyasha, so it was a bonus to be able to depict that kind of relationship. I added various techniques as needed, but for what it's worth, the Wind Scar was my favorite.


Story Extra Edition - Tenseiga (April 29, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Sesshomaru is wearing a sword when he first appears, but at that point it had not been decided what kind of sword it was. I didn't know when to have him pull it out, even in the aftermath of the fight with Inuyasha, so I came up with the idea of Tenseiga later.

I wanted it to be the opposite of Tessaiga and the opposite of Sesshomaru, a sword that saves people. It is the type of sword that follows you even if you throw it away.


Character - Hanae Ichinose (May 8, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: She is someone you don't want around you. She is an adult who drinks alcohol in the daytime, but that's her way of life, so she can't help it. But she is a good person, or at least has a decent side. Otherwise, I don't think her attitude toward life is all that acceptable.


Character - Kain (May 15, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: At first I tried to create a cool, cool character, but there were too many scandals in the government, so I ended up making him more weird. I liked that he wore glasses when he worked. I thought the reason he was bitter when he appeared was because he had such a deep resentment toward the Rokudo father and son.


Character - Jakotsu (May 23, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I first had the idea of having a woman mixed in with the Band of Seven, but I wasn't sure it would be a good idea for Inuyasha and a woman to be trying to kill one another, so I ended up with Jakotsu. It was the first time for me to draw a boy who likes boys, but it was interesting to draw him as a character.

(Note: Masanao Murakami, Takahashi's editor on Inuyasha at the time shares his recollection on the creation of Jakotsu in this interview.)


Character - Kyoko Otonashi (May 30, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I was a student at the time (of her creation) and thought that widows were mysterious and interesting. I was told by the editor in charge to getting her involved with Godai as a way to connect her past and present, and I initially did not envision that she would get together with him. At first, I thought I was going to produce a hard woman, but by the time I named her, she became someone with "more youthfulness," and the image of the heroine was solidified.


Story Extra Edition - Mermaids (June 5, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I had an image of mermaids as beautiful, but perhaps because most of the stories I saw as a child were sad I thought "just being beautiful is not enough to tell a story." Since it is a dark fantasy, I put in some frightening devices. Such as the depiction of a mermaid's face becoming like the person they fed upon.

Those who failed to gain immortality look as if their bodies have turned inside out.


Character - Happosai (June 12, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I wanted to introduce the fathers' master to the series. Inevitably, he became an old man. Since Ranma is a woman, I wanted to have a good, dirty-minded person who would be involved in that. He is strong when he gets serious, but not as a person.

I had no intention of writing any beautiful master/disciple relationship.


Story Extra Edition - Ikkoku-kan (June 19, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Next to the apartment I lived in when I was a student, there was a student dormitory that looked almost like Ikkoku-kan. It was a strange and intriguing building with kendo masks and kendo gloves drying in the windows, broken windowpanes and books were sticking out as well. I attached a clock tower to it and named it Ikkoku-kan.

It was torn down before I moved out.

(Note: Takahashi wrote about the building that inspired Ikkoku-kan in her short story 1980.)


Character - Byakuya (June 30, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Since Kagura was gone, I needed someone who could talk to Naraku. I think he was the most loyal person to Naraku and didn't go against him all that much. I hadn't thought about how to use Byakuya's sword when it first appeared, but in the end it wound up being something that could go after Kagome.

The incarnations of Naraku were either a monster or a beauty.


Character - Tatewaki Kuno (July 11, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Since this is a school story, I wanted to show an upperclassman who was involved in club activities. I tried my best to make him beautiful, but he was more weird than cool. I found myself thinking, "I can't keep up with this person. Kuno was the first character that passed into that zone. He liked both Ranma and Akane and never had a gray cloud on his horizon.


Character - Lum's Father (July 18, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: The fact that Ataru saw her father first and refused to play tag, and then saw Lum and accepted the offer, was a good prelude to Lum's appearance, and it was also a good way to see Ataru's personality. Lum speaks with -Dacha, but her father doesn't find it cute, so he uses the Kansai dialect. I wonder how the family communicates with each other?


Character - Nagisa Shiowatari (July 25, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: The concept for Nagisa was to be Ryunosuke's match. I thought of him as the exact opposite of Ryunosuke and also wanted to portray him properly as a man. I was absolutely certain that he was stronger than Ryunosuke, and I enjoyed thinking about the fighting style of beach-sumo.

Nagisa treated Ryunosuke the most like a girl. A real gentleman.


Character - Inuyasha's Father (July 31, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: He is no longer with us, but he is a big part of his sons' lives. The model for the skull is a saber-toothed tiger. I happened to get a specimen of it and thought I would use it when I had the chance.

He seems to be very critical of Sesshomaru, but I thought he was thinking, "He's the older brother, he's a real demon, and he should be strong on his own."


Character - Renge Shima (August 13, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: She is a former classmate of Ageha, but she is the exact opposite of her, Renge is a hardworking girl. I wanted a henchman for Sabato and thought it would be interesting to have an enemy among classmates, so I made her a Damashigami. I wanted Renge to be poor and compete with Rinne, so I couldn't remove the poverty aspect.


Character - Ibuki Yagami (August 21, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I thought it would be interesting to throw Godai into an all-girls school, and the main purpose was to link the memories of Kyoko and Soichiro. The character was born out of that.

She is like a girl who is in love with the idea of love. Her school uniform was modeled after my alma mater, and I drew her with a nostalgic feeling. Honestly, she was easy to draw and to direct her in the story.


Character - Myoga (August 29, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I thought that since Inuyasha was a dog, it might be possible for him to have fleas, so I created Myoga as a flea demon. He runs away quickly, and his ability to sense danger is amazing.

He had been in Inuyasha's father's service since his father's was still living, so he was very useful to use for explaining different things. I thought having a grandfatherly character would balance the story. If it was just younger characters, the story would get out of control.


Character - Benten (September 5, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Since it was Setsubun, I thought I would do a battle between oni and gods of fortune. In keeping with Benzaiten, Benten was made female. The gods of fortune were generally boorish, so Benten was made in that fashion as well.

Benten was very active in the movie "Only You", and that made me want to move her into the main story more often as well.


Character - Kagura (September 12, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: "I am the wind. Someday I'll be free." The first time I considered, "she's going to die. This is her indication of her death." I cried when she died because she was a character I was attached to. She was supposed to die alone, but that didn't seem right, so everyone was there to see her off.


Character - Kurosu (September 19, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: He's undeniably a pure business black cat. He's the personification of work-style reform. He'll only work overtime if he is being paid. If its unpaid overtime he'll absolutely refuse. I was thrilled that Akira Ishida fit the role so perfectly.


Character - Soun Tendo (September 26, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Ranma's father is a certain type, so I decided to contrast him with a design that would fit into more of a handsome style if he tried hard enough, but Soun turned out to be an old fogey type regardless. I created his character based on the interactions of his daughters. While his daughter is flirting with the idea of getting married his family is very important to him.

Ryusuke Obayashi did a great job providing his voice!


Character - Kentaro Ichinose (October 3, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: I have a habit of creating little children. I also wanted to give Mrs. Ichinose a family because I thought it would be hard showing her alone and drunk. With the residents of Ikkoku-kan tormenting Godai from all sides, I thought that an attack from a child would at least be something he could handle. I'm glad I could write chapters about a child's problems, sports day events, etc.


Character - Ryoko Mendo (October 14, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Their last name is about the only thing this brother and sister have in common. In those days the word wasn't as common, but I guess you could say she's something of a psychopath. The ones she enjoyed bullying the most were Ton-chan and her brother. She thinks of it as a method of communication. The reason she would invite Ataru over is because it would upset her brother. She enjoyed seeing his reaction.


Character - Cologne (October 24, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: Since Shampoo is from a female-only tribe, the only strong, elderly person I can think of is an old lady-type. In my imagination, she is like a strong old lady in a Jackie Chan movie.

Mousse rudely called Cologne a "ghoul" and a "dried up monkey," but it was surprisingly fun to come up with the insults!


Character - Ataru's Father (November 17, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: In the manga I had been reading, there were quite a few "fathers relaxing at home in a yukata", so Ataru's father also wears a yukata. I also really liked Kenichi Ogata's voice, but I was surprised that Mr. Furukawa's voice in the new anime didn't feel out of place. The conversation between parent and child with Mr. Kamiya is very interesting. I was very impressed.


Character - Suikotsu (December 9, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: One of the variations (that makes him unique) is his dual personalities. When considering who he would fight on Inuyasha's side, I thought it would be good for Kikyo to have an opponent with both a good and evil soul. I thought it would be interesting for her to get involved with him without knowing at first, and then gradually he would reveal his true identity. I also like how his face becomes like Devilman, that kind of change is ironic.

(Note: Devilman is the protagonist of the eponymous 1972 manga by Go Nagai.)


Character - Kurama (December 22, 2022)
Rumiko Takahashi: She was the initial main guest in the early days. It was interesting for her to be intertwined with various people later on. I tied her to Yoshitsune because of the wordplay between "Kuro" (九郎) and "Crow" and the legend of Kurama Tengu. And Kurama also had a crow following her.
Kurama is very in-your-face.

(Note: Minamoto no Yoshitsune was also known as "Kuro Hangan" (九郎判官) hence Takahashi punning "kuro" and "crow". The Kurama Tengu was also alleged to have taught Minamoto no Yoshitsune the art of war.


Character - Tobimaro Mizunokoji (January 19, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: In terms of design, he is crafted in the image of old hot-blooded shonen manga characters. He can eat a baseball, he can throw up a lot, and he's surprisingly versatile. He a character who has various skills in terms of gag manga.
Ton-chan is Mendo's rival.


Character - Yura of the Hair (February 4, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: The first strong demon Inuyasha fought. I wanted human-like so she would be able to communicate with Inuyasha, since he was not able to communicate with other demons in the same way. It was fun to draw the way she manipulated her hair and the way she moved around. I wanted a pretty girl because her weapon is her hair and she uses a comb, so I thought it would be more fun to make her pretty.


Character - Nozomi Nikaido (February 11, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: The talk of the editorial department was that he had a bad reputation. They told me quite a few criticisms. Readers' reactions were nowhere near as good, and I did my best, but I was very disappointed. Nikaido was given the role of saying insensitive comments when everyone else would read the mood and shut up.

I did my best, but I'm sorry, Nikaido.


Character - Mr. Fujinami (February 26, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: Looking back on it now, I think he's psycho, but I didn't think it was that abnormal when I was drawing it. It was a gag role.

Without him, Ryunosuke would not have grown up that way. He has told all kinds of lies to achieve this. He is aware that he is telling lies, so he is always sane.

He is in the same line as Oscar's father in Rose of Versailles.


Character - Renkotsu (March 13, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: No. 2 and smart. But maybe he wasn't that smart. I kind of thought that the people around him would look down on him because they were even dumber, and that he would be the one who would go through the process of betraying them. The Band of Seven isn't monolithic. I didn't draw it, but he was the one who converted Ginkotsu.


Character - Yusaku Godai (March 20, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: At first, he was one of the residents, not the protagonist. I did not expect for him to fall in love with Kyoko.

He has moments of jealousy and envy because of people like Mitaka, but he doesn't don't blame others. He had to make an effort in his own way, so I gave him a lot of trials. I thought he grew up okay in the end.


Character - Nodoka Saotome (April 3, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: The mother is a very thematic character who "would have Ranma commit seppuku if you didn't grow up to be a man." So, it was fun to depict the drama between the father and son in this situation. Because she is a mother, she was more into her son than her husband. She loves her son.


Character - Asuka Mizunokoji (April 10, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: A new character in the second half of the series, but I enjoyed drawing her. I liked the way Asuka went wild and the people around her tried to take her down, with lots of action and plenty of tools to bring out.

The eyes are the same as her brother's. I quite like that the family has "star eyes" except for the father.

I was happy to hear Sumi Shimamoto's voice.


Character - Otome Rokudo (April 24, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: She was very late to the series, but I was thinking endlessly about who she was for a long time. When Megumi Hayashibara was chosen to voice her I was really happy.

I enjoyed thinking about how she got to know Sabato and why she had disappeared from Rinne's life and their memories of her. (Spoiler warning)


Character - Miroku (June 5, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: I came up with the idea for the Wind Tunnel because various battle manga had "things coming out of people's hands" but never "things being sucked into someone's hand". From there, I was glad to be able to create Miroku's personal story and his relationship with Naraku. His womanizing, cheerful and worldly nature is a contrast to Inuyasha. Miroku's presence made Inuyasha's seriousness stand out more.


Character - Rinne Rokudo (October 3, 2023)
Rumiko Takahashi: I was aiming for a relaxed style. He listens to the spirits and persuades them, so he is interactive. His job is to send them on their way, so he is not a selfish person. The role was different from Inuyasha and Ranma. It was not a battle with the spirits.

Rinne was so occupied with money worries that it was hard for him to worry about romance in more than one direction, so he was focused only on Sakura.


Character - Kagome Higurashi (May 10, 2024)
Rumiko Takahashi: Inuyasha was ferocious and twisted at first, so I wanted Kagome to be a girl who could stand up to him as an equal. Although she is Kikyo's reincarnation, she realizes that they have very different personalities. She has absolutely no memory of her previous life.

I wanted her to be a heroine who does her best in both modern times and the Sengoku period, rather than running away from either.


Character - Inaba (May 16, 2024)
Rumiko Takahashi: Basically, this is a character I came up with to make Shinobu happy. He has the conscious of someone who would be a good match for Shinobu.

Since he started in a world with a lot of doors, he was designed with a rabbit costume similar to something from Alice in Wonderland. But his name comes from the Japanese white rabbit character.

(Note: Saeko Shimazu, the voice of Shinobu quoted this tweet and added, "Rumiko Takahashi is so kind💗. I played Shinobu in the 1981 anime Urusei Yatsura. I was also very happy to meet Inaba-san for the first time in the recording of the OVA "Inaba the Dream Maker". "Shinobu, how great."")


Character - Rupa (June 6, 2024)
Rumiko Takahashi: The setting was dark and all, so I went for that design. I thought it was cuter if he spoke with an accent. I also thought it was more interesting for aliens to have an accent. There was an unspoken understanding in Urusei Yatsura that "handsome guys have to be bad guys," so if he didn't have an accent, it wouldn't work.


Character - Lum (June 20, 2024)
Rumiko Takahashi: I think this is the best design ever. At first, I thought of her as a guest characters, but she ended up becoming the heroine, which was great in itself. I'm glad that people still recognize her and say "oh, it's Lum-chan."

Lum is a devoted daughter.