"I'll Never Let Ataru Say 'I Love You!'
22 Questions with Rumiko Takahashi About Her "Most Popular Characters of All Time"

Translation by: Harley Acres

Manga artist Rumiko Takahashi is once again attracting attention with the announcement of the new anime adaptation of Urusei Yatsura.

Speaking of Rumiko Takahashi, she opened an official Twitter account last June. A project that has become popular on the account is the "Character Short Story". In these irregularly scheduled posts Takahashi shares her thoughts and behind-the-scenes stories about her characters.

However, each post is limited to 140 characters on Twitter. Many fans must be thinking, "I want Rumiko Takahashi to tell me more and more about that character I like!" Therefore, Da Vinci Web conducted interviews with Takahashi on 10 of the most popular characters in the "Character Short Stories" section.

So far, themes such as "how has the character changed from the original concept and made unexpected choices" have often been discussed, however I also asked questions focusing on "the change and growth of the character since the time they were originally conceived".

Rumiko Takahashi answered each question very carefully in her own handwriting. This was a very valuable interview, with many behind-the-scenes stories appearing here for the first time.

【On the Whole】

Q1 & 2: You often say things like, "This is what happened while I was drawing the character," or "This is how I thought it would turn out, but it didn't." When and in what way do your characters move beyond your imagination?

The basic character's detailed personality is decided while drawing them initially. I try to get a "unique" feeling from their reactions in each chapter and the interactions they have with other characters. There is no specific timing for when they develop beyond some initial conception.

Urusei Yatsura
1. Ataru Moroboshi

Q3: In the process of conceptualizing Ataru, what were some of the changes you made from the original setting?

At first, I wanted him to be involved in various disasters, but I didn't want Ataru to seem like a victim, so I decided to make him proactive and he'd be the disaster himself. Mainly the cause would be women for him. I think that made Ataru more of a protagonist.

Q4: At what stage did you decide on his actions and lines towards Lum in the last chapter? What was on your mind when you drew the final scene?

I decided after I started drawing the last storyline that he would not be able to act honestly, given his previous actions and behavior. I decided that I would never let Ataru say "I love you," so I thought about how he would act and express his feelings to Lum. I drew all of Ataru's past actions, words, and quirks, and I believe that Ataru was able to carry on being Ataru to the very end.

Urusei Yatsura
2. Ran

Q5: You mentioned "type A-ish." When you think of a character, do you also decide on blood type? Please let me know if you have a blood type in mind for Ataru and Lum. (I thought they both seemed like type B).

As I draw, I gradually think that this character will be this way. There is no clear decision about their personality from the very beginning. Later on I thought that Lum and Ataru were a mix of B and O blood types.

Q6: You said, "I was surprised that Ran was received better than I expected." Did a character's popularity change the opportunities for for them to appear in a story or the way in which they played an active role?

The earliest I could get a response from readers for a new recurring character was two weeks, and it was even slower at the time of Urusei Yatsura's serialization, so I was groping my way through it at first. If the character became popular, their number of appearances would naturally increase, and since we had "gained the readers' permission" so to speak, we could expand the story by combining the new character with the existing regulars. In the case of Ran, it was fun to draw the differences in her personality in comparison to that of Benten, Oyuki and Lum.

Maison Ikkoku
3. Shun Mitaka

Q7: In a past interview, you mentioned that you "carefully wrote the last part of Coach Mitaka's story." What attracted you to him?

He was a rival character that had been in the series since near the beginning, so I wanted to ensure that he had a well-deserved exit.

Q8: Was the development of Mitaka stepping aside an easy decision? Please tell us how you made the decision, such as changes in his relationship with Godai and other ideas.

When it was decided that he was not good with dogs, the editor in charge predicted that "this man will be destroyed by dogs someday", and I found that to be an interesting idea.

The chapter of Mitaka stepping aside was also drawn over time while interweaving dogs at key points.

The chapter in which Asuna and Mitaka decide to get married was revised drastically in the manuscript stage. The first draft had a strong sense of "giving up," but I wanted him to live happily with his decision, so I added the album chapter and Asuna's puns to give it a more cheerful feel.

Maison Ikkoku
4. Akemi Roppongi

Q9: Towards the end of the story, Akemi's actions greatly pushed forward the the plot. Was this something you had expected would happen?

Akemi had been a regular character since the first chapter and had a good grasp of most of the issues between Godai and Kyoko, so she was in a position to say a lot of things, and she was able to take a shot at Kyoko's rather irrational behavior and actions. This was not what I had in mind from the beginning, but I think it worked out well.

Q10: Do you think she really liked Godai?

As far as this author is concerned, not really.

Ranma 1/2
5. Shampoo

Q11: Shampoo gives the impression that her movements in fight scenes are softer than the other female characters. How did you become aware of the distinction between "Shampoo-like movements"?

I was very conscious of linear movements and thrusts such as when she has her heavy, weight-like weapons... ^[1]

At the beginning of the series, while learning various techniques from kenpo practioners, I thought the beautiful curves of Chinese kenpo were wonderful, and since Shampoo is a woman, I wanted to add a gracefulness to her movements.

Q12: Was the change in Shampoo's attitude toward Akane, who was her romantic rival, intended? Also, please tell us about any changes in her feelings toward Ranma.

I am not conscious that her behavior changed very much, but I think that as the story progressed and she and Akane became involved many times, they went from being very violent romantic rivals to being able to have a dialogue with one another to some extent.

I think that Shampoo's feelings for Ranma did not change much, although there were many variations in the way she expressed those feelings.

Ranma 1/2
6. Ryoga Hibiki

Q13: As the main character's rival, I think Ryoga is one of the most popular characters in your works. Are there any "rival characters" appearing in other works that you imagined as you were writing your subsequent series? Also, please tell us how you feel about Ryoga's popularity and if it had any particular influence on his appearances in the series.

None at all.

Ryoga was the first character other than Mr. Saotome and his son that also had a transformation, so I was hoping he would stick around. In my mind, Ranma's characterization, light and fairly spare, was rather rare, and I liked Ryoga's hot-bloodedness, which is the kind of shonen manga I admire. So I was relieved when he became popular. He is not just a rival, but sometimes he helps Ranma, which sets him apart from other rival characters, in that there is also a sense of friendship, making him a character that I enjoyed drawing.

Q14: Ryoga has a consistent personality of "naive with no sense of direction", but please tell us if there are any other ideas that you came up with but did not use.

I tried in the first rough draft to have something about Ryoga not being able to talk with girls very well, but it didn't work, so I scrapped it. However, there are some elements of that that still crept in. I also decided from the very beginning that he would turn into a pig.

Inuyasha
7. Bankotsu

Q15: Bankotsu is popular despite his short appearance, but was there ever a case, not only with Bankotsu but others, where you might consider extending his life or increasing his appearances in response to readers' reception?

The Band of Seven were dead in the beginning of their story, and as long as they were revived via the Shikon Jewel, they had no choice but to die again. So I didn't extend their lives, but I thought I'd give them good endings.

And when the Band of Seven debuted and two of them were killed off pretty quickly, as a result the remaining five people had to divide the roles, and as a result, their number of appearances increased. After that, I drew while thinking about who they could play off of among Inuyasha's allies.

It was Jakotsu that had many readers asking for him to stick around longer, but I had to kill him... I too was very sad when I drew the end of Jakotsu.

Q16: Speaking of "leaders of the enemy's army," you have many fascinating characters in many works, but can you tell us about any characters or works that have influenced you?

I like the excitement of a manga that deals with the coming together of a group of friends until they are all together. Conversely, in creating the leader figure, I tried not to disappoint the readers' expectations. ^[2]

Inuyasha
8. Sango

Q17: You said, "but then I decided for things to take a cruel turn" when you were creating Sango. How did you feel when you drew Sango in the circumstances that she dealt with?

In my mind, the character was in a rather harsh situation, so I felt sorry for her as I was drawing the story. However, there were lines and actions that came out because of such circumstances, such as betraying her friends for her brother's sake, saying "I would rather die here with him". Sacrificing Rin to save Miroku, which would not have been possible without Sango's background. She was quite unusual among the main characters, which was refreshing.

Q18: Please tell us at what stage it was decided Sango would be connected with Miroku. Was this a surprising development for you as well?

When Miroku collected the bones of Sango's father and the other demon slayers and said, "I will hold a memorial service," Sango trusted (though not fully) Miroku, and I thought this would work. However, it developed into quite a life-threatening love affair, so that part was beyond my expectations.

Kyokai no RINNE
9. Sakura Mamiya

Q19: I was also not able to grasp the idea that "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." Does this mean that you were able to imagine her feelings while thinking about what she would say, do, and how things would turn out? I would like to know how you do it.

The fun part of drawing Sakura were her little "comments". It was like a gentle rush.

The scenes where her feelings come out is when they are directed toward Rinne, so although I could understand her feelings, I wondered how Sakura would express those feelings while I was drawing her. I wanted her to be always somewhat aloof, and I was searching for that kind of Sakura-ness.

Q20: Not only in Kyokai no RINNE but in any of your works, do you ever think to yourself, "I know exactly how this person feels!" Do you have any characters that you feel that way about?

Godai in Maison was quite easy for me to understand.

Mermaid Saga
10. Mana

Q21: During the period when you were drawing the Mermaid Saga, you were working on Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma 1/2. Were you influenced by heroines such as Kyoko Otonashi and Akane Tendo when you were drawing Mana?

Not at all. Mana was just Mana.

Q22: Do you think the changes in your life and and feelings affects your character while drawing them over an extended period of time?

In a manner of speaking, the Mermaid Saga was drawn in real time, with the sense that the characters shared the same time frame as the author/readers.

The beginning of this was the encounter between Yuta and Mana, so how Mana's heart was developed by Yuta was an important element of each chapter. I don't think my experiences as the author had much influence on the characters.

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Looking at Rumiko Takahashi's answers, it is clear that each character has changed significantly from her initial conception based on the relationships between characters and the response from readers.

Such "changes beyond the author's imagination" are probably one of the points that make the characters in Rumiko Takahashi's works so lively and attractive.

Interview and text by Da Vinci Web Editorial Department

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Footnotes

• [1] Though Takahashi does not mention the weapons by name, they are called "sousui".
• [2] In "My Page One", Takahashi's interview with her editors, Masanao Murakami (村上正直), her editor during the Band of Seven storyline, mentioned how the coming together of the Band of Seven felt like something from a Shonen Jump series, particularly Masami Kurumada's Ring ni Kakero (リングにかけろ).

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