Otaku have Rumiko Takahashi to thank for many of their favorite stories, from Urusei Yatsura to Maison Ikkoku to InuYasha. Takahashi writes mostly shonen stories, but her romances are some of the strongest parts of her pieces. She writes in varied genres, including historical isekai fantasy, contemporary romance, science fiction, and horror.
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Takahashi's works are so loved that they've been translated into many languages, and they've influenced much of isekai anime today. InuYasha set the tone for many tsundere love interests to follow — before him, most popular tsundere love interests were women. Even Takahashi's lesser-known works, like Mermaid Saga, are thoughtful masterpieces.
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10 Rumiko Takahashi Didn't Always Want To Be A Mangaka
Rumiko Takahashi is one of today's most legendary manga writers, but she didn't always know that creating manga would be her work. Takahashi dabbled in creative works but didn't really gather steam for that life direction until she took a month-long drawing course.
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Takahashi was an avid reader, just not of manga for a while. She debuted her first manga piece in 1975 when she was 18 years old. Though she wasn't an obsessive manga fan since a tender age, she certainly started her career at a young age, and she made a start with short stories like "Star of Futile Dust."
9 Novelists Influenced Rumiko Takahashi More Than Other Mangaka
Takahashi's largest creative influence is novelist Yasutaka Tsutsui, who wrote novels like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (perhaps this influenced the first Inuyasha episode title, "The Girl Who Overcame Time...and the Boy Who Was Just Overcome") and Paprika. Tsutsui's works are also adapted into iconic anime movies.
Tsutsui's stories are incredibly creative and surrealist, filled with dark humor and nuanced psychological thrills. Rumiko Takahashi shows that it's important for creatives to read widely. Drawing from a deep well helps diversify creativity and cultivate unique stories.
8 Rumiko Takahashi Loves Love Stories
Early in her career, Rumiko Takahashi expressed that though she doesn't write love stories often, she loves a good love story. While none of her works are straightforward romances, many of her works early and later on have compelling romance subplots that are integral to the characters and world. Her works like Inuyasha and Ranma 1/2 are known for their romances.
Takahashi's romances are varied, and they are trendsetting. They set the standard for popular romance tropes like slow-burn romances and love triangles. The love triangle between Kagome, Kikyo, and Inuyasha is one of the most iconic in all anime.
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7 Lum Set The Tone For Magical Waifus
Rumiko Takahashi's breakout piece was Urusei Yatsura. It's a classic that is still wildly popular today. Just like Inuyasha setting the tone for guy tsunderes to follow in anime, the girl love interest of Urusei, Lum, set the tone for many characters to follow.
Lum is a magical girlfriend who causes delightful chaos for Ataru. Takahashi's said that Ataru is the main character, but fans love the iconic Lum so much that she takes protagonist status in their minds. Many characters would take after Lum in subsequent anime and manga by other artists, like the character Tohru from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid.
6 Rumiko Takahashi Thinks Godai Would Make The Best Boyfriend
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In an interview, Rumiko Takahashi was asked which of her characters would make the best boyfriend. She said that she finds "Godai easier to love than Ataru" and that he could make her the happiest. Godai is the protagonist of her contemporary piece, Maison Ikkoku.
Ataru is cute and funny, but he's a total lecher. Godai is flawed but far sweeter. Not only does he have dashing looks on his side, but he's kind and not presumptuous. He's an imaginative daydreamer, which can hold him back sometimes, but he's capable of maturity, which is integral.
5 Rumiko Takahashi May Never Marry, But She Would Marry One Particular Character
Rumiko Takahashi's said previously that she never plans on marrying. And where her Maison Ikkoku protagonist Godai would make a good, lovable boyfriend, her character that's true marriage material is a cat.
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Kotatsu-neko is an overlarge cat from Urusei Yatsura. He's the ghost of a cat that froze to death, and he has immense magical powers. Though he's experienced sad things and he's incredibly powerful, he's careful and conscientious about his powers. He prioritizes "living" a good life. Even though he's a cat, his personality definitely says husband material.
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4 Rumiko Takahashi Finds Male Assistants Troublesome
Rumiko Takahashi works with women exclusively as she writes and creates. She has specifically said that she wouldn't hire a male assistant because he would be "troublesome." She prefers the atmosphere of a studio of women working together without distraction.
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Takahashi writes for a male demographic, but that is more of a publishing and marketing decision than a creative decision. Her work stands out among other shonen pieces because of its creativity, complex characters, and nuanced romances. Her woman and girl characters are never accessories to the guy hero, which was often the case in early shonen stories, especially.
3 Rumiko Takahashi May Still Revisit Mermaid Saga
Mermaid Saga stands out from the rest of Rumiko Takahashi's work in a few ways. It's a psychological horror that takes place in the modern world with flashbacks to historical eras and follows two immortal lovers. It's also inspired by Japanese mermaid folklore, depicting them as bloodthirsty, cannibalistic creatures.
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Not many people knew what to make of the series, and the anime adaptation, Mermaid Forest, was canceled even after most of the gore from the manga was edited out. The lovers also start dating early on, and their romance is beautiful, quiet, and constant. It's a strange, lovely, and terrifying series that hasn't had a new release in decades. But in 2009, several years after the last installment, Takahashi said she considered the series unfinished and may still add to it.
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2 Rumiko Takahashi's Ideation Process Is Pretty Freestyle And Collaborative
People are always interested in their favorite authors' creative process. Rumiko Takahashi tries very hard to meet deadlines, and her influences are varied, which shows directly in her varied works. The way she decides on her next piece is surprisingly organic and relaxed.
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Rumiko Takahashi noodles around in her sketchbook, shows it to her editor, and sees what gets the most laughter. Art is a collaborative effort. It always helps to have a sounding board at some point in the ideation process.
1 Rumiko Takahashi Studied History At University
It's not the end of the world if someone doesn't make a career directly related to their college degree, which mangaka like Rumiko Takahashi and Naoko Takeuchi exemplify. Takahashi's studies absolutely inform and enrich her artistic work. Her most popular work today, Inuyasha, is a historical fantasy.
Takahashi's historical worlds are lush and feel incredibly real, even with all the fantasy elements. She also has a great understanding of mythology and folklore. That knowledge base informs many of the characters and supernatural beings in her works like Inuyasha and Mermaid Saga.
