Rumiko Takahashi Is An Underrated Author

byTyrone Dismuke

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Rumiko Takahashi isn't underrated at all. She is the author of several titles but her biggest hits were Inuyasha, Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, and Maison Ikkoku. These are 4 of the most iconic series all over the world yet despite that, despite that 2 of the series would help advance anime and manga into the west, Rumiko is still somewhat underrated.

Over here in the west we praise series like Naruto and One Piece over series like Ranma. We prefer series that have a certain level of violence and adventure to it compared to something like Ranma which is a romance martial arts series. That’s not to say those series can’t get big but just think about it. Ranma maybe a bigger series than Inuyasha, it came first but over here in the west, most fans hold Inuyasha to a higher pedestal compared to Ranma.

When we speak of great Mangaka with great series, Rumiko never comes up in the conversation. Her series are arguably and sometimes clearly better than most of the series we have such a high regard for but because her series are romance at its core, no matter how much demon slaying or martial arts there are in those series, the end game is usually to get the girl or guy. Eiichiro Oda is nicknamed “GODA” (god oda) because of how intricate the One Piece series is. Masashi Kishimoto gave us one of the best series in Naruto and we always thank them for it but Takahashi has done the same but her worth isn’t appreciated in the west as much as Oda and Kishimoto.

Rumiko Takahashi is the best selling female in all of comics. She is the only female author to sell over 100 million copies of her work and its still growing to this day. Her series whether taking a dark turn like Inuyasha or a light hearted rom com like Maison Ikkoku, were always of great quality. In the east she is a heavyweight on par with the greats but in the west she’s a mid tier player.

For over 40 years she has been providing us with great fiction and she has been rewarded greatly for her work but I wish western fans talked more about her the same way we respect Oda and Akira Toriyama who brought us Dragon Ball. Takahashi is a legend in all regards but I wish western fans treated her as such like eastern fans do.