Even if anime fans don’t recognize the name ‘Rumiko Takahashi’, they’re certainly familiar with her work. Newer fans will know her as the woman behind InuYasha, the romantic adventure tale between modern day girl Kagome and feudal-era demi-human InuYasha. Its anime was a regular fixture on Adult Swim and Toonami back in the day.
Still, that’s not her only notable work. By the time she started work on the original InuYasha manga, she had already made her name with multiple bestsellers. But which ones are worth a reader's while today? Here are a few suggestions.
8 Urusei Yatsura
Takahashi’s breakout romantic comedy manga for Weekly Shonen Sunday may have only been a cult hit outside of Japan, but it was a big deal in its home country. It told the story of a hapless boy called Ataru Moroboshi, who ends up stuck with an unwelcome admirer. He saved the world by beating the beautiful but formidable alien princess Lum at Tag.
She was duty-bound to grant one of his wishes, but she misunderstood him, thinking he wanted to marry her instead of his girlfriend Shinobu. Now he’s stuck with a sexy, if clingy, alien, along with many other alien suitors that arrive along the way. The series would inspire similar romcoms like Tenchi Muyo and Love Hina, alongside a classic 1980s anime series and the 2022 adaptation on HIDIVE.
7 Maison Ikkoku
Aimed at an older crowd in Big Comic Spirits, Maison Ikkoku is one of Takahashi’s more grounded works. That doesn’t mean it lacks her trademark kooky humor and wacky characters. But after Urusei Yatsura’s folklore-inspired aliens and demons, Ikkoku’s story about ordinary (if eccentric) people living in an apartment block is rather subdued by comparison.
Yusaku Godai, one of the titular apartment block's tenants, is sick and tired of being taken advantage of by his neighbors. He’s about to move out when the block’s new manager, Kyoko Otonashi, introduces herself. After seeing her, he changes his mind and stays in the hopes of wooing her. Which is easier said than done. The manga has aged quite well too, with Caitlin Moore of Anime News Network declaring it “one of the greatest love stories of all time”.
6 Mermaid Saga
After providing light-hearted fare about living, laughing and loving, Takahashi branched out into darker horror territory in Mermaid Saga. The manga is still about love, as well as depression, murder, and sacrifice. So, laughs are in short supply. Originally featured in Weekly Shonen Sunday, it followed Yuta, a young man who risked death or deformation into a Lost Soul by eating mermaid flesh.
Those lucky enough to avoid those fates gain immortality. But after 500 years, he’s grown sick of it. He comes across Mana, who was forced to eat mermaid flesh as part of a ritual where she’d be killed and fed to the locals. He saves her, and the two travel in search of a living mermaid to undo their immortality and live normal lives. Except they're not the only immortals, and not everyone they meet is so helpful or trustworthy.
5 Ranma ½
Moving back into cheerier territory, Ranma ½ is perhaps the next most popular Takahashi series after InuYasha. While it wasn’t as widespread as its successor, its 1990s VHS releases did make it a cult hit in the West. Bryan Lee O’Malley cited it as an inspiration for his Scott Pilgrim comics, as did Matt Bozon for his video game series Shantae. Debuting in 1987, it was about Ranma Saotome, a martial artist who turns into a woman whenever he’s splashed with cold water.
If he didn’t have his hands full seeking a cure for his condition, he also has a difficult love life. He has different suitors for either of his forms, but he’s betrothed to the sour tsundere Akane Tendo. She hates men like Ranma, but she gets along better with ‘Ranko’- his female form. Will she ever warm to his true male self? Or should he find love elsewhere? Find out in Viz Media’s reprints or official digital translations online.
4 One-Pound Gospel
Ever wondered what Maison Ikkoku would be like if it had boxing and nuns? It would probably be weirder if people did, as that’s a random bunch of themes. Regardless, Takahashi’s One-Pound Gospel for Weekly Young Sunday is one of her hidden gems. Despite running for nearly 20 years, the comic’s only been adapted into an old OVA and a 2008 live-action TV drama.
It’s a slice-of-live comedy about Kōsaku Hatanaka, a boxing prodigy that’s made him the pride of Mukōda Gym. He’s got the strongest punches of any pro in the area. If only he could control his weight. His appetite keeps him bouncing between weight classes. So, Sister Angela, a nun-in-training, helps stem his gluttony to keep him focused. Then, because this is a Takahashi manga, things get complicated when the two develop feelings for each other.
3 Rumic Theater
Getting into a long manga series can be intimidating. It can be like eating a whole Christmas dinner alone (or a whole whale in One Piece's case). Luckily, there is a way to get a taste of Takahashi’s style without committing to a whole series. She’s been posting short stories to Big Comic Original and other magazines since 1987, which have been collected under the Rumic Theater anthology.
They’re largely little comedy and romance stories, with the occasional serious tale. For example, The Tragedy of P is about a woman trying to keep her penguin guest Pitto out of her neighbor’s sight. While Aberrant Family F has a daughter suspecting her father of forming a suicide pact when, despite being poor, he takes them all out on an expensive vacation. Whether they’re funny, lovey, or dark, they'll show readers what to expect from Takahashi's work.
2 InuYasha
Succeeding Ranma ½ in Weekly Shonen Sunday, InuYasha is one of Takahashi's most successful manga, selling over 50 million within Japan alone. The series has received multiple adaptations too, from light novels to video games, including a sequel anime series YashaHime. Though Takahashi had little involvement in that one.
The original InuYasha story was a Japan-based take Journey to the West, where Kagome and her mystical buddies travel in search of MacGuffins. It just has an isekai touch as Kagome is a modern day girl sent 500 years into the past. Plus it's still a romcom, as she and dog-demon InuYasha grow feelings for each other. When she isn’t punishing him with his magic collar anyway. He may be dashing, but he’s still rough around the edges.
1 Rin-ne
While InuYasha could get heavier than Takahashi’s early fare, it was still rather kooky and wacky. Then stories like Mermaid Saga and some of the Rumic Theater short stories could be too dark. Takahashi’s most recent completed manga, Rin-ne, sits on an even balance between the two sides with its combination of Japanese Buddhist folklore and romcom antics.
It’s about Sakura Mamiya, a young girl with ESP who gained her abilities after she disappeared for a week, though she can’t recall the exact details of where she went and why. She finds it more annoying than anything else as she’s the only one who can see spirits. However, it comes in handy for her classmate Rinne Rōkudo, a half-man half-shinigami who guides spirits to the afterlife. The two form a partnership as they join forces to exorcise their town.