Why Rumiko Takahashi of Urusei Yatsura Loves Hanshin and has Called Herself a Fan for Half a Century

Translated by: Harley Acres

Rumiko Takahashi, a manga artist known for works such as Urusei Yatsura, is a huge Hanshin fan. We asked her about her thoughts before the final stage of the Climax Series (CS).



I've been a Hanshin fan for half a century. When I was still a teenager in my hometown of Niigata, a friend invited me to watch a game between Hanshin and Taiyo, and I became a fan of their main slugger, Koichi Tabuchi. Even now, I like catchers who can hit. I guess Tabuchi-san had an influence on me. ^[1]

However, there was a time when I wasn't following the team because Tabuchi-san was traded and I became busy with my studies as a university student and then making my debut as a manga artist. But in 1992, when the Yakult team was competing for the championship, I thought, "Let's take another look."

Around Katsuya Nomura's third year as coach (2001), I subscribed to CS Broadcasting and was able to watch all Hanshin games. ^[2] I'm a night owl, so I watch night game broadcasts during the season, and when the games are over, it's time for work. When they lose, I get really sleepy, but I keep working hard.

I'm glad I didn't go with leopord print for Lum's costume.

Hiroshima's female fans have been widely covered in the media as "Carp Girls," but Hanshin has female fans as well, who are known as "Toraco". ^[3] They can't possibly be unknown to you. If there is no age limit, then I consider myself one of them as well.

This May, I went to Hanshin Koshien Stadium. My signature work Urusei Yatsura and Hanshin collaborated and had a Toraco campaign. The costume of the Urusei Yatsura character, Lum, is tiger-patterned. I was inspired by the lord of thunder, Kaminari-sama, so it has nothing to do with Hanshin, but I am happy and honored to have collaborated with them by coincidence. I'm glad I didn't go with a leopard print.

Being a Hanshin fan has its hard times and happy times. But when Hanshin won the championship in 2003, my view of the world changed dramatically, as if I had never realized how bright the world really was. ^[4] I could see a world that I normally couldn't see. The team's performance and my memories are connected.

Baseball teams change players and coaches all the time, and the culture changes as well. Still, there is one Hanshin Tigers team out there. I think that universality is created not only by the team but also by each and every fan together.

Manga and anime cannot be created by the artist alone. Urusei Yatsura, which aired in the 1980s, was aired again last year with a new version. There are people who read or watched it in the past, and there are still people who remember it. I believe it is this connection between the work and people's memories which makes it loved by readers and viewers for such a long time.

That's what I think about Hanshin too. But for now, all I can do is pray that we win the Climax Series (CS). (Interviewer: Gen Okada)

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Rumiko Takahashi was born in 1957. Her representative works include Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Ranma 1/2. She is currently serializing MAO in Weekly Shonen Sunday. In 2020, she received the Medal with Purple Ribbon.

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Footnotes

• [1] Koichi Tabuchi (田淵幸一), nicknamed the "home run artist" and "Mr. Tiger," was named the Central League's Rookie of the Year in 1969.
• [2] Katsuya Nomura (野村克也) was a catcher during his 26 years as a player, primarily with the Nankai Hawks where he played catcher. He managed the Hanshin Tigers for three seasons.
• [3] There are special days during the season to pay tribute to the female fanbase of the Hanshin Tigers. Female fans are called "Torako" (tora = tiger, ko = girl/child) The 10th anniversary celebration of Toraco Day was linked with Urusei Yatsura due to its affiliation with Rumiko Takahashi, a major Tigers fan herself, and the then-new remake of Urusei Yatsura. Maisondes and Sumire Uesaka also made appearances at Toraco Day events in 2023.
• [4] In 2003 Hanshin won the Climax Series just as they did in 2023. This is the divisional championship which then allows two teams to face off in the Japan Series, the equivalent to the World Series in Major League Baseball. Hanshin played against the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks that year and ultimately lost four games to three. Takahashi wrote This Year a Championship! in response.

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