Fans are concerned about Happosai’s presence in the Ranma remake
A common type of character in older manga and anime is the perverted one, like Master Roshi from Dragon Ball or Jiraiya from Naruto. In Ranma 1/2, created by Rumiko Takahashi, we have Happosai.
Recently, the announcement of the Ranma 1/2 remake was made, which, as mentioned, includes a character of this type, Happosai. However, times have changed, and fans are wondering if Happosai will be in the Ranma remake.
Fans are concerned about Happosai’s presence in the Ranma remake
Happosai is a short old man who steals women’s underwear and sexually harasses the female version of Ranma, Akane, and other female characters in the series. Considering today’s times, fans fear that they might change the character’s traits or even cut him from the story in this remake to avoid potential issues.
However, it’s worth noting that they won’t cut the character because Happosai appears in the remake’s visual, carrying his bag that usually contains panties stolen from the neighborhood:
Nevertheless, this hasn’t eased the concerns of many fans that Happosai’s scenes will be heavily censored. Let’s look at some comments from Japanese fans about this:
“Happosai is not only annoying but also unpleasant. He reprimands those who accuse him of being a panty thief, acting like the victim and getting angry. He has no awareness that he is doing something wrong.”
“Moreover, he is one of the strongest characters in the series, so even when people try to stop him seriously, they end up being defeated by his retaliation. The story of child abuse involving Pantyhose Taro was terrible. Pure evil ends up winning over the good side, which only increases the viewers’ hatred quickly. He is a character that causes stress.”
“It’s like Master Roshi in Dragon Ball, right? Total rip-off.”
“No, it’s completely different. Master Roshi is perverted, but at heart, he is a righteous person and a good mentor. Happosai is an evil sex offender to the core, and it’s a mystery how he managed to live in the Tendo house.”
“He was the only character in Ranma that I hated.”
“Happosai is a character that wouldn’t be missed if he didn’t exist. They could simply remove him altogether. The backstory of Pantyhose Taro could be resolved with original anime material.”
“Happosai is hated because he does whatever he wants and almost never gets punished in the end. If he always ended up in a bad situation at the end, that would be redeeming. Charisma is important.”
Regarding Happosai, Rumiko Takahashi shared the following about the character’s creation: “I wanted to introduce a master. Naturally, he became an old man. Since Ranma is a woman, I thought a perverted old man would be interesting.” She added: “Happosai is strong when he tries, but as a person, he is terrible. I never intended to write a beautiful master-disciple relationship.”
It seems that fans’ concerns won’t be alleviated until the Ranma remake is released. Will Happosai have a different characterization? Will they cut him from the story, or will they keep the original?
via esuteru