Happosai

@Ranma-Kun I don't think anybody wants him gone? I wouldn't call him "the most important character of the series" but he certainly is the main antagonist and the initiator of some of the best arcs in the story. But he certainly can be toned down. Or his antics can be shown less as harmless, comedic routines and more as really creepy and despicable behaviour. If they did that, he could actually fulfill a better antagonistic or even villanous role.

@Pylgrim I agree with you that you COULD tone him down without hurting the series too much, but why? Because some people feel offended by some artwork? I have no mercy on people that want to change artworks because of their sad opinion. Rumiko did what she did. Rumikos opinion is the only one that matters here. And yes, I read a lot of online comments that want to remove Happosai entirely because he is so so offensive. I just hope those people are in for a treat, because Ranma 1/2 is plenty of offensive for modern snowflakes, that are insulted by everything :)

@Ranma-Kun I think you have only heard what some people tell you about the people who oppose this sort of representation, so allow me to tell you directly and then you'll have heard both sides: It is not about anybody becoming "offended". It has never been about it and the whole "silly people getting offended" is a an intentional misrepresentation of the matter to more easily handwave it away.

The reality is that sexual abuse is no joke and is neither some sort of hardly seen occurence. It is very prevalent and as many as 1 in 4 women may suffer it during their lives. It's a terribly painful thing, both physically and psycologically and I'm sure that if a woman that is close to you was a victim of it, you wouldn't call her a "snowflake" for having trauma or for wanting to make the world a place were sexual abuse is not so prevalent. And THAT's the problem with cultural products that treat sexual abuse (or the sort of mentality that can lead to it) as a jokey, silly thing. It is not "offensive" at all but it contributes to the still quite generalised attitude in men society that a woman's body is their property to peep, touch and even take, whenever they feel like it.

You say that Takahashi's opinion matters and I agree. If you have read her works ever since, you'll see that she has progressively toned down the stuff over the years. Miroku from InuYasha was already quite toned down from Happosai and that was her very next work after Ranma. her latest manga have barely any of that at all.

Ranma is very much a product of its time, but the world progresses and people keep learning how to improve themselves and society. Thankfully, most of Ranma hold up very well and Happosai's perverted behaviour (or rather, the fact that it is minimised and cartoonised) is a tiny component of it, which won't really be missed if removed or toned down. As someone who'd perhaps you'd call a "snowflake" I have very few other complaints about the series and I'm very much looking forward to it.

@Pylgrim Heyo! First: Thank you or this pleasant discussion.
I do agree AND disagree with you.
Sure, sexual abuse is no laughing matter.
However I strongly reject the idea of linking Ranma 1/2 (and other anime works, too) to this serious matter.
It has NO connection at all. Nobody watches Happosai and turns into a sexual offender (and if that WOULD happen, then this person was clearly a lunatic from the get go).
I think this is comparable to the old stupid discussion of Shooter games being at fault for mass amok shootings. It's not the mediums fault.

Also: How did traumatized people handle Ranma 1/2 back then when it first aired?
I've never seen or hear anyone complain about it back then. Sure, times change, but then it turned people into 'snowflakes' clearly.

I don't wanna make fun of people that are deeply hurt or anything, because they had to live through such hardships.
But you could change all the Happosais in all of anime or media, and the world wouldn't be a better place, because it has no significance.
So changing him out of such a reason would feel wrong and arrogant to me.

If Rumiko, however, has some mixed feelings about her character and want to change him, then sure. I might not like it, but I could accept it.
Censoring for the sole reason of being scared of people's reactions is just wrong.

Happosai doesn't show up in the original anime until season 2, so he's likely not showing up in the first season of the reboot, we'll find out if he is removed completely if/when they do ranma 1/2 (2024) season 2