Why am I writing about a secondary character from anime from 20 years ago, an anime I haven't watched or thought deeply about for years? Why am I criticizing the personal integrity of one of the most beloved characters in that show? Fuck if I know. I guess I'm just tired of seeing Takamura propped up as an ultimate badass without giving consideration to the other (in my opinion, more interesting) parts of his character. Spoilers, I guess.
Mamarou Takamura is an unlikeable asshole. This is how he was written, and in my opinion, this is likely how he was intended to be written. If you think about any part of his character beyond the fact that he punches people really good for even a short period of time, this becomes apparent.
Nobody should want to be like Takamura. He lives alone in a pigsty apartment. Much more disgustingly, he sexually assaults Tomoko, grabbing her nude breasts without consent while she's having sex with Aoki on the beach. This would be utterly repulsive even if Aoki wasn't (theoretically) Takamura's friend. Even in-universe, he's hated by basically everyone aside from his narrow circle of friends. The most notable time he gets the crowd on his side, it's only because he's fighting Bryan Hawk, a disgusting racist who repeatedly insults the Japanese people. Takamura gets to look good. By comparison. For once. Then, when he finally, for a few moments, has the crowd on his side, he throws it away by making a gross comment about his own sexual prowess. And thus nobody likes him, once more.
The closest thing he shows to a genuine act of kindness is aiding Ippo when Ippo is being bullied, but given his massive and unchecked ego and the clear sadism he displays while training with Ippo, I have grown to suspect this was as much about showing off and looking cool as it was actually helping a teenage boy.
None of this is to say that Takamura is poorly written, or that you can't like him, or that he doesn't do some undeniably badass stuff, or that Ippo is a worse show for having him in it. Being a good character and being a good person are two entirely different things. On the contrary, I think the fact that Takamura is an angry idiot with zero impulse-control who can barely function in human society makes him a lot more interesting than if he were some faultless, aspirational meme Hyper-Chad. Really, I'm just writing this with the hopes that fans can see Takamura for who and what he truly is, warts and all.
This will probably make somebody angry, because it's an opinion on the internet, and also on an anime site, and also also implies that sexual assault is bad (a highly controversial opinion, I know), so I'm pre-emptively declaring that I'm not going to be replying to insults or trolling. The report and block functions exist for a reason. I will be making good use of them as necessary.
I also have no idea when or if I'll have the time and energy to actually read and respond to anything anyone says here with any degree of coherence or thoroughness, so if you reply to this and are not a troll or a harasser or just a mocking douche, and you disagree (or agree) with me, just know that I think it's cool that you took the time to read and think about and engage with this, and I love you, and please stay hydrated.
Here. Take this water-bottle. You should never step into the gym without one.
