u/WillingLet3956

One of the more interesting things about Viconia in the original Baldur's Gate trilogy - ignoring what Larian did to her in BG3 - is that she's actually not the best fit for a Sharran Cleric if you're familiar with the tabletop game. And the game actually recognizes this; even her default ending shows that she ultimately comes to cross-purposes with the Cult of Shar, destroying a sect that she herself founded. And that's not even getting into the whole "Viconia can be persuaded to become True Neutral" angle, which would only deepen the divide between them. So, I'm curious; if Viconia did eventually realize that Shar was lying to her and exploiting her - that she was, in effect, unworthy of her faith, just as Lolth had proven before her - what do you think Viconia would do?

Obviously, this would result in Viconia losing her Clerical status and attendant magic. But I don't think Viconia would move on to a new patron deity - not without extraordinary circumstances. She's given herself with true and sincere devotion to two gods now, and both have proven unworthy of her faith. Why would she open her heart to a third? At the same time, after having wielded the powers of a cleric, I don't doubt she'd seek to master another form of mystical power - but this time, one that isn't dependent on subservience to a master. So I could see Viconia turning to arcane magic and becoming a Wizard instead. Or she might be inspired by the example of House Oblodra and turn her thoughts inward until she awakens the power of a Psionicist. Or even both paths. But that's just me.

If we presume the 1st and 2nd chapter of Ranma 1/2 take place about 3-4 weeks into the first semester of the school year, how long would it be until Ranma and Akane experience the first inter-semester break of the year?

Yeah, I know, Ranma 1/2 doesn't have a concrete timeline, but this is a question that's been bugging me, and I figure it's abstract enough it should be plausible to answer it.

I've long opined that the many downsides of the Nekoken make it a poor choice for a technique, despite fanon's seeming obsession with hyping it up, but it suddenly struck me: I'm legitimately not sure what the advantages of using the Nekoken are even supposed to be!

As far as I can make out, the supposed benefits of the Nekoken in the manga are...

1. Superhuman leaping ability... but Ranma can already make super-jumps, so this is not really an upgrade.
2. Unpredictability... I mean, I'd argue becoming as smart as a housecat is more of a downgrade, but I will give it that Ranma certainly can't be predicted while using the Nekoken.
3. Slashy claw fingers... I mean, they're impressive, I guess, but are they really enough to make up for everything else about the technique? Plus, even Kuno showed off a wind thrust projectile attack in his debut arc, so not really that that impressive in comparison...

But I'll admit, I'm biased. Anyone have any opinions on what the strengths or advantages of the Nekoken are that I might have missed?

The battle between Ranma and Ryu Kumon, where Ranma's Umisenken is pitted against Ryu's Yamasenken, is one of the most intense battles against a human opponent in the series. But something that's always stuck out to me is this: outside of the unnamed stealth technique that is the core of the Umisenken, and the White Snake Venom Reliable Fist, all of Ranma's Umisenken moves are clearly designed as counters to the Yamasenken techniques he'd seen Ryu use before, and some of them are legitimately not useful outside of that specific role. But then something comes to mind: Genma didn't teach Ranma any of these moves outside of the Stealth Mode and the Venom Fist. Ranma came up with all of these moves himself, clearly building both upon his "lesson" with Genma and his knowledge of the Yamasenken. So, with that in mind... is it possible that Genma has his own arsenal of Umisenken techniques that are completely different to Ranma's?

Ranma 1/2 is a fascinating series, full of hidden reference, sneaky little in-jokes, and just fun details across its multiple incarnations. So I thought maybe folks would be interested in sharing whatever various bits of Ranma 1/2 trivia they're aware of. It could be a sneaky reference in a chapter or episode, or a fun detail about a difference in continuities, anything.

To get us started, I'll share three titbits off the top of my head...

1. In the manga, the formula numbers for Shampoo's memory-erasing and memory-restoring shampoos are #110 and #119, which are the Japanese numbers for the public emergency services and the ambulance plus fire fighters respectively. Viz Media changed these numbers when translating the manga into English, turning them into #411 (public information services) and #911 (emergency services) respectively. Neither version of the animes has their numbers changed from the Japanese originals in their English translations.
2. In the live action film special, the mechanics of Jusenkyo's curse are tweaked slightly. In this continuity, not only is the transformation tied to water, but specifically the water must wet the cursed individual's head. If they can keep their head dry, then the water won't affect them, even if it's the right temperature. This leads to a scene of Ranma sitting in a hot bath as a girl and staying a girl until he ducks his head under the water. This was obviously done for the sake of the director, if not the audience.
3. In the 1989 anime's adaptation of the Waterproof Soap arc, after Ranma and Ryoga first discover Ryoga's apparently having been cured, the English dub changes Ryoga's internal monologue to "We're equals now, he and I... no, I'm even MORE EQUAL than he is!!" This is obviously a reference to George Orwell's anti-Stalinism novel "Animal Farm", where the last editing of the animal commandments by the corrupt pigs is to simplify it into a single law: "All animals are equal - but some are more equal than others". This was obviously inspired by Ryoga's own curse being to transform into a pig.

I recently stumbled across a piece of artwork from an AD&D book - I can't recall what it was, only that it was connected to magic items; it MIGHT have been the Encyclopedia Magica quadrilogy? - that depicted a magical ring which was made from a solid piece of faceted crystal that had been carved into a ring, with an inset band of gold to cushion between the crystal and the finger. I can't remember what the ring was called, either. And, idiot that I am, I didn't save the artwork, and now I can't find it again. Anybody have any ideas what I might be thinking of?

This started as a stray thought and it lodged in my head and I can't dig it out... We're all familiar with the arc in which Akane, in an unusually extreme outburst of temper, calls off her engagement to Ranma and tells him that he should be engaged to Nabiki instead. She soon regrets this of course, and wacky hijinks ensue before we return to the status quo, we all know this. But... like the title says, anyone else ever think that maybe this scenario would have made more sense earlier in the timeline?

Let's look at the facts. What provokes Akane to temporarily annul her and Ranma's engagement? He uses a handmade towel of hers as a cleaning rag, he insults the quality of her stitchwork on said towel, he fumbles an attempt to compliment her by telling her that she looks her best when dressed in her gi, he resentfully half-asses an apology to Akane that the other Tendos basically ordered him to make, and finally, when Akane loses her temper and breaks the 2nd floor balcony they're all standing on, Ranma saves Nabiki instead of Akane. Despite the fact Akane rescued herself just fine and she was scared Nabiki would be hurt.

This isn't no provocation, and I won't say it is. But on the other hand... this is the 39th arc in Ranma 1/2's continuity. By this point, they've been through misadventures with Martial Arts Gymnastics, Figure Skating, Tea Ceremony, Takeout, and Dining. They've been through Shampoo's first appearance in Japan, the Phoenix Pill, the Amazon Love Pills. They've raced for a trip to Jusenkyo at Zekkyo, they've dealt with the Dragon's Whisker and the Gambling King, they've had the Super Soba and Waterproof Soap arcs, and they've stood together against the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion.

So, I don't know, the more I think about it, the more it feels like such a display of insecurity and anger on Akane's part would have been more fitting earlier in the timeline, and that by this time, she should be invested enough in their relationship that she wouldn't ever think of openly rejecting her and Ranma's engagement outside of their usual bickering. We all know that Takahashi largely makes her stories up as she goes along, she's said as much in the 2025 interviews, so that's probably why this arc came so late, but still....

Unlike her prototype Lum, Shampoo was never fortunate enough to amass the popularity power to steal the leading lady's limelight. But we wouldn't be fans if we couldn't dream, so I was curious; how do you think the series would have changed if Shampoo was its female star?

My own 2 dollars on the subject? Well...

I'd have had the changing point be at the Joketsuzoku village of Nyuchiezhu, being that Cologne is actually present, realizes that the Jusenkyo Guide is there, and she clears up Ranma's gender and the appropriate Law he is being held to, instead of having Shampoo basically undermine herself by spending the next week-plus trying to kill Ranma for dishonoring her.

In general, the vibe of Ranma 1/2 shifts to a slightly more serious wuxia-esque adventure based out of China - more very late canon Ranma 1/2 or Inuyasha, not Mao or Mermaid Saga-level grimdark seriousness. Still plenty of comedy, but more focus on action and romance.

I have no idea how I'd justify Ranma staying cursed until at least the final chapter, since Jusenkyo being a curse and Ranma being right there next to it raises so many logical questions. There are methods, they're just not important enough to discuss right now.

Genma is an early series obstacle. He is NOT going to be happy that Ranma is making goo-goo eyes at Shampoo, and even less happy that she is actively reciprocating. On the other hand, Ranma is not going to feel particularly inclined to abandon Shampoo just to meet some random girl because Genma decided he should marry that girl instead; Ranma is both very loyal to people he decides deserves his loyalty, and not a huge fan of being pushed into what to do. Honestly... I can kind of see it building towards Genma foolishly making a "it's her or it's me, boy!" ultimatum, and then having to live with it when Ranma choses Shampoo over him.

Mousse probably becomes Ranma's defacto rival. This is so obvious I don't think we really need to discuss why that is.

Ryoga can still be a recurring rival; we can easily justify him learning a new technique of the week from random sensei (perhaps even rivals or enemies of Cologne) to pose a threat to Ranma. But the P-chan thing really isn't going to work. Honestly, I'd be inclined to give this Ryoga different curse. Maybe his own Nyanniichuan, since Ryoga tries so hard to be "Ranma's true rival" and there's so much irony in that.

Pink & Link could easily become the primary female antagonists, since even the canon manga portrays them as basically Shampoo's version of Ryoga or Tatewaki Kuno. One option to bring back the Love Dodecahedron of canon is that the twins develop a crush on Mousse (or even Ranma!) and thus their rivalry gets a secondary element to it.

Pantyhose Taro and Herb have potential to become recurring "serious" antagonists, and Saffron of course has "endboss" written all over him, but there's certainly a huge amount of space to add all kinds of unique allies, rivalries and enemies, since Ranma will a) be interacting with Shampoo's social group, and b) making his own social group as he integrates.

Ultimately, it's the story of two crazy martial artists falling in love, and dealing with dating and training in the crazy magical backcountry of China.

While fanart of Shampoo is popular and certainly on the rise, it can't go unnoticed that there is sadly a real dearth of fanfiction where our favorite Chinese Amazon manages to achieve her happy ending and wins the hand of our loveably dense main lead, Ranma Saotome. But just because they're rare, doesn't mean they don't exist. So, I thought it might be nice to share any recommendations, links, or other material on the topic here on the Shrine.

The "Arcane Age" sub-setting for the Forgotten Realms introduced the Arcanist and the Dualist, the original forms of wizard before Mystryl's death and the rise of Mystra led to the nerfing of magic. Among the Arcanist's various oddities is that it divides magic into three schools that are very different to the eight schools of magic associated with the traditional D&D wizard, their future descendants. What I'd like to know is if anyone has opinions on how the Arcanist's schools of magic map onto the Wizard's schools?

Whereas the Wizard divides magic into the schools of Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy and Transmutation, the Arcanist divides magic into these three schools: Invention (magic able to create or destroy), Mentalism (magic able to affect the mind), and Variation (magic able to alter and transform, including altering/transforming magic itself).

Now, Arcane Age does list the spells for each of the Arcanist's schools, albeit by the fancy renames that each spell got (which makes figuring out what a given spell is a nuisance), but I'd like to know because that would make it easier to port the Arcanist to non-Forgotten Realms settings, as well as to modify the Arcanist's spell list with spells from other books, such as Tome of Magic.

When Domains of Dread introduced the Half-Vistani as a playable race for AD&D 2nd edition, it mentions there are also Elf/Vistani hybrids, called "Giamarga" to the Vistani/Human's' "Giamorgo". However, it also said that players should not be allowed to play them. But, years later, TSR did throw them a bone when it published Van Richten's Guide to the Vistani. In the appendix, it notes that there are half-vistani of elven heritage, and it tells the reader that, with the DM's permission, they may use the Mortu Vistani kit combined with the Half-Elf race, while specificially noting that half-human/half-vistani should use the half-vistani racial writeup from Domains of Dread.

Now, in my opinion, the writeup is a little murky on how the "Vistani Kit" and the Half-Elf actually merge together, and I was wondering if people have their opinions on these slightly abstract rules for Giamarga? Below is my take on the subject, from reading VRGttV and cross-referencing it with both the AD&D 2e PHB and Domains of Dread...

Giamarga
Racial Ability Modifiers: +1 Intelligence, +1 Wisdom, -2 Charisma (the book specifically calls out "half-vistani" getting these modifiers, contrasting the -2 Int of a Mortu Vistani; the Half-Elf has no racial ability modifiers)
Mandatory Ability Scores: 6+ Dexterity, 6+ Constitution, 4+ Intelligence (PHB Half-Elf) or 13+ Dex and 10+ Int (DoD Half-Elf)
Ability Score Maximums: 18 in all scores (PHB Half-Elf)

Available Warrior Classes: Avenger, Fighter, Ranger
Available Priest Classes: Cleric, Druid
Available Wizard Classes: Mage, Specialist Wizard, Psionicist
* Per DoD, a Half-Elf can became a Conjurer, a Diviner, an Enchanter, or an Illusionist. Per VRG, a Half-Vistani can become an Arcanist, Conjurer, Enchanter or Illusionist - or a Diviner, IF they're female. Not sure how to reconcile for a Giamarga.
Available Rogue Classes: Thief, Bard (PHB), That Which Shan't Be Named (DoD)
Level Limits: Unlimited Bard levels, Cleric 14, Druid 9, Fighter 14, Wizard (Any) 12, Ranger 16, Thief 12, Unlimited Psionicist levels.
* DoD doesn't give any race restrictions on how far they can rise in the Avenger or Embarrassment classes.

Racial Bonuses:
* Can identify plants, animals, and pure water, as per Druid.
* No penalties to Fire-building checks for high winds, rainy conditions, or damp fuel, and can automatically start a fire in optimum conditions.
* Only a 5% chance of misinterpreting words in Patterna (the Vistania language) on a failed Int check to decipher it.
* Can find & interpret paaterns (Vistani glyph-language) on a D6 roll of 1-4.
* Can take proficiency in Astrology, regardless of class. A Wizard can take Astrology for only 1 Proficiency Slot.
* 30% Resistance to Sleep & Charm spells.
* Infravision 60 feet.
* Heightened chance to detect secret doors.
* +1 bonus to Fear and Horror checks.
* Select a single Vistani Tribe, and receive a racial bonus based on that tribe, as detailed in VRGttV.

Racial Penalties:
* Cannot Specialize in weapons, even if a Warrior class.
* Cannot have Extraordinary strength.
* Racial level limit for Wizard classes is 10th level.
* If using "pay for training" rules, DOUBLE the costs to train.
* Suffers Moon Madness, as detailed in VRGttV.

One of the subtler differences between the manga and the 1989 anime adaptation is the topic of Cologne & Happosai's ages. Both versions portray them as twists on the "old master" archetype, making them incredibly ancient and yet still incredibly formidable martial artists. Neither version nails down a specific age for the duo - in fact, we don't even know for sure how old Happosai is, other than apparently when he met Cologne, they were both 18 years old, which makes it reasonable that they're around the same age. But the difference is that the manga has Cologne say in her introductory arc that she's over 100 years old. And in the 1989 anime, she instead says that she's over 300 years old. So, I'm curious which age folks prefer for these two killer fossils, and why.

When TSR put out the third and final incarnation of the Ravenloft core setting, "Domains of Dread", they made the decision to start promoting the idea of players playing characters native to the Domains of Dread, whereas the Black and Red Boxes had focused more on players being pulled temporarily from other campaign settings in mid-campaign. As part of this push, they offered four new classes unique to the Ravenloft setting (well, technically five, but the Elementalist had previously appeared in Tome of Magic); the Anchorite, the Arcanist, the Avenger, and the Gypsy. This was apparently well-received by the fans of the setting, who went on to make a number of new Ravenloft-unique classes as well; the Kargatane creating the Artiste, Caretaker and Paragon, while the Lonesome Road created the Inquisitor, Leech, and Numenist.

I'm curious if anyone's out there on this reddit who actually played any of these nine (or ten) classes, and if you did, what were your thoughts on them? Are there any you particularly liked? Heck, are there any you especially disliked?

And if anyone wants me to explain just what these classes actually *were*, particularly the fan-made ones, drop a comment and I'll do my best to summarize.

We admittedly don't visit the Kuno estate much in either continuity, but I'm curious; do people think there are any major differences between the Kuno estate as presented in the manga, and how it's presented in the first anime? A part of me really wants to say that the anime version of the estate is larger, but I'm actually not sure if that's the case - I don't *think* that it being presented as a feudal Japanese castle is unique to the anime, but I don't think I'd be too surprised if it was...

The 1989 anime's third season has a filler episode called "Ghost Story! Ranma and the Magic Sword", where the ultimate final is a clash against Tatewaki Kuno, who has become possessed by a haunted bokuto reputedly carved by Miyamoto Musashi from the oar he used in his legendary duel on Ganryu Island. In the English subtitles track, Kuno refers to his new possession-granted techniques as the "Black Miyamoto Wooden Sword School". I was wondering if anyone knows what he actually calls it in the Japanese audio track? My understanding of Japanese is too limited to pick out the title, or even if he uses said title in the first place. Also, when Kuno calls it the "Black" school, does he mean that literally, as in the color, or is this a translation choice on the subbers' part, akin to how the "Evil" type in Pokemon became the "Dark" type in the English-speaking world?

I was originally going to ask if people thought it at all likely that maybe Gosunkugi was largely retired from the manga due to the infamous "Otaku Killer", which many have theorized caused his replacement in the 1989 anime with Sasuke Sarugakure, or if they think Takahashi just got bored with him. Then I thought that there was a more interesting topic to discuss about Gosunkugi: do you think the manga or the anime actually used him better? Did he have more "weight" to his appearances in one continuity, and if so, which one?

Let's try and recap...

Manga:
Nekoken Arc (Chap. 37-41): Introduction, major antagonist role.
Romeo & Juliet Arc (Chap. 74-77): Major antagonist role.
Chapter 81: Appears on one page, taking the photograph of Ranma having fallen on Kodachi that she uses to blackmail him into eating her cookies.
Chapter 126: Minor antagonist role; helps lure Ranma into a beatdown by Kuno, the Principal and Mousse. Does not reappear in the rest of the arc.
Paper Dolls of Love (Chap. 200): Focal antagonist.
One-Punch (Chap. 245): Focal antagonist.
Chapter 259: Cameo appearance on the chapter's cover page.
Chapter 386: Speaking cameo appearance, when Ranma digs up one of his cursing dolls.
Chapters 289, 329, 407: Non-speaking cameo appearances.

1989 Anime:
Episode 114 - "Enter Gosunkugi, the New Rival?!": Introduction, focal antagonist. (Gosunkugi is introduced as a new transfer student, falls in love with Akane, becomes convinced Ranma is his enemy.)
Episode 120 - "The Case of the Furinkan Stalker!": Focal antagonist. (Gosunkugi attempts to ruin Ranma's reputation by harassing FH girls in disguise while claiming to be Ranma.)
Episode 127 - "Akane Goes to the Hospital!": Kickstarts the plot by photographing Akane in PE class, which causes her to hurt herself when she gets distracted by the flash.
Episode 134 - "Gosunkugi's Paper Dolls of Love": Adaptation of Chapter 200.
Episode 137 - "Tatewaki Kuno Substitute Principal": Minor antagonist. (Gosunkugi repeatedly tries to get Ranma into trouble with Kuno's new enforcer squad.)
Episode 153 - "Gosunkugi's Summer Affair!": Major character. (Gosunkugi goes on a date with Kogane Musashi, the friendly ghost girl from episode 135, which is the focus of the 2nd half.)
OVA - "Shampoo's Sudden Switch": Non-speaking cameo.
OVA - "Stormy Weather Comes to School": Minor character. (Gosunkugi is the first named character we see, with Hinako rescuing him from some bullies, he gets a second appearance trying to thank her, and he ends the OVA saying farewell to the audience.)
OVA - "Nightmare! Incense of Spring Sleep": Secondary character. (Gosunkugi gets multiple speaking lines and visual gags in this one.)
Movie - "Big Trouble in Nekonron": Non-speaking cameo.

In the 4th season of the 1989 anime, Studio Deen ran two filler episodes back to back as their 73rd and 74th episodes; "To Be Young Is To Go Gung-Ho!" and "A Formidable New Disciple Appears!", both of which revolve around a new one-shot character showing up to make a nuisance of themselves - respectively, Higuma Torajiro and Genji Heita. From what I understand it, in the English-speaking fandom, folks generally weren't too thrilled by either of these characters, but I was curious if maybe I was wrong, or if they had perhaps fandoms in other spheres - whether their native Japan or elsewhere. Honestly, I'm curious if anyone knows of any interesting facts about either character in general?

Episode 73's Higuma Torajiro is a substitute homeroom teacher for Class 1-F. He's a bright, bubbly, idealistic, optimistic kind of guy who is overwhelming with positive attitude and a sincere desire to help the students of Furinkan High. The gag being that all the students think he's a naive weirdo whose enthusiasm to help them goes beyond "helpful" into "embarrassing and creepy". I THINK the character is supposed to be a parody of a popular manga archetype, but if that's true and what it is, I have no idea.

Genji Heita shows up in episode 74; a starry-eyed (literally, he has stars in his pupils, which might be a callback to the Mizunokojis from Urusei Yatsura, who supposedly were visually parodying a popular spokan aesthetic?) farmboy who wants to be a great martial artist. Then he decides to apply at the Tendo dojo to learn Anything-Goes because he saw Happosai defeat Ranma and decided that meant Happosai was a great master. I've always wondered if Genji was either a parody of some archetype like Higuma supposedly is, or if maybe he was somehow fan made - the winning entry in a "design a character for the Ranma 1/2 anime!" competition, sort of thing. The former option is almost certainly more likely, but anyone know anything about him?

If you were to ask anybody familiar with the 1989 Ranma 1/2 anime to name their top 20 worst episodes, chances are that "The Matriarch Takes a Stand" - the 97th episode and the second of the four "Martial Arts Tea Ceremony" episodes - will be at least in their top 11. The most likely justifications being how unlikeable they find Sentaro Daimonji... and the comedic twist of the ending, which is usually derided as being "not funny". And the thought suddenly struck me; how WAS this episode received in its native Japan? Could we be looking at a case where translation and/or cultural views of humor are undermining an episode that was actually considered quite a laugh in Japan? Or was it just as big of a flop there? Anybody have any opinions?

For those unfamiliar with the episode... spoilers! >!At the pre-title card opener of the episode, Senataro Daimonji's grandmother makes this big dramatic announcement that she's "going to take a stand". Sentaro and the other members of the clan are horrified, and it's treated as this Big Serious Event, up to and including the Daimonjis offering up a young maiden as a sacrifice - but they couldn't find one, so they decided they'd use Ranma. Cue Akane making this big dramatic rescue... and finding out that Ranma was just asked to give Mrs. Daimonji a leg massage. When she declared she was "going to take a stand", she meant it literally. As in, she was stiff from sitting seiza all the time and was going to stand up. Ranma was totally happy to help out, especially because Mrs. Daimonji promised they could spar once she was finished stretching her legs.!<

Full disclaimer: I first saw this idea that apparently it was popular in the Rin-Ne fandom to ship Tsubasa Jumonji and Ageha, Kyokai no Rinne's would-be romantic rivals to Rinne and Sakura respectively, on the TVtropes website, so I would not be surprised if it's completely false in its claim. But I'm legitimately curious, and since the Rinne reddit seems to be dead and buried, I figured I'd ask here.

I can, on paper, understand why there might be a fandom to ship the two of them, as they have major "Ryoga & Ukyo vibeage". Each is the primary ignored suitor for one half of the main couple, they canonically work together in pursuit of romantic satisfaction on multiple occasions, and they have a fun dynamic where despite working together, they also rub each other the wrong way with their quirks. Furthermore, pairing them together nicely and easily removes both of them from the love dodecahedron, making it easier for Rinne and Sakura to get together. Add to it that Tsubasa's official wanna-be love interest Ayame Sakaki is kind of a nothing-burger of a character, to the point the anime cut out her stories entirely, and I can see where the impulse to pair them off might come from.

But does that mean that it ever actually happened? Anybody know?

When you've read all six of Takahashi's long-runner serials - Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2, Inuyasha, Kyokai no Rinne, Mao - you get to notice certain patterns in her stories. And two major recurring patterns are the establishment of an obvious main couple... and the introduction of one or more "Romantic Rivals"; characters whose narrative role is to be in love with one half of the main couple, and try futilely to win that character's affection. This is simple enough, but one thing I've noticed is that... fans don't always actually "buy into" these romantic rivals. Sure, the story never wants you to actually think those rivals have a chance of actually winning, but even so, has anyone else ever noticed that only certain series developed fanbases who were actually shipping X romantic rival with Y main character? If so, why do you think that is?

Now, this admittedly could just be because I've always been removed from the fandoms outside of UY, R1/2 and IY, but it struck me as weird that those three series have passionate "alt-shippers", but MI, Rinne and Mao, as far as I can tell, don't. I'm genuinely curious if anyone has any theories about why, say, Inuyasha/Kikyo developed such a passionate fandom, but Rinne/Ageha's fanbase is, as far as I'm aware, non-existent.