The creator of To Love-Ru, Kentaro Yabuki, has revealed some rather unusual details about his approach to drawing manga, including his long-standing fascination with armpits. The manga artist also explained why erotic scenes/fanservice scenes play such an important role in his creative process, describing them as one of the series’ defining elements.
Yabuki shared these insights in a recently published interview on the official website for the upcoming Ichiban Kuji To Love-Ru Darkness lottery, which goes on sale in Japan on November 18, 2026.
During the interview, Yabuki was asked whether he had any particular physical features or character details that he especially enjoyed drawing. His answer was surprisingly specific. Yabuki explained:
“People often say I’m an armpit fetishist. I’ve been very particular about drawing armpits ever since my debut. I think they’re an important feature for expressing the physicality of a character”
However, armpits aren’t the only detail that has caught his artistic attention over the years.
Kentaro Yabuki Says Drawing To Love-Ru Introduced Him to More Fetishes
Yabuki went on to reveal that his interests in character design have expanded since he started working on To Love-Ru.
Apart from armpits, he mentioned the backs of knees when someone’s legs are together and the soles of their feet as other details he enjoys drawing.
“Since I started drawing To Love-Ru, the number of things I’m fascinated by has increased. There are so many now that even I don’t know which one is my favourite anymore. But when it comes to what I’ve been particular about from the beginning, it’s still armpits.”
His comments offer a small glimpse into the attention he gives to character anatomy and the visual details that have become part of his artistic style.
For a series known for its elaborate character designs and suggestive comedy, Yabuki’s answer probably won’t come as a complete surprise to longtime readers.
Yabuki Calls Erotic Scenes To Love-Ru’s Secret Weapon
The conversation also touched on Yabuki’s creative process, particularly how he comes up with the events and scenes that appear in his manga.
When asked when he usually develops ideas for the story, the artist explained that he sometimes finds it difficult to move forward until the right fanservice scene comes to mind.
“Unless an erotic scene that makes me think ‘This is it!’ comes to me, I can’t move forward. For To Love-Ru, fanservice scenes are like a special attack, and they’re extremely important. Sometimes I continue working on other things while waiting for an idea to come to me.”
His description is particularly fitting for To Love-Ru, which built much of its identity around romantic comedy, suggestive situations and unexpected encounters involving its large cast of female characters.
Rather than treating fanservice as something added occasionally, Yabuki sees it as an essential part of what makes the series work. Bookmark Otaku Mantra for more updates!
A Look Back at To Love-Ru and Its Legacy
To Love-Ru is a japanese manga written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. It originally ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump from 2006 to 2009.
The story follows Rito Yuuki, an ordinary high school student whose life changes dramatically after he encounters Lala Satalin Deviluke, an alien princess who unexpectedly becomes engaged to him. His situation becomes even more complicated as Haruna Sairenji and several other girls enter his life.
The manga received its first television anime adaptation in 2008, followed by additional seasons and original video animations.
After the original manga concluded, Yabuki and Hasemi returned with To Love-Ru Darkness, which began serialization in Jump Square in 2010 and continued until 2017.
The sequel placed greater emphasis on its supporting heroines while expanding the romantic relationships and increasingly complicated situations surrounding Rito.
Almost two decades after the original manga began, To Love-Ru remains recognisable for its playful comedy, memorable characters and unapologetic approach to fanservice.
Yabuki’s latest comments offer a rather entertaining explanation of the artistic thought process behind some of those scenes. And apparently, when it comes to his favourite character detail, armpits have remained undefeated since the very beginning.
Source: Oricon
