The santoku sketch in both panels is wrong, but the “real” one is right. Did some assistant screw up?
Anyway, a santoku really is a useful all purpose chef’s knife. It’s not necessarily better than an all purpose western-style chef’s knife; comparable sizes accomplish the same tasks almost identically. But if you’re most familiar with one style, of course that’s what you’re going to like using best.
Honestly, I find that shaping and sharpening a santoku is a little easier than making a western chef’s knife, and I like that the spine is thicker through the length of the blade.