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[Note: This is, more or less, just a stub of a homepage, to last until I find the time to make a real, full-fledged Ranma ½ website - if I ever do.]
If it wasn't for Ranma ½, I might very well never have gotten into anime in the first place. Without me to drag them kicking and screaming into the world of anime, my siblings and their friends might never have developed their own interest. It's entirely possible that my brother wouldn't have developed the fascination with Japanese culture that inspired him to study the language, and to study abroad there during his Junior year of college. It's truly staggering to think how different our lives would be without this show.
So, just what is this magical piece of animation? Ranma ½ is the story of a young martial artist by the name of Ranma Saotome. Ranma's very nearly the best martial artist there is. Whenever he comes across a martial arts challenge he cannot overcome, he works at it until, by hook or by crook, he is able to win. He's also extremely arrogant, and not a little chauvinistic when dealing with women. So, it is, perhaps, poetic justice that an accident with an ancient cursed pool left him with a curse: When splashed with cold water, Ranma changes into a girl, and can only return to his original body when splashed with hot water.
The curse, though, is only the beginning of Ranma's problems. It turns out that his father, Genma, and Genma's old friend Soun, had long ago arranged a marriage between Ranma and one of Soun's three daughters. The elder two of those daughters, Nabiki and Kasumi, quickly decided that Ranma would be perfect for their boy-hating sister Akane. Neither Ranma nor Akane was thrilled with this arrangement. To make matters worse, Ranma soon began to accumulate other female admirers, as well as a large number of male rivals.
Ranma Saotome: Cursed to become a girl when splashed with cold water. Ranma is a student of the Anything Goes school of martial arts. Trained practically from birth in the Art by his father, Ranma is also one of the best martial artists in the world, period. He knows it, too. Unfortunately, this contributes considerably to his already swelled ego, causing him to frequently allow his arrogance to get the better of him. Also quite the male chauvinist, he believes implicitly that to be male is always better than the alternative, and it is a source of great annoyance to him that he, himself, is not always male. He also tends to refuse to take any battle with a female seriously, and refuses to hit girls under almost any circumstance (an attitude that never fails to annoy Akane). Ranma does have a powerful sense of honor, however, and always tries to keep his promises.
Genma Saotome: Cursed to become a panda when splashed with cold water. Old, overweight, and lazy, Genma is, nonetheless, an extremely skilled martial artist, and taught Ranma most of what he knows. Unfortunately, this includes the good along with the bad, and most of Ranma's most glaring insensitivities can be blamed on Genma. While Genma DOES believe in honor, and wishes the best for his son, both aspects are secondary to his own personal selfishness. Genma has little or no self-control, and rarely stops to consider the consequences before satisfying his own desires. Probably the worst example of this was his abandonment of Ukyou Kuonji (see below).
Soun Tendo: Genma's old friend, he and Soun were students together when both were learning Anything Goes martial arts. Soun is a widower, and the father of three daughters. An extremely emotional man, Soun can rapidly switch between calm stoicism, to pathetic misery, demonic rage, or delirious joy with little or no warning. Soun is apparently a martial arts instructor, though he is rarely seen to be working, and presumably possesses a level of skill similar to Genma's. His home, the Tendo Dojo, is where Ranma and Genma are living for the time being.
Akane Tendo: Soun's youngest daughter, aged 16 at the beginning of the series. Engaged to Ranma. She is also a student of Anything Goes martial arts, and before Ranma arrived, was possibly the best martial artist in town. The fact that Ranma is able to defeat her without even throwing a punch is a source of no small annoyance to her, as well as the fact that most of the admirers and rivals Ranma attracted later were also well out of her league. Akane, while decent at martial arts and academics, falls short when it comes to any sort of task that might be considered "feminine". She can't sew well, for instance, and her cooking is downright lethal. It doesn't help her relationship with Ranma one bit that he never fails to insult her when she fails at one of these tasks. Even before Ranma arrived, Akane hated all boys, and with good reason (see Tatewaki Kuno, below). Nevertheless, in spite of all of her faults, and in spite of all of Ranma's faults, the two of them grow to care deeply about one another - though both are reluctant to admit the fact to anyone, including themselves.
Nabiki Tendo: Soun's middle daughter, aged 17 at the beginning of the series. Nabiki is mercenary and materialistic, willing to go to great lengths to make a buck. She rarely gets directly involved in the zaniness that seems to follow Ranma around like a tail, but tends to turn the odd events to her own advantage whenever possible, whether it be to sell hot or cold water to a cursed individual in desperate need of it, or to gather information to use as blackmail later, or to take revealing photos to sell to the highest bidder, or any of a number of money-making schemes.. Nabiki does have an eye for cute guys, but for her, making money is a primary concern.
Kasumi Tendo: Soun's eldest daughter, aged 19 at the beginning of the series. Ever since her mother died while Kasumi was young, Kasumi has taken the role of housewife for her family. She cooks and cleans for her father, her sisters, and their houseguest, and with nary a complaint. Eternally cheerful and optimistic, Kasumi takes the weirdness that pervades her life in stride, and is oblivious to the angst and hostility between Ranma, Akane, and their respective rivals. As far as Kasumi is concerned, they are all "good friends" - and, considering that they frequently end up fighting as allies rather than enemies, it could well be that Kasumi knows even better than they do. Or, maybe she's just a ditz. Who's to say?
Tatewaki Kunou: Kunou believes himself to be one of the last of the great samurai warriors, and is extremely pompous and arrogant. He believes that every woman's greatest desire is for him to date with them, but he has eyes for only two: Akane and the Pig-Tailed Girl (aka Ranma - Kunou is either too stupid or deluded to realize that Ranma's girl side is actually the same person as his boy side). While he understands that many would consider pursuing two women to be two-timing, he knows in his heart that he is in the right, for if he were to choose but one, surely the other's heart would be crushed. In reality, of course, neither Akane nor (especially) Ranma want to have anything to do with Kunou's sick fantasies. Unfortunately, Kunou, unable to believe that their reluctance could have anything to do with him, blames Ranma for twisting their minds by the use of Black Magic. Coincidentally, the fact that Ranma is able to easily beat Kunou in combat, he also attributes to Black Magic. For how could a peasant such as Ranma possibly defeat Tatewaki Kunou, rising kendo star, known and feared far and wide as the Blue Thunder of Furinken High School? Kunou is a kendo fighter, and wields a boken (a wooden practice sword) skillfully enough to slice through stone and wood like paper. He also tends to speak in poetic quotations.
Kodachi Kunou: The younger sister of Tatewaki Kunou. She attends St. Heberike, a girl's high school. Kodachi is a master of Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics, referring to herself as the Black Rose of St. Heberike, with enough skill to beat almost any challenger. However, she has a rather warped sense of honor, and believes that an honorable victory can be better achieved by "challenging" (i.e., ambushing) the opponent before the actual match begins. This idea pretty much sums up Kodachi's world view in general: what peasants would call "cheating", or "dishonorable", Kodachi calls superior tactics. No measure is too extreme if it allows her to meet her goals, and there is no goal she desires more than to possess poor Ranma for her own. She loves to concoct various potions and paralytic gasses to help her achieve that dream. There are only four who she believes stands between her and Ranma: Ranma's three fiancees, Shampoo, Ukyou, and Akane - and Ranma's girl side. Like her brother, Kodachi doesn't realize, or refuses to realize, that Ranma's boy and girl halves are the same person. Kodachi behaves in a rather deranged manner, leaping acrobatically from place to place in her gymnastics leotard amidst a flurry of black rose petals. Her laugh is unsettling, to say the least, and she's never shy about using it. Kodachi is one of the few things that Ranma truly fears.
Ryoga Hibiki: Cursed to become a piglet when splashed with cold water. Ryoga, pessimistic and frequently depressed, is Ranma's primary rival, and one with many problems, most of which he places the blame for squarely on Ranma. His rivalry with Ranma began while both were in junior high, when he and Ranma would compete for the last of the bread during lunch time, a conflict Ranma always won. Eventually, he challenged Ranma to a Man-to-Man fight to settle his grievance once and for all. Ranma agreed, and went to wait at the appointed location, the vacant lot behind Ryoga's house. Unfortunately, Ryoga has absolutely the world's worst sense of direction. He could get lost in a closet. So, while Ranma waited for Ryoga for three, long days, it actually took Ryoga four days to get there. Cursing Ranma for a coward, Ryoga set out after Ranma and his father (who had left to continue Ranma's training) to finish the duel. He followed Ranma to Jusenkyou, the Training Ground of Cursed Springs, where he was accidentally knocked into the Spring of Drowned Piglet by Ranma (one of the few of Ryoga's problems that Ranma actually IS responsible for). Eventually, he followed Ranma back to Japan, where he met Akane, who mistook Ryoga's cursed form for an ordinary pig, whom she adopted and named P-Chan. Because of her kindness to his cursed form, Ryoga fell in love with Akane, much to Ranma's annoyance. Unfortunately, Ranma feels obligated not to reveal P-Chan's true identity to Akane, both because of the debt he owes Ryoga for causing him to be cursed in the first place, and because it is dishonorable to reveal another warrior's weakness. Ryoga now fights Ranma both for revenge, and for the love of Akane (who completely fails to notice that Ryoga is anything other than a friend).
Ukyou Kuonji: Engaged to Ranma. When Ranma was a young boy travelling with his father on an extended training mission, the two of them came across Ukyou and her father, who were operating a food stand distributing okonomiyaki (a type of pizza-like Japanese pancake). Young Ranma (probably at the urging of his father, though this is not made clear in the anime episodes that I have seen) proceeded to steal okonomiyaki from the stand to feed his father and himself. Each day, Ukyou would try to prevent the thefts, and Ranma would trounce her. Somehow, this daily routine evolved into a friendship between the two. Seeing how the two of them got along, Ukyou's father decided to arrange a marriage between the two, and offered Genma his okonomiyaki stand as a dowry. Genma quickly accepted the bargain. Later, apparently finally realizing that it might have been a mistake to engage Ranma to Ukyou when he was already promised to one of the Tendo daughters, Genma decided to present Ranma with a choice, so that he could pin the blame on the boy later if trouble caught up with them. So, he asked Ranma which he liked more: Ukyou, or okonomiyaki. Ranma, who was munching on an okonomiyaki at the time, was quick to choose the latter. With that, Genma took Ranma and the okonomiyaki stand and made a run for it, leaving Ukyou in the dust. Mortified at the betrayal, and humiliated at being a jilted woman at the tender age of six, Ukyou decided to give up her femininity and live as a boy. She did so for ten years, training in the okonomiyaki style of martial arts so that one day she'd be able to track Ranma and his father down and exact vengeance upon them for abandoning her. When she finally did find them and confronted Ranma, she discovered the truth behind what had happened. Even more surprising was the fact that Ranma had never realized that Ukyou was a girl at all (gender is not always an obvious thing at age six). But the thing that truly sent Ukyou for a loop was when Ranma told her that she was cute. Suddenly, Ukyou's hatred drained away, and she fell in love with Ranma all over again. Now she runs an okonomiyaki restaurant, and struggles against Ranma's other love interests for his attention. She still frequently dresses and acts like a boy, but is trying to recover her feminine side. She prides herself on being Ranma's "cute" fiancee. (Akane is Ranma's "uncute" fiancee.)
Shampoo: Cursed to become a cat when splashed with cold water. Engaged to Ranma by the laws of her tribe. Not long after they visited Jusenkyou, Ranma and his father (in girl and panda forms, respectively) visited the village of Chinese Amazons, where a tournament was being held to determine the strongest fighter in the village. Spying a table full of food, Ranma and Genma immediately began to chow down. Unfortunately, the table of food turned out to be the grand prize for the tournament, and Ranma and Genma soon found themselves angrily confronted by the new champion, Shampoo. Ranma offered to fight her for possession of the prize (figuring that if HE was the village champion, the prize would be theirs by right). Ranma defeated Shampoo embarrassingly quickly. Unfortunately, it was then that Ranma learned of one of the laws of the Chinese Amazons: whenever an Amazon was defeated by an outsider, she was required to give that outsider the Kiss of Death, a promise to hunt down and kill that outsider. Ranma and Genma fled. But Shampoo followed them, all the way back to Japan. When she arrived, Ranma attempted to hide from her by remaining in his boy form, but accidentally defeated her again while trying to protect Akane (who Shampoo had angrily accused of trying to hide her target). It was then that Ranma learned that there was another Amazon law: If an Amazon is defeated by a MALE outsider, the Amazon must marry that outsider. For a short time, Shampoo pursued both Ranma's forms, with the intent to marry one and kill the other. Ranma finally revealed to her the secret of his curse, and claimed that the female side was his true form. Shampoo was crushed, as she had fallen in love with the male Ranma. Even believing that Ranma was really female, she couldn't bring herself to kill him, and so tearfully fled back to China in failure. Some time later, she returned, disguised as a cat by virtue of a brand-new Jusenkyou curse. With the aid of her Great Grandmother, Cologne, Shampoo dedicated herself once more to claiming Ranma as her husband (having finally learned that Ranma's true form was actually male).
Mousse: Cursed to become a duck when splashed with cold water. Mousse has been in love with Shampoo all of his life, though she considers him to be a friend, at best, and an annoying pest most of the time. Mousse refuses to believe that Shampoo does not love him, and so blames Ranma for taking her away from him. Mousse constantly searches for ways to defeat Ranma, believing with all his heart that once Ranma is out of the way, Shampoo will finally fall into his arms. Mousse is a Master of Hidden Weapons, and can produce an enormous variety of weapons from the depths of his robes, and use them all with great skill. He also possesses extremely poor eyesight, almost to the point of blindness, and frequently mistakes people and objects for other people and objects. He does own a pair of glasses that help somewhat, but often refuses to wear them, pushing them up onto his head, instead. It is his poor eyesight that caused Mousse to gain the dubious distinction of being one of the only people ever to just walk into a Jusenkyou spring.
Cologne: Shampoo's Great-Grandmother. Cologne is extremely old and withered, with the appearance of some kind of huge-eyed troll. However, with that age has come wisdom, and incredible skill. She is one of only a few opponents that can consistently defeat Ranma, and it is a testament to Ranma's skill that she has ever backed down to him at all. As a member of the tribe of Chinese Amazons, Cologne possesses knowledge of many, many effective fighting techniques, many of which she teaches to Ranma in order to make him a better husband for her great-granddaughter. Some of them, also, she teaches to Ranma's rivals, so that they might better test Ranma's skill. When Cologne first arrived, she took a very active role in trying to convince Ranma to marry Shampoo and come with them back to China. As time passed, however, she took a more passive role, encouraging Shampoo, but rarely interfering directly. More than anything, she seems greatly amused by the whole twisted love polygon that Ranma and Shampoo are but a part of, and it seems likely that she's having the time of her life watching the foolish youngsters play.
Happosai: Soun and Genma's ancient and twisted sensei. Happosai is roughly as old as Cologne, and just as shrunken and withered. He's something of a dirty old man. Well, actually, he's an EXTREMELY dirty old man. The times are few and very far between that he's not either doing something lecherous, or thinking something lecherous. He takes any opportunity he can get to grope pretty girls and women, peek up skirts, or, his favorite pastime, stealing women's underwear to add to his massive and still growing collection. He's actually addicted to his lechery, and if he goes too long without copping a feel, or fondling some stolen underwear, he becomes weak and sickly. Most of the time, however, he's one of the best martial artists around. Cologne is really his only match, and though Ranma can take him on under the right circumstances, usually Happosai is the better fighter. Soun and Genma were once his students, and when they could stand him no longer, they got him drunk one night, sealed him in a barrel, threw him into a cave, blew up the cave with dynamite, and sealed the entrance with prayer ribbons. This managed to hold him for ten years, after which, he escaped and tracked his students down. While he didn't seem particularly annoyed with them for betraying him, he did decide to begin training the next generation. Happy to have gotten off so easily, Soun and Genma were more than willing to hand over a reluctant Ranma, whose curvy girl side made him the perfect prospect, in Happosai's opinion.
Dr. Tofu: Ono Tofu is a chiropractor of incredible skill, and has been the Tendo family doctor for many years. He operates a clinic in town, and is frequently called upon to heal one or another of the many fighters that seem to revolve around Ranma, or to offer advice. For several years, Akane had a crush on Dr. Tofu, but Dr. Tofu has long had eyes only for Kasumi. Unfortunately, his love causes him to become deranged and unstable whenever Kasumi is around. His glasses fog over, he babbles when he talks, he mistakes people (or things) for other people (or things), and he generally makes a first-class fool of himself. Kasumi never seems to notice the effect she has on him, however, and just thinks he's sweet.
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