Ranma ½ ( らんま½ , Ranma Nibun no Ichi ? , pronounced Ranma one-half ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi which was also adapted into an anime series. The story revolves around a 16-year old boy named Ranma Saotome who was trained from early childhood in martial arts. As a result of an accident during a training journey, he is cursed to become a girl when splashed with cold water, but hot water will change him back into a boy.
Creation and conception
Characters
Saotome Family
Ranma Saotome
Main article: Ranma SaotomeRanma Saotome ( 早乙女 乱馬 , Saotome Ranma ? ) is the series main protagonist. He spent most of his youth on training trips with his father. The last of these trips led them to Jusenkyo, China. There he fell into a cursed spring and ever since, when he is doused with cold water, changes into a female version of himself. His male half is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in the Japanese anime and by Sarah Strange and Richard Ian Cox in the English dub. His female half is voiced by Megumi Hayashibara in the Japanese anime and by Brigitta Dau and Venus Terzo in the English dub.
Genma Saotome
Genma Saotome ( 早乙女 玄馬 , Saotome Genma ? ) is Ranma's father and the sensei of the Saotome Dojo of "Anything Goes Martial Arts." He trained with Soun under Happosai, but due to being treated like slaves, they eventually sealed him within a cave and opened their own schools. He takes Ranma on a continuous training trip to perfect his skills, and his wife, Nodoka, makes him promise to turn Ranma into a "man-among-men" under the threat of forcing them to commit seppuku. During their training, Genma falls into a cursed spring, which gives him a giant panda curse. He and Ranma eventually return to Japan to fulfill an arranged marriage between Ranma and Akane to keep the school going. He hides from his wife by staying as a panda while she is around, and she simply believes Ranko, Ranma's female form, has "Mr. Panda" as a pet.
Genma follows his own interpretation of the Anything Goes Martial Arts code, which isn't exactly all that virtuous itself to begin with. Though he himself claims to be a model martial artist, and makes a point of telling Ranma about the right thing to do, he is not above acting cowardly, stealing a dowry, or only looking out for his own well being. He is very open with his panda form, and regularly uses it to avoid people. He speaks by writing on wooden signs which he seems to pull out of a type of hammer space in that form. Genma is an extremely proficient martial artist. He is extremely strong and agile despite his size, and his panda form increases his abililities even further. He is voiced by Kenichi Ogata in the Japanese anime and by Robert O. Smith in the English dub.
Nodoka Saotome
Nodoka Saotome ( 早乙女 のどか , Saotome Nodoka ? ) is Ranma's mother. She allowed Genma to take him away from her at an early age under the condition that Genma raise him to become a "man among men" or both of them would commit seppuku. She always has a katana with her for that purpose. When she is around, Ranma tries to remain in female form and pretends to be Akane's cousin from the countryside by the name of Ranko. Genma, who is particularly terrified of her, stays in panda form and pretends to be Ranko's pet. Towards the end of the manga, Nodoka learns the truth and decides not to force them to commit seppuku so long as Ranma stays interested in girls and continues to fight like a "man among men."
She is voiced by Masako Ikeda in the Japanese anime and by Lisa Bunting in the English dub.
Tendo Family
Akane Tendo
Main article: Akane TendoAkane Tendo ( 天道 あかね , Tendō Akane ? ) is the second main character of the series. She is chosen by her family to be engaged to Ranma to carry on the Tendo family dojo, an arrangement neither of them is happy with, though, as the series progresses they slowly fall in love with each other. She is a capable martial artist and quite popular with the boys, though she would prefer a little less attention. She is voiced by Noriko Hidaka in the Japanese anime and by Myriam Sirois in the English dub.
Soun Tendo
Soun Tendo ( 天道 早雲 , Tendō Sōun ? ) is the current master of the "Anything Goes Martial Arts" Tendo Dojo. He studied under the founder of the style, Happosai, with Genma, who is a close friend. Their training was nothing short of abuse and slave labor, so they eventually managed to get away from him. He and Genma set an arranged marriage between his daughter, Akane, and Ranma in order to have some one succeed the style, and despite protests from both parties, they believe the two will eventually grow to love each other. Soun is very emotional, often brought to tears just by thinking of a sad thought. He is very respectful to his deceased wife, whose grave he visits regularly and he constantly mourns her. He tends to become very angry whenever he suspects that Ranma is 'cheating' on Akane or otherwise is treating her badly, being intensely paranoid in this regard.
Soun frequently fights clad fully in traditional samurai armor. He is skilled in both hand to hand combat and handling a wide variety of archaic weaponry. He is voiced by Ryūsuke Ōbayashi in the Japanese anime and by David Kaye in the English dub.
Nabiki Tendo
Nabiki Tendo ( 天道 なびき , Tendō Nabiki ? ) is Akane's older sister. She is extremely ruthless when it comes to making money. She is voiced by Minami Takayama in the Japanese anime and by Angela Costain in the English dub.
Kasumi Tendo
Kasumi Tendo ( 天道 かすみ , Tendō Kasumi ? ) is the eldest daughter of the Tendo family. She acts as the family matriarch following the death of her mother, and she does most of the housework. She has no interest in younger men, and Tofu Ono is deeply in love with her, though she has no idea about it and simply considers him to be odd. She is invariably shown as cheerful and pleasant, seldom seeming fazed by the wild events that surround her. She amiably helps to clean up any destruction, and generally seems content in working hard to take care of her family, the household, and make any guests feel at home. She is voiced by Kikuko Inoue in the Japanese anime and by Willow Johnson in the English dub.
The Chinese
Shampoo
Shampoo ( 珊璞 , Shānpú ? , or シャンプー Shanpū ) is the village champion of the Chinese Amazons, who is defeated by Ranma in his male and female forms. The laws of her village force her to attempt to kill Ranma's female form and marry his male form. She eventually learns that he is cursed, and focuses on marrying him. She trains under her great-grandmother, Cologne, and eventually obtains a curse that turns her into a cat, which doesn't help with Ranma, who has a phobia of them. She helps run the Cate Cafe with Cologne, and often delivers food. She is actively pursued by Mousse, but she generally shows nothing but disdain for him. She is voiced by Rei Sakuma in the Japanese anime and by Cathy Weseluck in the English dub.
Shampoo speaks with a simplified mode of speech, most notably rapidly switching between ignoring and using personal pronouns, because of having a limited amount of time to learn the Japanese language. She is described as "innocent and aggressive", being very affectionate and cheerful, while also being very devious and forceful, willing to force Ranma into loving her. She is very vengeful as well, and she is willing to kill anyone to further her goals or remove obstacles. She has very little modesty, and attempts to use nudity to seduce Ranma in public places. Shampoo is highly skilled in unarmed combat, particularly involving speed and acrobatics, and is strong enough to casually walk through stone walls on a regular basis. She uses a pair of "chúi" as her primary weapons.
Cologne
Cologne ( 可崘 , Ke Lun ? , or コロン Koron ) is the great-grandmother of Shampoo. She accompanies Shampoo on her return to Japan, and op
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