Season
overview:
The third season, known as "Hard Battle" in English, saw the introduction of the final regular cast member, Ukyo Kuonji, and some fans felt the series began to stagnate after this point. Increasingly stories seemed to diverge from their manga roots, and not always for the better. Fan favorite manga stories were skipped and the shows writers seemed to fill the void with their own creations, the exception to this being episode 31 which is often ranked as one of the funniest shows of the series. Most of these episodes were left in the correct order when brought to America, except episode 51 was placed ahead of 45, presumably to fit better on the two-episode VHS tapes, in order to prevent multi-part episode storylines from being spread across multiple tapes. Viz slipped episode 51 in-between episodes 44 and 45 when they released them originally in the 1990s.
Episode 23: また一人乱馬を愛したヤツ
Mata hitori Ranma wo aishita yatsu (Ranma Gains Yet Another Suitor)
Ukyo arives at Furinkan High after years of bitterness. She (who everyone believes is a he) is looking for her childhood pal and fiance, Ranma Saotome. It seems Genma and Ukyo's father aranged a marriage between the two, but Genma took the dowry and left. Ukyo comes to settle the score, but after a match between herself and Ranma, all is put right and Ranma gains yet another suitor.
Episode Staff:
Director: Saeko Ochaya (御茶屋さえ子)
Animation Director: Asami Endo (遠藤麻未)
Script: Yoshiyuki Suga (菅良幸)
Storyboards: Saeko Ochaya (御茶屋さえ子)
Originally Aired:
April 20, 1990
5:30 pm - 6:00 pm on Fuji TV
Television Viewership Rating:
9.1
Themes:
Opening Theme: Ranma You Pervert Opening Narration
Okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) is often described as a Japanese savory pancake cooked on a griddle. They are associated with the Kansai region of Japan, which is why Ukyo speaks in the Kansai dialect.
The ring that Ranma and Ukyo do battle in is a large iron griddle used for cooking foods called "teppanyaki" (鉄板焼き). In the United States this is often mistakenly called "hibachi" (火鉢).
"My Original Western Japan Okonomiyaki Special Menu..." - Here "Western Japan" is referring to the Kansai (関西) region. This generally refers to Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe today. "Eastern Japan" would be "Kanto" (関東) which includes Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Gunma. In Japan "Western Japan" versus "Eastern Japan" would be similar to coastal rivalries in other countries.
The guest voices in this episode include Hiromi Tsuru (鶴ひろみ) as Ukyo, Yoshihiko Kamei (亀井芳子), Takehito Koyasu (子安武人), Koji Tsujiya (辻󠄀谷耕史), Ikuya Sawaki (沢木郁也), Toshiharu Sakurai (桜井敏治), Ryuzo Ishino (石野竜三), Midori Nakazawa (中沢みどり) and Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代). As always, Tadashi Nakamura (中村正) plays the narrator.
Episode 24: 熱愛? 良牙とあかね
Netsuai? Ryoga to Akane (Ryoga and Akane: 2-gether 4-ever)
Ukyo meets Ryoga for the first time, and after a rocky start, Ukyo realizes Ryoga is in love with Akane. Ukyo realizes that if Ryoga and Akane start dating that would leave her with a lot more time to see Ranma. Akane finds out what is going on but thinks Ryoga is only an unknowing part of Ukyo's plan. Feeling sorry for Ryoga, Akane agrees on the date, but after Ranma finds out he sets out to ruin Ryoga and Akane's quiet "date".
This episode marks a new opening and ending along with new title cards for the opening title.
The souvenir that Ryoga is carrying to give to Akane is a giant tanuki statue.
The "other fiancée" that Ryoga imagines Ukyo to be like shows a strange series of statues wearing school girl uniforms. These are "dogu" (土偶), meaning "earthen figures". From left to right these are a Jomon period Haniwa Dogu, a "shakokidogu" (遮光器土偶), and haniwa (埴輪).
Beneath Ukyo's school boy uniform, she wears a sarashi (晒し) chest wrap, much like Ryunosuke Fujinami in Urusei Yatsura.
Ukyo inscribes the kanji for "congratulations" (寿/kotobuki) on the okonomiyaki she makes for Ryoga and Akane.
The other voices in this episode include Koji Tsujitani (辻󠄀谷耕史), Takehito Koyasu (子安武人), Tomoko Otsuka (大塚智子), Midori Nakazawa (中沢みどり) and Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代).
Episode 25: くしゃみ一発愛してナイト
Kushami ippatsu aishite naito (Sneeze Me, Squeeze Me, Please Me)
Shampoo feeds Ranma some nikuman pork buns with a magical kairaishi mushroom ingredient, so Ranma is forced to hug people on command. The problem is that Shampoo accidently sets the hugging command to be a sneeze. Soon Ranma is hugging strangers around town and getting beaten up. Akane, having seen Ranma hugging Shampoo is particularly furious with him, but catches a cold after falling into an open sewer. With everyone out of the house except Ranma and Akane, there's going to be a very interesting night between the two. Especially since Akane's coming down with a cold.
"Kairaishi" is written "傀儡芝". The kanji translates as "puppet lawn".
In the original Japanese, the movie Akane, Sayuri and their friend go to see is in English.
The music video Akane is watching has the singer performing Little Date.
The pouch Ranma has is called "man-kin-tan" (万金丹), or "pills worth 10,000 gold".
"I make shumai this time. You hurry and eat." - Shumai (燒賣) is a ground pork dumpling. However Shampoo says her's is a special recipe made with shrimp.
After Ranma feeds Shampoo the shumai and tells her to leave she says "zàijiàn" (再見) in Chinese. This means "goodbye".
In the original manga story Kuno and Ryoga also appear, however they are absent in the anime adaptation.
The other actors credited in this episode are: Yoshihiko Kamei (亀井芳子), Yuko Kobayashi (小林優子), Koji Tsujitani (辻󠄀谷耕史), Takehito Koyasu (子安武人), Masamichi Sato (佐藤政道), Natsumi Sasaki (佐々木菜摘) and Keiichi Ando (安藤圭一).
Episode 26: 幻の八宝大華輪を探せ
Maboroshi no Happodaikarin o sagase (Rub-a-dub-dub! There's a Pevert in the Tub)
When Happosai gets angry due to Ranma preventing him from going to the hot springs with Akane, Happosai threatens Ranma with unleashing his Happo-daikarin (Happo-Fire Burst) technique, but first he has to remember how to do it. It seems Happosai used the technique long ago when Soun and Genma tried to run him over with a boulder and accidentally destroyed a bra in the process. Now it's a race to get the scroll with the technique written on it first, but Happosai buried it at a girls-only hot spring, and who should happen to be taking a soak but Akane.
A literal translation of the title of this episode is "The Search for the Mysterious Happodaikarin".
Happodaikarin (八宝大華輪), the name of Happosai's technique, translates as "Happo Big Flower Wheel". The English version translates it as "Happo-Fire Burst".
The guest voices that played unnamed parts in this epsisode include: Yoshiko Kamei (亀井芳子), Yuko Kobayashi (小林優子), Ryuzo Ishino (石野竜三), Masami Toyoshima (豊島まさみ), Toshihiko Nakajima (中嶋聡彦), Etsuko Ishikawa (石川悦子), Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代).
Episode 27: 大好き! 私のうっちゃん
Daisuki! Watashi no Ucchan (I Love You! My Dear, Dear, Ukyo)
Tsubasa Kurenai, Ukyo's crossdressing admirer who will not take "no" for an answer arrives in Tokyo intent on taking her back from Ranma. It seems Ukyo mailed Tsubasa a photo of female Ranma and explained that Ranma is her fiance in hopes of driving Tsubasa away. Soon Tsubasa transfers his affections towards female Ranma, leaving male Ranma to try and straighten out the confused "girl". Ranma mistakenly assumes Tsubasa is a girl that only seems to like othe girls, so he is a bit confused as to why his "charms" that seem to win all the other girls over is not helping him with Tsubasa. Once he finds out Tsubasa is a guy he is fairly angry.
An excellent article by Matteo Watzky about the key animator on this episode, Atsuko Ishida (石田敦子) and her work on Ranma 1/2, can be found here.
Among the items that Tsubasa gives to Ukyo are a back scratcher, a scarf, an Easter Island head, a haniwa statue, and some sort of sentai hero toy or model.
Tsubasa calls Ranma "狆くしゃ" (chinkusha) meaning "pug-nosed face". In the manga Tsubasa calls Ranma "ぶす" (busu) meaning "ugly woman".
Tsubasa claims to be from the "Camoflage Ambush School" but in the manga makes no claim of being affiliated with any martial art or school of combat.
The kanji written on the celebratory bouquet of flowers that Tsubasa is disguised as says "congratulations" (祝/iwai).
Tsubasa's next disguise is as an umbrella demon known as a "kasa obake" (傘おばけ).
When Tsubsasa and Akane punch Kuno a picture of the orange haniwa appears with a speech bubble that reads "ひょっ？" (Hyo?/Huh?) followed by yin-yang symbols and a molecule chain with "bin bin bin bin" (ビンビン ビンビン) written around it.
Ranma calls Tsubasa "sweetheart" and "my angel" in English.
The guest voices in this episode include Eiko Yamada (山田栄子) as Tsubasa Kurenai, Fumihiko Tachiki (立木文彦) as the old man and Mitsuru Ogata (小形満), Yu Nishioka (西岡有), Satoshi Nakajima (中嶋聡彦) and Ryuzo Ishino (石野竜三) in unidentified roles.
Episode 28: 魔女が愛した下着ドロボー
Majo ga aishita shitagi dorobo (The Witch Who Loved Me: A Japanese Ghost Story)
Soun is elected the chairman of the town council and his first duty is to stop the recent panty raids perpetrated by a thief unknown to everyone except the Tendos and Saotomes. Happosai forces Soun and Genma to help him in his underwear theft despite Soun's precarious position of authority. Soon, Happosai is going after an ancient cursed piece of lingerie, the "Phantom Bra" belonging to Yang Guifei, a great Chinese beauty... this is not exactly the job Soun had hoped for.
A literal translation of the Japanese title would be "The Witch's Favorite Underwear Thief".
This is the first episode of Ranma 1/2 written by Shigeru Yanagawa. Yanagawa had written a number of episodes of Urusei Yatsura and is credited as coming up with the "story concept" for the first Ranma 1/2 film.
When Soun imagines himself as a superhero, the logo on his chest is the character "ten" (天) from "Tendo". The character means "heaven".
The message written on Happosai's lantern says "goyou" (御用) which is akin to "official business", "arrest" or "submit to authority". Government authorities used to carry these during their official duties.
While he's stealing panties, Ranma knocks Happosai through a barrier on a balcony that has something written on it before shattering. It says "break this barrier in an emergency. You can evacuate next door" (非常の際はこを破る 隣戸へ避難できます/Hijo no sai wa ko o yaburu tonari to e hinan dekimasu).
"She was so enamored with Emperor Xuan Zong, the kingdom was at risk!" - Soun explains that Yang Guifei was in love with Emperor Xuan Zong (玄宗), the Tang dynasty emprorer who ruled between 712 to 756 CE. Yang Guifei (楊貴妃) was his courtesan and was known as one of the four great beauties of ancient China.
The guest voices in this episode include Masako Katsuo (勝生真沙子) as Yang Gui Fei (楊貴妃), Masato Tsujimura (辻󠄀村真人) as the former chairman (前会長) and Masashi Sugawara (菅原正志) and Yuko Mikawa (三川雄三) in unnamed roles.
Episode 29: 変身! ムキムキマンあかね
Henshin! Mukimuki-man Akane (Transform! Akane the Super Duper Girl)
After Akane eats Happosai's strength enhancing "super soba" she is able to beat Ranma one-handed. Having lost an arm wrestling match to Shampoo earlier, Akane is all too happy to seek revenge against her rival. Akane quickly joins in a game of martial arts ping-pong with plans to trounce Shampoo using her new strength. However, Shampoo quickly learns Akane's secret and steals a bowl of super soba for herself. Ranma gets caught in the middle as these two square off, but what Akane does not realize is that the "super soba" has a side effect, the user starts to grow facial hair. She refuses to take the antidote from Ranma, certain that he is merely jealous of her new brawn.
"That sumo wrestler was ozeki level!" - Ozeki (大関) is the rank immediately below yokozuna (横綱) which is the highest level in sumo wrestling.
There have been a number of arm wrestling games like the one Akane plays in arcades.
Shampoo says "goodbye" (再见/zàijiàn) in Chinese to Akane.
In Japanese, the "super soba" is called "goriki soba" (剛力ソバ).
The original manga chapter for this episode was released near New Year's Day when soba is traditionally eaten and hanetsuki (羽根突き) is played. However, this episode aired in summer, so hanetsuki is called "ping pong" instead to try and remove the holiday-centric nature of the storyline.
When Shampoo catches Ranma she says "daikanki" (大歡喜), which is the Japanese pronunciation of these Chinese characters meaning "overjoyed". In Mandarin it would be "dà huān xǐ".
"That's sticky birdlime!" - Birdlime is a sticky substance spread on tree limbs designed to catch small birds. It is typically made from mistletoe or holly bark.
When it shows the individual broken chain links falls in front of the audience Cherry from Urusei Yatsura can be seen among the crowd. Other possible characters include Ataru, Megane and Onsen-Mark as well as possibly C-ko Kotobuki from Project A-ko and Anpanman without his nose colored in on the far right in one frame.
The guest voices for this episode were Yasunori Matsumoto (松本保典), Junichi Kanemaru (金丸淳一), Yu Noshioka (西岡有) and Mitsuru Ogata (小形満).
Episode 30: 呪泉郷から来た殺し屋
Jusenkyou kara kita koroshiya (The Killer from Jusenkyo)
A meeting of various guides at Jusenkyo reveal that 144 people have fallen into the springs and that some of them have broken the three cardinal rules of Jusenkyo. The rules include that their curse should not be used for evil, the curse should not be used to cause harm to anyone else, and lastly anyone who has broken the first two laws will not be allowed to transform again. The secret society sends Kinnii, a swordsman, to punish Ranma, Genma, Shampoo, Mousse, and Ryoga for "abusing" their curses. One by one each one is captured until Happosai goads Ranma into turning into a girl and helping him steal underwear in order to bring out Kinnii. However, Ranma soon learns that the swordsman is also cursed, he has fallen into the "Spring of Virtueous Man" and becomes timid and innocent when splashed. Now apologetic, Kinnii takes Ranma to find his father and the others, but is soon turned back into his self-righteous form set on punishing the Jusenkyo victims. Kinnii insists that with proper training, they can learn not to change even when splashed. Ultimately Ranma faces off against Kinnii who unleashes his ultimate technique of the Blue Dragon Sword Muscle School- the Earthquake Break Dance.
Ryoga's instant ramen is "Deen" brand, named after the animation studio.
Akane refers to Mousse as "Mu Mu" in this episode, one of the rare occasions he is addressed as such.
When Happosai remarks that he suspects Genma is suffering and in pain after being captured he turns into a ghost with a small hat on his head. To learn more about this "ghost hat" please see our video on the topic.
Kinnii is said to have fallen into Fusan Niichuan, a spring that a virtuous young priest had fallen into 999 years ago.
The lullaby like song played when Kinnii is hauled up the rope and sees the destruction he has cuased is not found on any soundtracks.
The guest voices in this episode include Takeshi Ano (青野武) as Kinnii, Mugihito (麦人) as the Chairman, and Hiroshi Masuoka (増岡弘) as the Vice-Chairman.
Episode 31: 私ってきれい? 乱馬女宣言
Watashi kirei? Ranma onna sengen (Am I... Pretty? Ranma's Declaration of Womanhood)
An early morning sparring session with Genma gets out of hand as the two battle with bo staves on the roof of the Tendo Dojo. After their sparring carries on into the house and causes Akane to get face-planted into her homemade breakfast, she thrashes Ranma into the koi pond, causing him to hit his head against a rock. Thanks to the blow to his head, Ranma now believes he actually is a girl. Now all he wants to do is help Kasumi with the laundry, arrange flowers, and go bra shopping (as a boy). Genma has heard enough when Ranma starts saying he hates violence and no longer wants to inherit the Tendo Dojo. Akane struggles to accept Ranma's new feminine mannerisms while Happosai decides that Ranma's passive kindness is an excellent opportunity to see Ranma wear a bra.
The writer of this episode, Michiko Yokote (横手美智子) was fairly new to writing for anime at this point in her career, having debuted with Mobile Police Patlabor episode 12 "Ota's One Troubled Afternoon" this same year (1990).
The animation director, Hiroko Kazui (数井浩子), actually returned to work on the 2024 Ranma 1/2 series where she handled storyboards for episode 7.
"There's a reason 'mature' and 'endure' rhyme." - This is a good approximation of what Happosai is saying, but a more literal translation of his comment is "the characters for 'young' and painful' look similar" (若いという字は苦しいと言う字に似ている/wakai to iu ji wa kurushii to iu ji ni nite iru).
The other voice actors appearing in this episode are Mitsuru Ogata (小形満), Midori Nakazawa (中沢みどり), Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代) and Momoko Ishii (石桃子) all of whom played unnamed roles.
Episode 32: 対決! 八宝斉VS透明人間
Taiketsu! Happosai vs. Toumeiningen (Final Facedown! Happosai vs. the Invisible Man)
After struggling to deal with Happosai's continued theft of panties and causing trouble at the school, Ranma and Akane remark on the cowardice of their fathers who have run away rather than deal with their perverted master. Upon their return, Soun and Genma reveal they visited a martial arts master named Chengensai in hopes of learning a new technique to defeat Happosai. Initially their training seems to primarily consist of ways of placating Happosai who continues his disruptive behavior. Ranma and Akane manage to lure him to school and swap out his bag of stolen underwear with boy's gym shorts, loincloths and jock straps, which weakens him. Soun and Genma suddenly appear and seemingly turn invisible with plans to attack Happosai, but just as their paltry technique is uncovered Chengensai arrives. As it turns out Chengensai and Happosai are old friends and the invisible man technique was merely a skill used to peep at naked women.
This episode is the first appearance of Chengensai. His name is written with the kanji for "rare" and "mysterious" plus the same "sai" (斉) as found in "Happosai".
In Soun and Genma's flashback to their struggles on the road, the crows overhead call out "Aho aho" (アホ). This onomatopoeia of a crow's call means "idiot" and shows up frequently in Takahashi adaptations.
The scroll in Chengensai's dojo reads "ichiban" (一番) meaning "the best" or "number one".
It's unclear how Genma can meditate under the waterfall with Soun without turning into a panda in their flashback. The ritual purification with water is called "misogi" (禊).
Mandarin Ninja - In Japanese they are saying "Chuukan ninpo" (中韓忍法), or "Chinese ninja".
The cloth Happosai uses as a makeshift mask when going on his panty raids is "hokkamuri" (頬っ被り).
Happosai becoming weak if he cannot touch a woman or underwear is a call back to when his weakness was revealed in episode 20.
While this episode has animation direction from veteran Asami Endo (遠藤麻未), it has some noticably poor scenes as well. It is impossible to say which animators were responsible for these sequences, but the animators that worked on this episode are key frame animators: Akira Sasaki (佐々木あきら), Hiroaki Yoshinaga (吉永裕昭), Kenichiro Nakamura (中村謙一郎), Shinichi Kimura (木村信一), Kanae Sugiyama (杉山嘉苗) and Yumi Minamikurosawa (南黒沢由美). In-between animation is handled by Hyunmi Choi (崔賢美), Sohn Soo-bok (孫壽福), Hong Wan-ki (洪完基), Yoichi Ishikawa (石川洋一), Hirofumi Suzuki (鈴木博文) and Tokuyuki Shochiku (松竹徳幸). Finishes were handled by ECHO Pro which had Shimo Hye-young (下恵英), Park Yeon-sun (朴連順), Lee Bu-chun (李富春) and Studio Step (スタジオステップ) which employed Reiko Shibuya (渋谷礼子), Emi Inatomi (稲富恵美), Reiko Suzuki (鈴木怜子).
The guest voices for this episode include Kinto Tamura (田村錦人) as "Chengensai" and anonymous roles for Yoshihiko Kamei (亀井芳子), Midori Nakazawa (中沢みどり), Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代), Mitsuru Ogata (小形満) and Momoko Ishi (石桃子).
Episode 33: 九能家のレ・ミゼラブル
Kuno-ke no les miserables (Les Miserable in the Kuno Estate)
After eating Kodachi's cookies that were intended for Ranma, Tatewaki and his sister get into a violent argument which Sasuke tries to break up. When Tatewaki and Kodachi get angry about him choosing sides and scolding them, Kuno fires Sasuke and sends him away. Akane finds him alone in the park and invites him to stay at the Tendo home. There, Sasuke discovers the kindness that the Kuno siblings have never shown him. The Tendos feed him decent meals, never mock him for wetting the bed or even play shogi with him. Sasuke decides to become Akane's guard, even helping her in gym class. However, Tatewaki soon realizes how difficult his life is without his loyal retainer and soon comes in search of the missing ninja. Sasuke overhears Kuno promising to treat him better and tearfully agrees to return to the Kuno estate, however things quickly return to the abuse he has come to expect from Tatewaki and Kodachi.
Kodachi's cookies spell out "love" (スキ/suki).
Sasuke refers to himself as "oniwaban" (御庭番) here translated as "household guard", sometimes translated as "guardian of the garden" which is technically a literal translation of the word. However, "oniwaban" is a term for an undercover agent that was typically stationed in the inner castle (the garden). They are typically depicted as spies or ninja, though in reality they were typically more akin to inspectors that reported directly to the shogun. Urusei Yatsura's Shingo is also an oniwaban.
"Ah the loquat, harbinger of summer." - This episode originally aired in late June, making it a timely reference.
The guest voices in this episode are Ayumi Kida (喜田あゆみ), Yuri Sato (佐藤ユリ) and Zenchu Mitsui (三井善忠) who all played unnamed characters.
Episode 34: 怪談! 乱馬と魔性の剣
Kaidan! Ranma to mashou no ken (Ghost Story! Ranma and the Magic Sword)
After a janitor at Furinkan High sees windows being broken during the night, he believes a ghost is haunting the school. Ukyo quickly arranges a group of students to accompany Soun and Genma to find the ghost and expell it from the school. One by one Ranma's classmates are picked off the the slashing blade of the spirit, until finally it is evealed to be Kuno who has become possessed by the sword of Miyamoto Musashi.
The old janitor who is patrolling the school at night in the beginning is performing night duty. Once upon a time Japanese schools had "night duty rooms" (宿直室) where a teacher would stay overnight to function as a security guard. One teacher reported, "In my memory, the night shift would have been abolished around 1974. After that, for about five years, college students worked part-time and stayed in the night duty room as a "night shift agent". However, some of them got involved with the students, drank alcohol and made noise, problems began to occur here and there, and there must have been murders ... Because of that, it became "totally unmanned". I did it at one point. In my case, it was a local prefectural high school, but when I was young, I stayed in the night duty room for about three years. We (the night duty teacher) would go around the school at midnight and 3:00am to formally confirm everything was safe. I couldn't sleep because I was nervous, and it certainly hinders the next day's lessons. It was hard. Even if I stayed overnight, the night shift allowance was only about 800 yen. Your shift would come around twice each month. Female teachers didn't do a night shift, so I wish I had been born a woman. To be honest, the night shift had no meaning. Popular teachers had problems such as students wanting to hang around with them, and for female students, the problem was even more troublesome. In my case, it was a big problem.". Government offices, town halls and banks also had similar overnight shifts.
Ukyo charging money for the okonomiyaki she plans to offer the students who volunteered to help bust the ghost is a stereotype of people from the Kansai region where Ukyo's accent suggests she hails from. Kansai people are traditionally seen as merchants and are believed to focus on financial matters.
"Master sword maker Masamune made this spatula himself." - Goro Nyudo Masamune (五郎入道正宗) is considered Japan's greatest swordmaker. He lived during the late 1200s into the early 1300s.
"Master Kuno is presently Miyamoto Musashi." - Miyamoto Musashi (宮本武蔵) is a Japanese historical ronin and sword master who has passed into folk tradition as one of the greatest swordsmen that ever lived. He is said to have won 62 duels and was never defeated.
"This must be the wooden sword Miyamoto Musashi carved from an oar before his legendary battle at Ganryu Island!" - On April 13, 1612 Miyamoto Musashi fought one of his most famous duels against Kojiro Sasaki on Ganryu Island. Musashi carved an oar into a bokuto (wooden sword) in order to compensate for the long blade used by Kojiro.
The spirit of Musashi mistakes Akane for Otsu. Otsu is a fictional character often said to be Musashi's lover. She was created by Eiji Yoshikawa in his novel Musashi. However she has appeared in a great deal of media related to Musashi including the manga Vagabond (バガボンド).
"It must be Kojiro Sasaki's "Clothes Rod"... - Sasaki weilded an unusually long blade called a "nodachi". He called his sword Monohoshizao (物干し竿/clothes drying pole) due to its length.
"The stewpot lid used by Tsukahara Bokuden to block an attack!" - Tsukahara Bokuden (塚原卜伝) allegedly blocked an attack by Miyamoto Musashi using a stew pot lid. This story is fictional however, as Bokuden died 13 years before Musashi's birth.
"The sandals of the fleet-footed warrior, Chiba Shusaku!" - Chiba Shusaku Taira no Narimasa (千葉周作成政) is a "sword saint" (剣聖/kensei) just like Musashi and Bokuden.
The skin of the tiger wrestled by Kato Kiyomasa!" - Kato Kiyomasa (加藤清正) famously hunted tigers with his spear during his campaign in Korea.
There are some named students such as Makoto and Naota in this episode. Hiroshi and Daisuke's names are given in this episode as well. Koji Tsujitani (辻󠄀谷耕史) and Takehito Koyasu (子安武人) are the actors who play Hiroshi and Daisuke respectively (thought the characters they played are not identified in this episode). Other actors appearing in this episode are Fumiko Tachiki (立木文彦), Arihiro Hase (長谷有洋), Makoto Sasaki (佐々木誠人), Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代) and Katsuyo Endo (遠藤勝代). The credits did not list who these actors portrayed.
Episode 35: 一粒コロリ・絶倫ホレ薬
Hitotsubu korori. Zetsurin horegusuri (All It Takes is One! The Kiss of Love is the Kiss of Death)
After taking a trip to the beach, Happosai tags along and proves annoying to Ranma and Akane. Ranma decides that fixing him up with a date will straighten him out, but decides to pick on Happosai by setting him up with Cologne. Cologne soon realizes that Happosai has a precious artifact, a braclet that contains three magic pills that make anyone who swallows them fall in love with the first person of the opposite sex that they see. Each pill has a different duration, an instant, a day and a lifetime. Ranma falls in love with Cologne, but luckily he only swallowed the "Instant Pill". Akane swallows the "Lifetime Pill" and Ranma has to prevent her from seeing any men.
"Winter is at Snow Mountain. Summer is at beach." - This is a reference to episode 6 which took place in a wintery landscape. That story was also originally set at the beach but was altered due to airing during winter originally.
"I can see you now, drinking sasaparilla together." - While sasaparilla would be an old timey drink appropriate for Cologne and Happosai, in the original Japanese Akane says that Happosai and Cologne would be "tea-drinking companions" (茶飲み友達/cha no mi tomodachi) which is an idiom for a "spouse married late in life for companionship" or alternatively just a buddy or pal.
"I may meet my white knight this way!" "How about a white naughty?!" - The pun here is that Akane says "白馬に乗った王子様に会えるかもしれないもんねっ。" ("I may meet my prince riding on a white horse."/Hakuba ni natta ouji-sama ni aeru kamoshirenaimonnee.) to which Happosai retorts "白馬に乗ったおじいさまあるな。" ("How about an old man on a white horse."/Hakuba ni notta ojii-sama aru na."). The pun is based on "Oujii" (prince) and "Ojii" (old man).
The voices of the unnamed characters in this episode are: Masami Toyoshima (豊島まさみ), Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代), Momoko Ishi (石桃子) and Sayuri Haneda (羽田小百合).
Episode 36: 史上最強? 良牙とムース同盟
Shijou saikyou? Ryouga to Mousse doumei (The Ultimate Team-up!? The Ryoga/Mousse Alliance)
When Ryoga wanders back into town, he comes to the realization that Akane will only care for him as P-chan. Mousse, wearing a mask and callying himself the "Mystery Man from Ganymede" attacks Ryoga to test his strength in hopes they can team up to take on Ranma. Ryoga decides that he will stay as P-chan forever so he can always be with Akane. Right before he pours cold water on himself, Mousse tells him that Akane will more than likely get rid of P-chan when she gets married and has children with Ranma. This upsets Ryoga and he decides to rethink his plan. Ryoga and Mousse team up in order to defeat Ranma using a large time bomb that they chain to Ranma's legs. Akane comes looking for P-chan and nearly gets blown up in the blast, but kicks the bomb away in a moment of frustration, causing it to hit Mousse instead.
The two voices for unnamed characters in this episode are Yoshiko Kamei (亀井芳子) and Yuko Kobayashi (小林優子).
Episode 37: バック・トゥ・ザ・八宝斉
Bakku tou za Happosai (Back to the Happosai)
In front of the Tendo home, Happosai is trying to sell off some of his useless trinkets and toys when Shampoo and Cologne arrive with a delivery of ramen. While looking through Happosai's sundries, Shampoo discovers his magic mirror, which makes Cologne realize that Happosai is the boy she knew as "Happy" from her youth in China. When Happosai sheds a tear on his magic mirror it sends everyone back in time to the Village of Amazons where they see a young Cologne and Happosai meet for the first time. Akane and Shampoo realize that Cologne liked Happosai due to his hard work and diligent training so she arranged a date for them. Just as young Happosai was about to embrace young Cologne he started talking to another woman. When everyone travels back to the present, the mirror is broken when Nabiki steps on it.
The title of this episode is a reference to the 1985 film Back to the Future.
"Alexander the Great bought this mirror down the Silk Road." - Alexander is the Macedonian leader of the Greeks who conquered Egypt, the Persian Empire and parts of India. Along the Silk Road trade routes that stretched deeper into Asia, Alexander left a Hellenistic influence that made for hybridized Buddhist-Greco artwork.
The scene of Happosai and Cologne learning each other's names and realizing they knew one another in the past is borrowed from chapter 92 which was just adapted as episode 35.
When Happosai's skull rolls out of his head, a few flags pop out with writing on them. One says "main characteristic: pervert" (スケベのみそ/sukebe no miso) and the other says "Party" (パーティ/paatei).
"Stir-fry lake" - The name of the lake, Rebanira (レバニラ) is a stir-fry made with pork liver and garlic.
The other voices in this episode are: Yuko Kobayashi (小林優子), Takehito Koyasu (子安武人), Masami Toyoshima (豊島まさみ), Midori Nakazawa (中沢みどり), Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代) and Momoko Ishi (石桃子).
Episode 38: 黒バラの小太刀! 純愛一直線
Kurobarano Kodachi! Jun'ai icchokusen (Kodachi the Black Rose! The Beeline to True Love)
During breakfast, everyone comments that Kasumi has only prepared rice and pickle for them to eat, but she points out that with no students and the family having to support Ranma, Genma and Happosai who are all freeloading, they have run out of money to purchase food. Sasuke, spying on the family, reports this to Kodachi who decides that she will come and save Ranma from starvation. Moving in to the Tendo home, she prepares lavish meals, cooks and cleans, much to Akane's chargin. When Kodachi realizes that Ranma will not inherit the dojo unless he marries Akane, she withdraws her support and steals all of the students that Ranma and Akane had worked hard to recruit. At her new, fancy dojo, which is more of an aerobics studio, she promises to give the business to Ranma if he will marry her. Ranma refuses, and the family returns to slim pickings for meals as no new income source is on the horizon.
Kodachi's conveyance to the Tendo home is via ox cart (御所車/goshoguruma). The ox has a blanket with "power" (力能/ryokunou) written on it. This was a type of transportation reserved for aristocrats during the Heian period.
The upright flute being played by one of Kodachi's attendants is called a "sho" (笙). It consists of 17 bamboo pipes. The sho is used in a type of music known as "gagaku" (雅楽), imperial court music from the Heian period.
"I thought it was a free pack of tissues..." - One woman nearly accepts Ranma's flier but then walks away. Many hawkers in Japan pass out small packs of tissues with various advertising on it rather than handbills like Ranma is doing.
There is a coloring error on Genma's teeth during the shot of everyone reacting to Kodachi's meal.
The animation director for this episode is Hiroko Inoue (井上容子) and while the episode generally look fine, one sequence in particular of the family waiting outside the Tendo home to sign up new students is particularly rough looking. It is impossible to say which animator was responsible for this particular sequence. The key frame animators on this episode are Nobuyuki Fukuchi (福地信之), Naoko Yamamoto (山本直子), Yoko Kadokami (門上洋子), Koji Motoyama (本山浩司), Yasuko Miyazaki (宮崎康子), Hiroko Kazui (数井浩子) and Studio Ebisu (スタジオゑびす). In-between animation is handled by Lee Hyun-ju (李炫周), Song Yo-seop (宋耀燮), Choi Hyun-mi (崔賢美), Noriyuki Matsutake (松竹徳幸), Kazuhiko Wanabuchi (鰐渕和彦) and Takashi Sato (佐藤隆志). Finishes are provided by Echo Pro (ECHOプロ) which includes Kim Hyo-eun (金孝恩), Lee In-seon (李仁先) and Jeong Hye-sook (鄭恵淑) and also Hadashi Pro (はだしぷろ) which includes Haruko Miura (三浦晴子), Eiko Yano (矢野栄子) and Midori Kanemoto (金本みどり).
The background voices in this episode are: Natsumi Sasaki (佐々木菜摘), Masami Toyoshima (豊島まさみ), Toshohiko Nakajima (中嶋聡彦), Takashi Matsuo (松尾貴司), Momoko Ishi (石桃子), Sayuri Haneda (羽田小百合) and Yu Nishioka (西岡有).
Episode 39: 八宝斉 最期の日?
Happosai saigo no hi? (The Last Days of Happosai?)
Fortune-tellering classmate Miyo tells Akane that she and Ranma will be married within a week, and that something very bad will happen to Happosai. On their way home, Ranma and Akane notice that Happosai has strewn his collection of underwear all over the street and shows no interest in recollecting it. Once Happosai begins to get sick, Soun and Genma decide that Akane and Ranma should get married that week in case Happosai were to die. Ryoga returns to Tokyo and finds Ranma and Akane talking late at night in the dojo, causing him to fight against Ranma as P-chan. An unceasing rain ensures school is cancelled and Akane decides to visit Mio in search of a cure for her family when Soun and Genma fall sick as well. With Mio's ingredients Akane is soon brewing up a cure as Ranma, Nabiki and Kasumi all succumb as well. Thankfully Akane's potion revives Happosai and everyone else makes a swift recovery.
"To be or not to be. We had seasons in the sun; all we are is dust in the wind!" - The English translation uses a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet followed by a Terry Jacks song lyric and another lyric from the band Kansas. In the original Japanese Happosai is also spouting random sayings such as "dumplings over flowers" (花より団子/hana yori dango).
"Stupid P-brain" - Ranma often call P-chan "Pの野郎" (P no yarou) which could be translated as "P-jerk", "P-asshole", "P-bastard", etc.
The voices for this episode include Masako Katsuki (勝生真沙子) as "Mio" and Yoshiko Kamei (亀井芳子), Yuko Kobayashi (小林優子) and Sayuri Haneda (羽田小百合) who's roles were unnamed.
Episode 40: 暴れん坊娘 リンリンランラン
Abarenbou musume Linlin Ranran (Two, Too-Violent Girls: Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung)
Rin-Rin and Ran-Ran, two fellow members of Shampoo's village, arrive to see if Shampoo has killed female Ranma yet. They begin to prowl the neighborhood in search of Ranma, making short work of Kuno who does not take the two young girls seriously. Next they travel to the Tendo Dojo where they remember panda Genma from his time with female Ranma at their village. When they try to attack Ranma, Shampoo gives them the kiss of death and has to fight them in the park. Cologne warns Ranma that Shampoo has not seriously trained since leaving the village and may be no match for Rin-Rin and Ran-Ran. During their battle, the twins use their special attack, the Dance of the Great Fire Dragon, which is a flamethrower hidden inside a dancing dragon costume with a stereo. The music forces anyone listening to drop their guard and dance around as the twins attack them with flames. Shampoo is defeated, but Ranma and Akane are able to work together. As Akane covers Ranma's ears to block out the song, Ranma destroys the dragon flamethrower. Shampoo rescues Rin-Rin and Ran-Ran from the explosion and Akane reveals to the two girls that Ranma is actually a boy. Seeing this, they decide that they too should be engaged to him. Finally Rin-Rin and Ran-Ran return to China, as Shampoo already has first dibs on Ranma, but as Ranma and Akane chat, two more of Shampoo's fellow villagers arrive to challenge female Ranma.
Rin-Rin and Ran-Ran make their debut in this episode. This site uses a direct phoneticization of the Japanese katakana for their names, however Viz anglicizes their names as Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung.
The flashback showing Shampoo being defeated by Ranma is from episode 15.
The name of the takoyaki restaurant Ranma is dining at is "Specialty Takoyaki" (名物たこ焼/Meibutsu Takoyaki).
"Summer grasses, all that remains of a warrior's dreams." - Kuno is quoting the famous poem by Matsuo Basho from 1689. In Japanese he states "Natsu kusa ya tsuwamono domo ga yume no ato" (夏草や兵どもが夢の跡).
Ranma, Akane and Shampoo are seen sitting on pipes discussing Rin-Rin and Ran-Ran. These are known as dokan (土管). Dokan can be seen frequently in manga and anime, most prominently in Doraemon (ドラえもん) as a playground for Nobita and his friends. Dokan are leftover sewer pipes from the construction boom after the post-World War II Japanese Economic Miracle. They also served as the inspiration for the warp pipes in Super Mario Bros..
The song that plays as Cologne explains the "Dance of the Great Fire Dragon" to Ranma and Akane is not included on any soundtracks.
The guest voices in this episode are Koichi Yamadera (山寺宏一) as "the Jusenkyo Guide", Yuko Mita (三田ゆう子) as "Rin-Rin", Yuko Kobayashi (小林優子) as "Ran-Ran" with Chika Sakamoto (坂本千夏), Akira Negishi (根岸朗), Mitsuru Ogata (小形満), Zenchu Mitsui (三井善忠) and Momoko Ishi (石桃子) all as background voices.
Episode 41: 乱馬を襲う恐怖のタタリ
Ranma wo osou kyoufu no tatari (Ranma and the Evil Spirit Within)
Ranma is beginning to see the value in being a girl, as he is frequently getting treated to desserts by smitten boys around town, much to Akane's annoyance. At dinner he makes the passing comment that maybe he should stay as a girl since they seem to have life much easier than men. Hearing this, Happosai uses a special "personality splitter" technique and insense to split male and female Ranma, a technique that only works when Ranma openly sees the positives of being a girl. Happosai believes that he can now have female Ranma all too himself, however he soon discovers that she is the embodiment of Ranma's evil side and tries to tempt male Ranma in order to make him become evil as well. Cologne aids Akane and Shampoo in trying to save male Ranma who is becoming increasingly weakened as female Ranma lures him to the cemetery at night. Using a talisman, Akane is eventually able to banish the wicked female Ranma and make the real Ranma whole again.
Evil Ranma debuts in this episode. The idea of separating male and female Ranma will be used in a future manga storyline as well.
This episode marks one of the highest audience viewership rating of the entire series. For more information please see our article "Ranma 1/2 Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes".
Akane's bowl has the piyo-piyo chick from Maison Ikkoku on it. Ranma's, as usual, has the "Ran" (乱) kanji from his name on it. Happosai's bowl has the "Ha" (八) kanji on it.
The paper talismen placed on the outside of the house to ward off the ghostly female Ranma are called "ofuda" (お札), which are generally Buddhist or Shinto in origin. Ofuda were introduced to Japan via onmyodo before eventually becoming appropriated by Buddhism and Shintoism.
Episode 42: 登場! ものまね格闘技
Toujou! Monomane kakutougi (Enter Ken and his Copycat Kerchief)
While fighting against Ryoga, Kuno and Happosai, Ranma starts to notice that someone is photographing him. Soon he discovers the culprit is Copycat Ken, a martial artist with incredible power of mimicry. Ken makes himself look like Ranma and is able to defeat Ranma using the "Katchutenshin Amaguriken" technique. Defeated, Ranma, Kuno, Ryoga and Mousse all head off to train together, frustrated that they were all defeated by imitations of themselves. However, they accomplish very little training and instead mostly fight over the food that Kuno brought with him. Ken become even more powerful when he starts to mimic and train under Happosai, but Ranma is able to unleash the full strength of his Katchutenshin Amaguriken technique against Copycat Ken. Stunned, Ken after he quickly changes from one opponent to the next and begins to get mixed up.
A more literal translation of the Japanese title would be "Enter the Imitation Martial Arts".
In the original Japanese "Copycat Ken" is called "Manekko Ken". "Manekko" (真似っこ) means "to imitate" or "mimic". This episode marks his debut.
When Copycat Ken, disguised as Kuno, hits Ranma at the Tendo home there is a brief flash of an impact frame showing Akane and female Ranma.
The guest voices in this episode are Masami Kikuchi (菊池正美) as "Ken", Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代) and Momoko Ishi (石桃子) as unspecified background voices.
Episode 43: 良牙の体質改善セッケン!
Ryoga no taishitsu kaizen sekken! (Ryoga's Miracle Cure! Hand Over that Soap!)
Ryoga finds Shampoo's waterproof soap that prevents a cursed person from changing when they are splashed with water. Ryoga gains new confidence and manages to go on a date with Akane even though Akane quickly realizes it has all been arranged by Ranma and Shampoo to get back their soap. Ryoga's excitement proves to be too much, and in his enthusiasm he nearly hugs Akane too roughly, causing Ranma to step in. In the end, the soap washes off and Akane still does not realize Ryoga's true feelings for her.
This episode marks one of the highest audience viewership rating of the entire series. For more information please see our article "Ranma 1/2 Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes".
When Ryoga is writing his green-ink letter in the cafe, Present, the current ending theme, can be heard playing in the background.
Ryoga is sitting on a stack of pipes in an empty lot. These are known as dokan (土管). Dokan can be seen frequently in manga and anime, most prominently in Doraemon (ドラえもん) as a playground for Nobita and his friends. Dokan are leftover sewer pipes from the construction boom after the post-World War II Japanese Economic Miracle. They also served as the inspiration for the warp pipes in Super Mario Bros..
Ryoga is trying to read a magazine to get tips on how to impress Akane while he's bathing. The magazine is called Hopeye which is a reference to the monthly men's fashion magazine, Popeye, published in Japan.
The whale that Ryoga takes Akane to has "Monster Whale" (おばけくじら/obake kujira) written on it.
The sign in front of the waterfall says "artificial waterfall" (人工滝/jinkou taki).
The guest voices in this episode are Yoshiko Kamei (亀井芳子), Sayuri Haneda (羽田小百合) and Momoko Ishi (石桃子) who were all unspecified background voices.
Episode 44: 格闘!障害物レース
Kakutou! Shougaibutsu race (Fight! The Anything-Goes Obstacle Course Race)
Everyone fights their way through the Martial Arts Miracle Obstacle Course Race where the grand prize is a trip to China. This is too enticing for Ranma to miss, as he hopes to go to Jusenkyo and remove his curse. Ranma is annoyed that so many of his rivals decide to join in the competition. The obstacles prove to be too much for most of the competition as they are sorted and diverted down differing paths with robot dinosaurs, a massive canyon, and even an Egyptian desert. Ultimately, Ranma and Ryoga make it to the final round, and Ryoga manages to defeat Ranma as he tunnels underground to reach the goal flag first. Unfortunately for Ryoga, he is unable to find the airport to take him to China.
Akane's inability to swim is not addressed as she moves from the platform to the beach during the race. Her head is shown in the water, so perhaps she can touch the bottom.
"Twisted sister" - in the anime Kuno often addresses Kodachi this way. In Japanese he is saying "hentai imouto" (変態妹).
The only voice listed for this episode that does not have a character name is played by Koji Tsujitani (辻󠄀谷耕史). Though it does not list him as playing the obstacle course emcee, it seems likely that is who he plays.
Episode 45: 乱馬、ついに呪泉郷へ行く
Ranma, tsuini Jusenkyou he iku (Ranma Goes Back to Jusenkyo At Last)
Ranma is walking through Jusenkyo when he suddenly realizes the magical springs have all dried up, shouting in disappointment, Genma hits him, telling him he is dreaming. Ranma takes this as a premonition that the springs may not be there much longer. Remembering Happosai's broken magic mirror, Genma and Ranma try to steal it from the old man, however he wakes up and sends the three of them ten years into the future. There they see that Akane and Ryoga have gotten married and have three sons of their own. Ranma, Genma and Happosai then use the magic mirror to travel back to China and try and prevent themselves from ever becoming cursed. It is difficult to steer the Genma and Ranma of the past away from Jusenkyo, and eventually they have to physically knock them away from the cursed springs when they nearly fall in while training. With their curses seemingly lifted, Ranma and Genma use the mirror to travel back to the present and leave Happosai stuck in the past. Instead they arrive on the day they first arrived at the Tendo home. Much to shock a cursed Ranma and panda Genma also show up, thanks to Happosai being left in the past and ensuring things would not work out for the duo for abandoning him. Ranma breaks down, unable to believe how close he came to removing his curse. However, he wakes up, realizing that the whole adventure with the magic mirror was just a dream.
No episode of Ranma 1/2 Nettohen aired the following week.
The magic mirror used in this episode is the same one that Happosai had in episode 37.
Future Genma is painted with writing that says "fool" (アホ/aho) and "idiot" (ばか).
There is a continuity error where present-day Ranma, Genma and Happosai see the Ranma and Genma (dressed in martial arts gi and backpacks) and chase after them. When the scene switches Happosai is running with Ranma and Genma who are dressed like their past selves instead of in their modern clothing.
"It can't be, we stuck him in that cave in the Hida Mountains." - The Hida Mountains (飛騨山脈/Hida Sanmyaku) are a range of mountains in Japan that stretch through Gifu, Nagano and Toyama.
"Probably a fox or badger that transformed himself." - In Japanese mythology foxes (きつね/kitsune) and badgers (たぬき/tanuki, sometimes translated as "racoon dogs") have the ability to shapeshift and take on the appearance of humans.
The footage of Ranma and Genma training and Jusenkyo and the Tendo family awaiting their arrival is from Ranma 1/2episode 1.
The guest voice in this episode is Sayuri Haneda (羽田小百合).
Episode 46: 帰ってきた変態校長
Kaettekita hentai kouchou (The Hawaiian Headmaster from Hell)
The Principal returns from his trip to Hawaii, unfortunately for the students of Furinkan High he still harbors a strong dislike of almost any fashionable hairstyle. Akane, Ranma and the other students must find the coconut with the school rules pardon inside or lose their hair. However the Principal has hidden the coconut in one of his many offices scattered throughout the school and insists that he has forgotten where he put it. The students make their way through many different Hawaiian-themed rooms until they finally locate the missing coconut.
The director and his assistant can be seen briefly in the crowd when the Principal hold's his assembly.
The Principal's frequent laughter is very similar or identical to Woody Woodpecker's.
The toruture device they are going to use on the Principal where he kneels on triangular shaped blocks while slabs are placed on his lap is called "ishidaki" (石抱き).
The guest voices in this episode are Tatsuyuki Jinnai (仁内建之) as "the Principal", with unnamed roles played by Takehito Koyasu (子安武人), Koji Tsujitani (辻󠄀谷耕史), Koshiko Kamei (亀井芳子), Sayui Haneda (羽田小百合), Yu Nishioka (西岡有), Takashi Matsuo (松尾貴司), Mitsuu Ogata (小形満), Akira Ishida (石田彰), Michiyo Sasaki (佐々木みち代), Midori Nakazawa (中沢みどり), Momoko Ishi (石桃子), Zenchu Mitsui (三井善忠), Keiichi Ando (安藤圭一).
