Tatewaki Kuno

Tatewaki Kuno, age 17, is the self proclaimed "rising star of the high school fencing world," and has given himself the nickname "Blue Thunder". Upperclassman Kuno, as he prefers to be called, is a well-spoken ladies man. He often quotes Shakespeare or Japanese poems and haiku.

Before Ranma arrived, he was devoted to Akane Tendo, even going so far as to announce to the entire student body that if any of them could beat Akane in combat that they would be allowed to date her. Kuno often said that if Akane could beat him, he'd allow her to go out with him.

Kuno hated Ranma from the moment they met, and couldn't believe he could be engaged to Akane. Later he met Ranma in his female form and instantly fell in love. "The Pigtailed Girl", as he calls female Ranma, and Akane became his reason for living and he has dedicated himself to making the difficult decision of somehow choosing between the two.

Kuno and his sister are some of the few that actually don't understand that male and female Ranma are the same person. Kuno's hatred for Ranma also stems from the fact that he believes he has somehow romanced the innocent Pigtailed Girl away from him.

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The Meaning Behind the Name - 九能帯刀

Tatewaki (帯刀) means "bringing a sword" which requires no explanation. Kuno (九能) can be broken down to mean "Nine Abilities," possibly a joke about how talented Kuno believes himself to be.

Voices: Hirotaka Suzuoki Hirotaka Suzuoki played the suave swordsman's Japanese voice. He got his start playing the famous Bright Noah in Mobile Suit Gundam and went on to play Inaba in Urusei Yatsura. Some of his other roles include Junichi Ootaki in Millennium Actress, Hajime Saito in Rurouni Kenshin, Tienshinhan in Dragonball Z. Sadly, Suzuoki passed away in 2006 of lung cancer. Koji Tsujitani (Miroku in Inuyasha and Hiroshi in Ranma 1/2) portrayed Tatewaki Kuno in the 2008 OVA "Nightmare! Insense of Spring Sleep".

Tomokazu Sugita Both Hirotaka Suzuoki and Koji Tsujitani had passed away by the time of the 2024 Ranma 1/2 adaptation, and so the role was played by Tomokazu Sugita. Sugita's other roles include Mikage Kagami in Ayashi no Ceres, Hideki Motosuwa in Chobits, Sumeragi Subaru in X, Gyomei Himejima in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Gintoki Sakata in Gintama, Escanor in Seven Deadly Sins, Kyon in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Joseph Joestar in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, King in Final Fantasy Type-0 and Renkotsu in Inuyasha.

Ted Cole Ted Cole lends his eloquent voice for Kuno's English speaking audience. Ted's other work includes Chang Wufei in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Daisuke Dobashi in Please Save My Earth, Taichi Keaton in Master Keaton and Yamcha in Dragonball and Dragonball Z.

Jonah Scott Jonah Scott plays Tatewaki Kuno in the 2024 adaptation of Ranma 1/2. His other roles include Legoshi in Beastars, Kokushibo in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Charlotte Katakuri in One Piece, Kyoya Hibari in Reborn!, Billy Alfred in Undead Unluck, Adam in Record of Ragnarok and Sniper Mask in High-Rise Invasion.