Frequently Asked Questions
THE QUESTIONS
- How do you pronounce the title?
- When did Ranma 1/2 originally air on television?
- When did Ranma 1/2 begin and end in Japan?
- When will Ranma 1/2 end in the US?
- What is the third Ranma 1/2 movie about and when will it be released in the US?
- Where are good places to purchase Ranma 1/2 products?
- What's okonomiyaki? Is that all Ukyo can cook well?
- Ukyo and Ryoga are a great couple! They will get together in the end, right?
- How about Kuno and Nabiki? Won't they end up together?
- What about Mousse and Shampoo as a couple then?
- Will there be anymore Ranma 1/2 OVAs?
- Why does the TV series end that way?
- If the TV series is not the end of the anime, then what is?
- Do the characters names have any special meaning?
- In the second movie Ranma's holding something in his hand when he fights Toma, what is that and where did he get it?
- What happened to Mrs. Tendo?
- I've never seen a lot of your images, where do you get them?
- Where does the series take place, and is it a real town?
- Do Ranma and Akane really have a competition to see who's breasts are bigger?
- What is the order that the tapes have come out in the US?
- Why is Ranma afraid of cats?
- What are some of the differences between the manga and TV series?
- Was the manga publication ever interrupted?
- Why is it that when Shampoo comes in the anime, Akane reminises about Ranma saying, "she's my fiancee, if you touch her I'll kill you!" But we don't actually see it until the next season?
- Why did Sarah Strange leave the show at the end of the third season?
- What's up with the episodes being moved around for the American release?
- What does Nettohen mean?
THE
ANSWERS
1
- How do you pronounce the title?
The title is pronounced "Ranma Ni-bun-no-ichi" and in English it's "Ranma One-Half".
2 - When did Ranma 1/2 originally air on television?The Ranma 1/2 television series debuted on April 15, 1989. It aired on Saturdays at 7:30 on Fuji TV. After the first series, Ranma 1/2 Nettohen moved to Fridays at 5:30. It began October 20, 1989 and came to an end on September 25, 1992.
3 - When did Ranma 1/2 begin and end in Japan?The manga ran in Shonen Sunday from September of 1987 until February of 1996 and covered a total of 407 weekly chapters.
4 - When will Ranma 1/2 end in the US? There are 407 chapters of Ranma 1/2 which were released in a two chapter per month format initially. Chapter 257 (Part 12 Number 1 in the US) was published in March 2003. Viz reformated their release system and released an entire graphic novel every two months thereafter. The series finished at the end of 2006 after running for 14 years (having begun in May 1992). It is unlikely that any other Viz manga will run this long, and only Kosuke Fujishima's Oh My Goddess! has had a longer US run.
The anime of Ranma 1/2 ended in November of 2003 in America.
5 - What is the third Ranma 1/2 movie about and when will it be released in the US?
It already has been released, but most people confuse it as being an OVA. In the USA, it was released on the tape "One Grew Over the Kuno's Nest". "Team Ranma vs. The Legendary Phoenix" is actually the third Ranma 1/2 film.
6 - Where are good places to purchase Ranma 1/2 products?
The best place to purchase Ranma 1/2 items is Viz.com. This is Viz's official online store, J-pop sells only domestic items though so if you're looking for an import CD a good place to try is Anime Nation, and for rare items try e-Bay Another good choice is Rightstuf.
7 - What's okonomiyaki? Is that all Ukyo can cook well?Okonomiyaki is a mixture between pancake and pizza but tastes completely unlike either one. The kanji for"Okonomi" means "as you like". This refers to the ingredients. Ukyo is a very good cook overall, and as Kasumi points out in Vol. 19 part 8 (Part 9 No. 4 in the US) she can make tasty non-okonomiyaki meals.
8 - Ukyo and Ryoga are a great couple! They will get together in the end, right?Well, Ukyo and Ryoga aren't a couple, and never have been. Ukyo loves Ranma with all her heart and Ryoga is totally devoted to Akane. Of course neither of them end up with Ranma or Akane in the end, but they don't wind up with each other either. That's what Konatsu and Akari are introduced for.
9 - How about Kuno and Nabiki? Won't they end up together?This is another weird one... not only do Kuno and Nabiki not like each other, Kuno is interested in female-Ranma and Akane. They each have no interest in each other, not even as friends. However, Takahashi-sensei stated in an interview in 2024, "I tried to explore the possibility of a relationship between Tatewaki Kuno and Nabiki Tendo, but love never blossomed. Instead, they became a couple connected by money, which I think was good in itself."
10 - What about Mousse and Shampoo as a couple then?Now this is a much more plausible pairing that the two previous ones. Why? If for no other reason than that Mousse actually likes Shampoo. Sure Shampoo may seem to hate Mousse, but at least there is one interested party in this relationship. Nabiki and Kuno show no real feelings for one another and the same goes for Ukyo and Ryoga.
11 - Will there be anymore Ranma 1/2 OVAs?It certainly would make sense that there would at least be one more, but there chances are about one in a million. Maison Ikkoku and Urusei Yatsura both had their final chapters animated and I would hope that Ranma 1/2 will eventally see it's conclusion animated as well. As the years pass though this becomes less and less likely. There had been no new Ranma 1/2 animation from Japan since 1996, and Rumiko Takahashi is no longer involved with Kitty Animation after they went out of business that same year. She has since moved on to work with Sunrise. So the short answer is "no". In 2008, a one shot 30 minute OVA was created (along with ones for Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha) for the "It's a Rumic World" event. This was a special occasion, and there are no plans for further OVAs.
12 - Why does the TV series end that way?
The final episode of the televison series was not meant to be the end of the Ranma 1/2 story. Immediately after the television series ended OVAs were released focusing on other stories and specials. If the real ending of Ranma 1/2 is animated it will be as an OVA or film (or in the 2024 TV adaptation). But as stated in the previous question, it is unlikely the series conclusion will ever be animated for various reasons.
The vast majority of anime adaptations of long-running manga series in Japan reach a similar non-conclusive ending, simply because ratings decline, or the manga continues with no end in sight while the anime producers are ready to move on to other things. The Ranma 1/2 TV anime ended in 1992, four long years prior to Takahashi writing the manga's conclusion. Sporadic OVAs were released from 1992 through 1996. When the manga ended, so did interest in continuing the anime. Much to everyone's surprise, a new adaptation of Ranma 1/2 was announced in 2024 with hopes that it might be able to adapt the full series.
The last piece of animation released in Japan was "The Two Akanes! Ranma Look at Me!" which was an OAV released in 1996. This is not the end of the series however. The order of the anime is as follows...
Ranma 1/2 Episodes 1-16
Ranma 1/2 Nettohen Episodes 7-9
Ranma 1/2 Episodes 17-18
Ranma 1/2 Nettohen Episodes 1-6
Ranma 1/2 Nettohen Episodes 10-100
Ranma 1/2 Movie 1
Ranma 1/2 Nettohen Episodes 101-135
Ranma 1/2 Movie 2
Ranma 1/2 Nettohen Episdoes 136-143
Ranma 1/2 OAVs 1-8
Ranma 1/2 Movie 3
Ranma 1/2 Super OAVs 1-3
Nettohen episodes 7, 8 and 9 were intended to be released before Shampoo's debut, but the order was rearranged (See Question 24 and 26).
They certainly do! For info about the meaning behind each character's name please see their specific section in the Characters Section.
15 - In the second movie Ranma's holding something in his hand when he fights Toma, what is that and where did he get it?You've got good eyesight if you caught the pin in Ranma's hand when he fights Toma the second time. Cologne gives him the pin and tells him he must feel real pain to overcome Toma's illusions. The scene where he was given the pin was cut from the film before its release.
16 - What happened to Mrs. Tendo?It's never said how Mrs. Tendo passed away, but she did so when Akane was quite young. It was probably from natural causes though. Miss Tendo is never mentioned in the manga until Akane has a dream about her (Vol 22 Part 2). The Tendos, Ranma and Genma go to her grave to pay their respects to her on the anniversary of her death. As indicated by Akane's memories of her mother, she was a very kind and nurturing woman.
17 - I've never seen a lot of your images, where do you get them?We scan or capture all images on our site, and purposefully use lesser seen images when possible. They are all taken from our English mangas, tankobans, import laser discs, VHS tapes or DVDs.
18 - Where does the series take place, and is it a real town?Yes, Nerima is a ward in Tokyo, and is in fact a real place. The phone number for the area is 03-3993-1111.
19 - Do Ranma and Akane really have a competition to see who's breasts are bigger?Indeed they do, in Vol. 34 Akane is quite proud of her bust until Ranma upsets her by pointing out that hers is larger.
20 - What is the order that the tapes have come out in the US? Ranma 1/2 Season 1 "Digital Dojo"
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 1
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 2
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 3
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 4
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 5
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 6
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 7
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 8
Ranma 1/2 Vol. 9
Ranma 1/2 Season 2 "Anything Goes Martial Arts"
Darling Charlotte
It's Fast or It's Free
Cat-fu Fighting
Chestnut's Roasting on an Open Fire
Cold Competition
The Breaking Point
Fowl Play
The Evil Wakes
Goodbye Girl-Type
Tough Cookies
Ranma and Juliet
Ranma 1/2 Season 3 "Hard Battle"
Ukyo Can Cook
Dim Sum Darling
Dharma Chameleon
Once Upon a Time In Jusenkyo
Pretty Womanhood
Suddenly Sasuke
Melancholy Baby
Back To The Happosai
Da Do Ling-Ling Lung-Lung
Smells Like Evil Spirit
Soap Get's In Your Eyes
Mirror, Mirror
Ranma 1/2 Season 4 "Outta Control"
Headmaster From Hell
...The Harder They Fall
Immoral Kombat
My Fiance, The Cat
The Spirit of Furinkan
A Room With a Zoo
Happy's Heart
Tattoo You
Great Eggspectations
Pinky Promised
You Bet Your Dojo
Eat Drink, Man Who Turns Into Woman
Ranma 1/2 Season 5 "Martial Mayhem"
Buns of Steel
Marry Me, Akane
Tea for Three
Daddy Dearest
One Lump or Two
Croak and Dagger
Three Girls, a Guy, and a Japanese Pizza Place
To the Victor the Spoils
Battle: Foie Gras
Swimming with Psychos
Nightmare on Happosai Street
My Kagemusha, Myself
Ranma 1/2 Season 6 "Random Rhapsody"
Who Do? Voodoo
The Way We're Not
Watermelon Beach
The Demon From Jusenkyo
Wacky Winter Wonderland
Pandamonium
Ukyo's Secret Sauce
For The Love of Akane
Ranma 1/2 Season 7 "Ranma Forever"
Initiation Nite
From the Depths of Despair
Kiss Me Cat
Rock-a-Bye Ranma
Wretched Rice Cakes of Love
Battle for Miss Beachside
Bring it On!
Someday Somehow
The Movies
Big Trouble in Nekonron, China
Nihao, My Concubine
The OAVs
Desperately Seeking Shampoo
Akane and her Sisters
Like Water for Ranma
An Akane to Remember
One Grew Over the Kuno's Nest (also has the 3rd movie on this tape)
Faster Kasumi! Kill! Kill!
The Insense of Spring Sleep (Not currently available in the USA)
Ranma is afraid of cats because when he was a small child, his father, Genma decided to train him in a martial arts style known as "Cat-fist" (Neko-ken in Japanese). The training involved covering Ranma in fish sausages and throwing him into a room full of cats. Genma later discovered that the technique was phony, but because of Ranma being clawed and bitten by cats he developed his intense fear of them.
22 - What are some of the differences between the manga and TV series? The manga and TV series compare and contrast in many ways. The manga has more character development in it (as do the OAVs, this is because most of the OAVs are based directly on manga stories). It's a little easier to see Ranma and Akane's relationship progress through the manga than in the TV series.
The TV series also introduces many characters that never appeared in the manga such as Higuma Torajiro (the "Youth" teacher) and Sasuke (the Kuno's ninja servant). Sasuke, for instance, was introduced to replace Hikaru Gosunkugi. Gosunkugi was later introduced in the anime, much later than he originally appeared in the manga. You could also say that because Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran were introduced in the anime it would make it difficult to have Pink and Rink (from the manga) appear without it seeming like this story had already been done before.
Another example of this is Sentaro Daimonji. Sentaro was introduced quite early in the manga, but showed up late in the anime. He also only had one storyline in the manga, while in the anime he reappears for quite a few episodes.
The TV series focuses more on the formula of "Ranma vs New Martial Artist with a Unique Fighting Style". An example of this would be Ranma vs. the Crepe King, Ranma vs. Copycat Ken, or Ranma vs. Uragishi Sankichi (the Shogi Martial Artist). This isn't done quite as often in the manga, but when it is done it usually lasts for a few chapters (which makes the character he is fighting seem more memorable, rather than the "one episode and they're gone" characters of the TV series).
Another difference is some of the relationships. Because characters like Kinnosuke, Akari, and Konatsu were never introduced in the anime some of the characters are left without a possible match. This has led to other "pairings" such as Ryoga and Ukyo and Kuno and Nabiki. Fans that read the manga would see that these "relationships" aren't as played up in the original source as they sometimes are precieved to be in the anime.
Then, of course, there are those that would argue about the differences in appearance of the characters from the manga when compared to their anime counterparts. Many fans argue about the color of female Ranma's hair saying that it is black in the manga instead of red. The large bust sizes (yes, some fans do actually argue about this).
So overall there are quite a few significant differences. Hopefully Shogakukan will decide to go back and make a few more OAVs based on Takahashi's original stories that will bring some closure to the series and help tighten the differences between the manga and anime.
Ranma 1/2's publication was interrupted in Japan early on. In Shonen Sunday Number 49 (1988) Takahashi published the story "He's Something Else" (Japanese vol. 7.6/Viz Part 4 Number 1). The next chapter, "Bathhouse Battle" was not released until Shonen Sunday Number 8 (1989). No Ranma stories were published from approximately mid-December of 1988 until late February of 1989 due to Ms. Takahashi having appendicitis. Also, around New Year's Day Shonen Sunday is released with a double-numbered volume. For instance Vol. 5/6. This gives the publication a week off and allows the creators a bit of a breather as well.
Also in Shonen Sunday Number 9 (1991) Ranma 1/2 was not published. This fell between "Kung Fu Stew" (Japanese vol 16.8/Viz Part 8 Number 1) and "Bad Manors".
The story "The Curse of the Scroll" (Japanese vol 17.11/Viz Part 8 Number 8) was first published in Shonen Sunday Number 35 and 36. This comes after the Pantyhose Taro storyline, but when it was compiled in the tankouban's it was published immediately before the Pantyhose Taro storyline.
Also Ranma 1/2 was not published in Shonen Sunday Number 36 (1994) because the Rumic Theater story 1 or W/One or Double was published in its place.
There were a number of reasons that all happened at roughly the same time. Ratings, the media furor in the aftermath of a serial killer and network standards for when children's shows should air. I've had a Japanese fan correct my original answer to this question, but I'll provide my original answer just to clarify...
The "Abduction of P-chan" episode was originally going to air in the same order in which the manga came out, but there was an uproar in Japanese society at the time due to a series of kidnappings and murders that occured at the time, and for the sake of sensitivity, the producers decided to delay the broadcast of those episodes until later. This was the Tsutomu Miyazaki serial killings where the media blamed Miyazaki's (exaggerated) infatuation with anime and manga as one of the reasons for his murders.
Originally I had believed based on comments in an old Animerica magazine (Animerica volume 11 number 12), that the change was exclusively due to Ranma 1/2's low ratings. In Animerica it states, "The series ran into ratings trouble, however, and was retooled to speed things up and incidentally to introduce the sexy character of Shampoo sooner than intended in hope of sparking viewer interest. (...) As a slight oddity, two episodes originally meant for the first series were shown later as part of Nettohen, so there is a flashback in one of the Shampoo episodes to a later episode, which as far as the viewer was concerned hadn't happened yet!" Ratings were a problem initially (I've made a video detailing this), due to a popular anime program, Obocchama-kun, going head-to-head with Ranma 1/2.
Subsequently Ranma 1/2 was taken off the air for a bit, re-tooled and placed in a different time slot (on Fridays rather than Saturdays). The series was re-named Ranma 1/2 Nettohen and was kicked off with some new storylines. After that, Ranma became a success. Please see question 30, which deals with the American reorganization of the series. But it seems that the kidnapping issue was the reason for the reorganization of these episodes, rather than simply ratings. Subsequent releases of the series (such as on bluray) have moved the Golden Pair episodes so that they appear between episodes 13 and 14 of the original series.
In the official Kitty Animation Circle magazine Movement 1989 volume 11 fans wrote in to express their displeasure at the series cancellation and time slot changes. Here are some of their letters. One letter-writer mentions the continuity error, and states he had already seen the Golden Pair episodes at a Kitty Animation Circle event that summer.
Regarding the change in broadcast time of Ranma Shinji Shibagaki, Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture
I was disappointed when I saw the "announcement" in the September issue of MM (Movement). What, it's decided that the broadcast time of Ranma will be changed? Frankly, I feel like "Fuji TV has betrayed me". Moreover, the broadcast time will be 5:30 to 6:00 pm, which is just like F. Ah, Ranma will end around December like F. My request in the April issue to "please don't end it too soon" was ignored. Well, there was the example of City Hunter, so I don't think Ranma will go out of business so easily, but I know some people who couldn't watch F on Tokai TV because of the change in broadcast time, and some people who only just found out about the end of F, so I'm worried that the same thing will happen to Ranma.
Will Ranma be broadcast differently? Tsuyoshi Shiozaki, Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture
I was shocked when I heard that Ranma will be changed to 5:30 to 6:00 on Fridays from October. Why?
Based on past cases, I won't be able to watch Ranma anymore. I live in the countryside, and I can't imagine that they would broadcast anime at 5:30, so I've completely given up on it.
Looking back, I'm grateful for the entertainment it has given me over the past six months since it began in April. From now on, I think I'll do it with Movement, the manga, and my imagination. I've seen Urusei and Maison in perfect form... what a shame!
What happened to the last three episodes? Masaki Yuki, Atami City, Shizuoka Prefecture
I enjoy watching Ranma every week. However, I was surprised when the broadcast on the 19th suddenly changed to "Pelvic Fortune Telling!" I saw "The Abduction of P-chan!" at a summer event and thought it was very interesting, so I was surprised when the change happened just when I recommended it to my friends. I thought, "So they're going to show The Abduction of P-chan!" on the 26th," but suddenly Shampoo appeared!! And in the story, there's a scene where Ranma shouts "Akane is my fiancée" in a skating costume... I understand because I'm a member of KAC (Kitty Animation Circle), but I think the general public will be confused. I wrote to ask for a detailed explanation in Movement about what will happen with the three episodes in which Azusa Shiratori and Mikado Sanzenin appear.
This is no time to be sad Masaya Wada, Honjo City, Saitama Prefecture
The editors at Movement responded to these letters stating:
The reality of TV ratings has been cruel to us. The 100,000 Ranma fans across the country must be heartbroken right now. I am so angry that I hope I don't ever run into the sponsors.
However, this sadness and rage will not accomplish anything. It has already been decided... The Ranma incident has brought the anime world into a severe "winter". With the exception of Sazae-san, all anime will be banished from prime time. However, this winter will not last forever. Fortunately, the manga world is still in a growth phase. Spring will surely come. Until then, we must unite and work hard to keep the buds of Ranma alive. Everyone, this is no time to be sad. The real test is yet to come. Let's do our best!!
We received about 100 letters regarding the change in broadcast time for Ranma and the shift in the number of episodes for the skating contest. It must have been a shock to fans. So the MM (Movement) editorial department spoke to Yoko Matsushita (松下洋子), producer at Kitty Film.
First, regarding the change in broadcast time, "Fuji TV's policy for new programs in the fall is that 'kids' golden time is no longer 7 o'clock but 5 o'clock, so it was decided to concentrate anime programs at 5 o'clock, and make that the golden time for children, and move the time slot for Ranma as the highlight," to follow the TV station's policy. Therefore, unlike the case of F, she also said that this change has a positive meaning. She stated, "The reason why Ranma was broadcast as if it had ended at the end of episode 18 was because Ranma ended in some local stations, and we are considering some kind of solution for those in the areas where the program has ended." And the reason for the change in the episodes in the Battle Skating arc by three was that it was unavoidable that some of the content needed to be redone, due to scheduling issues on the TV station's side, as one story is three episodes long, the broadcasts were combined. It was in no way cut, and these episodes will definitely be aired at a later date."
Sarah Strange (the first male Ranma) voiced Ranma for the first three seasons, all the OAVs, and the 3 films. She left to pursue her live-action acting career. Sarah is a Gemini Award winning actress (the Canadian equivalant of the Emmy). She was replaced for seasons four through seven by Richard Cox.
26 - What's up with the episodes being moved around for the American release?There's actually a fairly practical reason for this. Back when Ranma 1/2 was first released in America it was exclusively on VHS, with only two episodes per tape. They weren't cheap either, and usually ran about $25.00 a pop. In order to ensure fans didn't feel like they were being taken advantage of Viz would rearrange things in order to ensure that long, multipart episodes would wind up on the same tape. Also they would reorganize episodes to fit motifs, such as placing many of the winter episodes from Season 7 together on one release. The Golden Pair episodes were moved up in order to stick closer to the manga, where they debuted prior to Mousse and Cologne (in the original Japanese broadcast Mousse and Cologne show up first). Since there is very little continuity between episodes anyway, the reorganization isn't even noticable.
27 - What does Nettohen mean?When read Nettohen literally means "boiling water chapter" or "boiling water edition". The joke is that "Nettohen" can be written another way where it would mean "fierce fighting edition". The Japanese love puns.