Ranma 1/2 Features Bizarre Martial Arts

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 6, 2024 19 Views 41 Min Read
Ranma 1/2 Features Bizarre Martial Arts



Ranma 1/2 features over-the-top hybrids of high school sports and martial arts. For instance, season 1, episodes 6 and 7, chronicled Ranma Saotome’s martial rhythmic gymnastics competition against Kodachi Kuno. The subsequent story arc pits Ranma and Akane against star figure skating partners to claim ownership over P-Chan. These bizarre combat sports make one wonder: what else will Ranma 1/2 cook up?




Veteran fans of Rumiko Takahashi’s beloved media franchise likely know where Netflix’s reboot will go next. After all, Ranma 1/2 is the manga’s third anime adaptation. And there are 55 million copies of the manga in circulation. Furthermore, the chronicles of the sex-changing Ranma Saotome have existed since the ’80s.

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Ranma 1/2 is a classic anime and manga series from the late 80s that received a ton of early video game adaptations, some better than others.

However, new viewers may not want to spoil their experience with a quick Wikipedia search. Part of Ranma 1/2’s appeal is its action-packed heightening of ordinary high school experiences into all-out brawl fests. The surprise generated by each bizarre martial arts extracurricular activity adds to that appeal.


Ranma 1/2 2024 Still

Examining Ranma 1/2’s themes regarding gender may provide hints about the following martial arts battles Ranma and Akane will face. Each hybrid martial art introduced so far gives an aggressively masculine edge to traditionally feminine activities.


As the central protagonists train for each contest, their pre-conceived notions about the strength and dedication required for each sport break. For example, Akane assumes learning rhythmic gymnastics will be easier than learning martial arts. However, she soon discovers a steep learning curve ahead of her that eventually leads to injury.

The characters that excel in these subversive martial arts also defy expectations. Kodachi Kuno, a.k.a. The Black Rose, leads St. Bacchus’ School for Girls’ rhythmic gymnastic team with unbridled ambition. She’ll do anything in the name of competitive success, including assaulting Akane in her bedroom with a gigantic mallet a week before the big match.

How can Ranma 1/2 subvert gender expectations further with martial arts? A martial arts synchronized swimming team would make a splash (pun intended). Perhaps a martial arts ballerina will confront our heroes with lethal pirouettes and pas de bourrees. What about a martial arts home economics class? That would add new meaning to the phrase, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”


Martial Arts Are an Essential Part of Ranma 1/2’s Storytelling

Rumiko Takahashi Conceived the Manga as an Exploration of Martial Arts in Everyday Life

Akane and Ranma Ranma 1/2 2024
© 高橋留美子・小学館／「らんま1/2」製作委員会

Examining school activities combined with martial arts through the lens of gender politics may be an analytical step too far. After all, in an institution like Furinkan High School, where Akane has to spar with crowds of suitors simply to walk inside, students are perpetually in combat regardless of gender.

Furthermore, why restrict this discussion to school activities? In a July 2000 interview with Animerica, Ranma 1/2 creator Rumiko Takahashi explained her initial vision for the manga, stating the following:

Ranma was originally [conceived] to be a martial-arts manga- connecting all aspects of everyday life to the martial arts.


Takahashi’s statement illuminates how martial arts are more than a gimmick in Ranma 1/2. On the contrary, martial arts are a vital storytelling device, serving Ranma 1/2 in the same way singing and dancing elevate musical theatre.

Think about it for a moment. In Wicked, Galinda and Elphaba butt heads in a heated duet (“Loathing”). Meanwhile, Ranma and Akane trade fisticuffs. Stephen Sondheim’s Company subverts the idyllic vision of a wedding with the patter-song equivalent of a panic attack (“Getting Married Today”). Ranma 1/2 subverts the graceful image of figure skating into an all-out bone-crunching fest.

In Ranma 1/2, martial arts subverts expectations, provides social commentary, cranks up urgency, and serves as a primary form of communication. Martial arts are the lifeblood of Ranma 1/2. Therefore, the better question isn’t “What bizarre martial arts will Ranma 1/2 introduce next,” but “What isn’t martial arts in Ranma 1/2?”

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