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'{{short description|Fictional character in the manga series Ranma ½}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Use American English|date=May 2021}} {{Infobox character | name = Ranma Saotome | series = [[Ranma ½]] | image = Ranma Saotome.jpg | caption = Ranma in his male and female forms, drawn by Rumiko Takahashi | first = "Here's Ranma" (1987) | last = "The Final Chapter" (1996) | creator = [[Rumiko Takahashi]] | voice = [[Kappei Yamaguchi]] (male)<br>{{No wrap|[[Megumi Hayashibara]] (female)}} | lbl1 = Portrayed by | data1 = [[Kento Kaku]] (male)<br>[[Natsuna Watanabe]] (female) | alias = {{nihongo|Yoiko|良い子}}<br>{{nihongo|Ranko|乱子}} | relatives = [[Genma Saotome]] (father)<br>[[Nodoka Saotome]] (mother)<br>[[Akane Tendo]] (fiancée)<br>[[Shampoo (Ranma ½)|Shampoo]] (fiancée)<br>[[Ukyo Kuonji]] (fiancée) }} {{nihongo|'''Ranma Saotome'''|早乙女 乱馬|Saotome Ranma|lead=yes}} is a [[Character (arts)|fictional character]] and the main protagonist of the [[manga]] series ''[[Ranma ½]]'', created by [[Rumiko Takahashi]]. Ranma is a Japanese teenage boy who has trained in [[martial arts]] since early childhood. As a result of an accident during a training journey in China, he is cursed to become a girl when splashed with cold water, while hot water changes him back into a boy. Throughout the series Ranma seeks out a way to rid himself of the curse, while his friends, enemies and many fiancées constantly hinder and interfere. ==Creation and conception== Because most of her previous series had female protagonists, [[Rumiko Takahashi]] decided that she wanted a male for ''Ranma ½''. However, she was worried about writing a male main character in a magazine targeted toward male readers, and therefore decided to make him half-female.<ref name="Italian">{{cite web|url=http://www.furinkan.com/takahashi/takahashi8.html|title=Interview in Italy - Kappa Magazine Issue 5, Star Comics November, 1992|website=Furinkan.com|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> In 1993, an ''[[Animerica]]'' interviewer asked Takahashi if she intended the sex-changing theme "as an effort to enlighten a male-dominated society." The author said that she does not think in terms of societal agendas and that she created the ''Ranma ½'' concept from wanting "a simple, fun idea."<ref name="Takahashi7">{{cite web|last=Horibuchi|first=Seiji|url=http://www.furinkan.com/takahashi/takahashi7.html|title=Animerica Vol 1, No. 2 (1993)|website=Furinkan.com|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> She considered Ranma changing every time he was punched, before deciding on water for initiating his changes after thinking of ''[[noren]]'' at ''[[sentō]]'' and making the hot and cold water connection.<ref name="MemorialBook">{{cite web|url=http://www.furinkan.com/takahashi/takahashi2.html|title=Ranma ½ Memorial Book/The Art of Ranma|website=Furinkan.com|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> Takahashi said she gave the character's name a lot of thought; because the series deals with "a lot of entangled elements in an effective way" she named him Ranma taken from the proverb {{nihongo|''kaitō ranma wo tatsu''|快刀乱麻を断つ}}, which can roughly be translated into English as "tackling plenty of tasks diligently."<ref name="creation">{{cite web|url=https://www.furinkan.com/takahashi/takahashi31.html|title=Shonen Sunday Graphic Special Urusei Yatsura Kanketsuhen (1987) - My Dreaming Days|website=Furinkan.com|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> However, when asked how she came up with it in another interview years later, Takahashi simply said she thought it would be a cute name for either a boy or girl.<ref name="MemorialBook"/> Male Ranma's name is written using [[kanji]], while female Ranma's name is written in [[hiragana]] as {{nihongo2|らんま}}. The manga artist gave Ranma a pigtail to make the character easy to identify regardless of whether he was in his male or female form.<ref name="creation"/> Because a pigtail pairs well with Chinese clothes, she then decided to make him a martial artist.<ref name="creation"/> Takahashi said that Ranma's personality ended up different from how she initially intended; "I originally intended for him to be a clean-cut, incredibly energetic kid who was into fighting. But, he became somewhat indecisive and picky." She speculated that, since everyone has those kinds of sentiments, these were her own feelings subconsciously reflected in her character.<ref name="MemorialBook"/> When Takahashi was asked if there was a connection between the characters [[Ryunosuke Fujinami]] and [[Ryunosuke's father|her father]] from her previous manga ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' and the characters of Ranma and his father [[Genma Saotome|Genma]], the author said "Perhaps there is something in their relationship, that has crossed over to the relationship between Ranma and Genma. I think that could be true."<ref name="KJComicCon">{{cite web|last=Karvonen|first=K.J.|url=https://www.furinkan.com/features/interviews/karvonen.html|title=A Talk With Takahashi|website=Furinkan.com|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> In 1994, Takahashi said she was planning to have Ranma and [[Akane Tendo]] end up together at the end of ''Ranma ½''.<ref name="KJComicCon"/> Takahashi sat in on the voice actor auditions for the [[anime]] adaptation and, when both male and female Ranma were going to be voiced by the same actor, she insisted that they be voiced by different actors whose gender corresponded to that of the part.<ref name="35anniversary">{{cite web|url=https://natalie.mu/comic/pp/rumic35/page/2#contents2|title=「るーみっくわーるど35～SHOW TIME&ALL STAR～」高橋留美子画業35周年インタビュー|website=[[Natalie (website)|Natalie]]|language=Japanese|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> In Japanese, Ranma's male form is voiced by [[Kappei Yamaguchi]] and his female form by [[Megumi Hayashibara]]. The character was Yamaguchi's debut voice acting role.<ref name="ActorsInterview">{{cite web|url=https://www.furinkan.com/features/interviews/yama.html|title=Movement (1989) - Kappei Yamaguchi & Megumi Hayashibara: Interview with a Voice Actor and Actress|website=Furinkan.com|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> Hayashibara actually auditioned to play Akane Tendo, but was chosen to be the female half of Ranma instead.<ref name="ActorsInterview"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Hayashibara |first1=Megumi |author1-link=Megumi Hayashibara |last2=Asagi |first2=Sakura |author2-link=Sakura Asagi |title=明日があるさ |publisher=[[Kadokawa Shoten]] |year=2001 |page=28 |isbn=4-04-444501-X }}</ref> In English, male Ranma was voiced by [[Sarah Strange]] in the OVAs, films and first 64 episodes of the TV anime, before [[Richard Ian Cox]] took over the role.<ref name="MartinBlu3">{{cite news |last=Martin|first=Theron|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/ranma/blu-ray-set-3/.83953|title=Ranma ½ Blue-Ray Set 3 - Review|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2015-02-03|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> The female version of Ranma was voiced in English by Brigitta Dau for only six episodes before she was replaced by [[Venus Terzo]].<ref name="MartinBlu1">{{cite news |last=Martin|first=Theron|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/ranma/blu-ray-set-1|title=Ranma ½ Blue-Ray - Review|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2014-04-02|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> In the live-action TV film adaptation, male Ranma is portrayed by [[Kento Kaku]] and female Ranma by [[Natsuna Watanabe]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Luster|first=Joseph|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2011/09/26-1/live-action-ranma-adaptation-headed-to-ntv|title=Live-Action "Ranma ½" Adaptation Headed to NTV|work=[[Crunchyroll]]|date=2011-09-26|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> ==Appearances== 16-year-old Ranma Saotome has been trained in martial arts by his father [[Genma Saotome|Genma]] since childhood, namely in the {{nihongo|''Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū''|無差別格闘流|}} or "Anything-Goes" style. When Ranma was a toddler, Genma took him from home and set out on their journey, vowing to his wife that he would make their son a "true man among men." As such Ranma does not even remember his mother. While training in the [[Bayan Har Mountains|Bayankala Mountain Range]] in the [[Qinghai|Qinghai Province]] of China, Ranma and Genma fell into cursed springs at Jusenkyo. When someone falls into a cursed spring, they take the physical form of whatever drowned there thousands of years ago whenever they come into contact with cold water. The curse will revert when exposed to hot water until their next cold water exposure. Ranma fell into the spring of a drowned girl, while Genma fell into the spring of a drowned panda bear. Two weeks after the accident, they move in with Genma's old friend [[Soun Tendo]] at his [[Nerima, Tokyo]] home, with the expectation that one of his three daughters will marry Ranma. The eldest [[Kasumi Tendo|Kasumi]] and middle sibling [[Nabiki Tendo|Nabiki]] force their little sister [[Akane Tendo|Akane]] to accept the betrothal. Akane and Ranma instantly dislike each other due to Akane's mistrust of boys and Ranma's derision of her, but they drift closer throughout the series, each going to great lengths to save the other when in trouble. Ranma enrolls in Furinkan High School where he meets [[Tatewaki Kuno]], the arrogant captain of the kendo club who is in love with Akane and who also falls in love with Ranma's female form, never realizing that she and male Ranma are the same person. Additionally, Kuno's younger sister, the gymnast [[Kodachi Kuno|Kodachi]], soon develops a crush on the male Ranma. Ranma's childhood rival, the perpetually lost [[Ryoga Hibiki]], finds his way to Nerima seeking revenge on him as he is cursed to turn into a small black piglet after falling in a cursed spring when he followed Ranma to China. Ryoga comes to also see Ranma as a rival in love, as he develops a crush on Akane. When Ranma was in China, he defeated Chinese [[Amazons|Amazon]] [[Shampoo (Ranma ½)|Shampoo]] in combat while in his female form. Shampoo's local custom dictates that female warriors kill the woman that defeats them, as such she tracks Ranma to Nerima. However, she is then defeated by Ranma again in his male form, and Chinese Amazon custom demands that female warriors marry the man that defeats them, as such Shampoo pursues male Ranma as her fiancé. [[Ukyo Kuonji]], an [[okonomiyaki]] chef and Ranma's childhood friend, also appears in town seeking revenge. While on a training journey with a young Ranma, Genma agreed to have his son marry Ukyo in an arranged marriage with her family's okonomiyaki cart acting as the [[dowry]], but he took the cart and left Ukyo behind. For the next ten years Ukyo rejected her femininity and trained to get revenge on the Saotomes. As children, Ranma did not know that Ukyo was female and when he finds out he calls her "cute," which causes Ukyo to forgive the past and treat Ranma as her fiancé. Although Ranma despises his sex-changing curse, he is not beyond using it to his advantage. In order to interfere on Ryoga's date with Akane, Ranma tricks his gullible rival into thinking his female form is the younger sister Ryoga never knew, Yoiko. When Ranma's mother [[Nodoka Saotome|Nodoka]] comes to town and Ranma learns that his father promised her that he and his son would commit suicide via ''[[seppuku]]'' if he failed to raise Ranma into a "true man among men," Ranma passes himself off as Ranko, Akane's tomboy cousin, while Genma pretends to be Ranko's pet panda. When Nodoka finally does learn that "Ranko" is Ranma, she waives demanding ''seppuku'' and remarks that even as Ranko her son acted "manly." However, she does grab her ''[[katana]]'' whenever she sees him doing something that could be misunderstood as feminine. ==Reception== [[Image:Kappei Yamaguchi by Gage Skidmore.jpg|upright|thumb|Ranma's male form was [[Kappei Yamaguchi]]'s debut role as a voice actor.]] In both 1990 and 1991, Ranma came in second place in ''[[Animage]]''{{'}}s annual [[Anime Grand Prix]] for Favorite Male Character and fourth in its Favorite Female Character category.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1990.html| title = 第12回アニメグランプリ ［1990年5月号］| publisher = [[Animage]]| language = Japanese| access-date = 2021-05-04| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131013203326/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1990.html| archive-date = 2013-10-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1991.html| title = 第13回アニメグランプリ　［1991年5月号］| publisher = [[Animage]]| language = Japanese| access-date = 2021-05-04| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131013231914/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1991.html| archive-date = 2013-10-13}}</ref> Male Ranma dropped one spot to third place in 1992, while female Ranma fell to seventh.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1992.html| title = 第14回アニメグランプリ　［1992年5月号］| publisher = [[Animage]]| language = Japanese| access-date = 2021-05-04| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131013233529/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1992.html| archive-date = 2013-10-13}}</ref> Male Ranma regained second place in 1993, but his female form fell to 12th.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1993.html| title = 第15回アニメグランプリ　［1993年5月号］| publisher = [[Animage]]| language = Japanese| access-date = 2021-05-04| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131014172957/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1993.html| archive-date = 2013-10-14}}</ref> In 1994, Ranma came in 15th place in the male category.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1994.html| title = 第16回アニメグランプリ　［1994年5月号］| publisher = [[Animage]]| language = Japanese| access-date = 2021-05-04| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131015025939/http://animage.jp/old/gp/gp_1994.html| archive-date = 2013-10-15}}</ref> A 2019 [[NHK]] poll of 210,061 people saw Ranma voted the fifth favorite character from all of Rumiko Takahashi's works.<ref>{{cite news|last=Loveridge|first=Lynzee |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2019-11-19/the-results-are-in-for-nhk-ultimate-rumiko-takahashi-poll/.153413|title=The Results are in for NHK's Ultimate Rumiko Takahashi Poll|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2019-11-19|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> In a poll conducted by [[Goo (search engine)|goo]], fans voted female Ranma their third favorite anime role performed by Megumi Hayashibara.<ref>{{cite news|last=Schley|first=Matt|url=https://otakuusamagazine.com/japanese-fans-rank-their-favorite-megumi-hayashibara-roles/|title=Japanese Fans Rank Their Favorite Megumi Hayashibara Roles|work=[[Otaku USA]]|date=2017-05-29|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> With 18.1% of the vote, female Ranma came in first in a goo poll of 250 men and 250 women on "cute redhead girl" anime characters.<ref>{{cite news|last=Chapman|first=Paul|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/09/27-1/japanese-fans-pick-top-8-cute-redhead-girl-characters|title=Japanese Fans Pick Top 8 "Cute Redhead Girl Characters"|work=[[Crunchyroll]]|date=2015-09-27|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> [[Anime News Network]]'s Gia Manry listed Ranma's engagement to Shampoo as the third Most Awkward Proposal in anime.<ref>{{cite news|last=Manry|first=Gia|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/gia-list/anime-7-most-awkward-proposals/2011-11-19|title=Gia's List: Anime's 7 Most Awkward Proposals|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2011-11-19|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network called Ranma the "least formed" character of the series as of the first two volumes of the manga. She wrote that "at first he feels badly about his affliction [and] how it affects others, but by the middle of the book he's started using it to his advantage, and really, it's hard to blame him there." and noted that Ranma clearly likes Akane much more than she likes him.<ref>{{cite news |last=Silverman|first=Rebecca|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/ranma-2-in-1-edition/gn-1|title=Ranma ½ [2-in-1 Edition] GN 1 - Review|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2014-03-19|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> Her colleague Theron Martin wrote that Ranma and Akane are "firmly anchored in the territory of clearly caring about each other even though they do not want to admit it."<ref>{{cite news |last=Martin|first=Theron|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/ranma/blu-ray-set-2/.77068|title=Ranma ½ Blue-Ray Set 2 - Review|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2014-07-28|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> Todd Douglass Jr. of ''[[DVD Talk]]'' wrote that seeing their developing relationship is one of the initial hooks of the anime and is truly entertaining.<ref>{{cite news |last=Douglass Jr.|first=Todd|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/26651|title=Ranma 1/2: Season One: The Digital Dojo|work=[[DVD Talk]]|date=2007-01-16|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> ''The Fandom Post''{{'}}s Kory Cerjak called the "not-so-relationship" a constant form of entertainment due to "how they interact when they’re hating each other and when they’re being smitten."<ref>{{cite news |last=Cerjak|first=Kory|url=https://www.fandompost.com/2014/06/08/ranma-12-omnibus-vol-02-manga-review/|title=Ranma 1/2 Omnibus Vol. #02 Manga Review|work=The Fandom Post|date=2014-06-08|access-date=2021-05-05}}</ref> Commenting on how many people feel the ending of ''Ranma ½'' does not resolve anything, [[Jason Thompson (writer)|Jason Thompson]] wrote that "expecting to see Ranma marry Akane is like expecting to see [[Scrooge McDuck|Uncle Scrooge]] marry [[Goldie O'Gilt|Glitterin' Goldie]] or [[Archie Andrews|Archie]] marry [[Veronica Lodge|Veronica]] [...] it just doesn't happen."<ref>{{cite news |last=Thompson|first=Jason|author-link=Jason Thompson (writer)|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/house-of-1000-manga/2012-01-26|title=Jason Thompson's House of 1000 Manga - Ranma 1/2|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=2012-01-26|access-date=2021-05-04}}</ref> Martin called Venus Terzo's English performance as female Ranma a vast improvement over Brigitta Dau's and said it elevates the rest of the dub to an overall acceptable level. He wrote that the change was supposedly done due to fan complaints, which he called "entirely believable" given how "grating" Dau's performance is.<ref name="MartinBlu1"/> Martin wrote that the English voice actor change from Sarah Strange as male Ranma to Richard Ian Cox takes some time to get used to due to how substantially it alters Ranma's voice and delivery.<ref name="MartinBlu3"/> ==References== {{reflist}} {{Ranma ½}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Saotome, Ranma}} [[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1987]] [[Category:Fictional Japanese people in anime and manga]] [[Category:Male characters in anime and manga]] [[Category:Martial artist characters in anime and manga]] [[Category:Shapeshifter characters in comics]] [[Category:Teenage characters in anime and manga]] [[Category:Ranma ½]]'