Ranma ½

Ranma ½

らんま½
1989 -1992 Studio Deen Fuji TV 161 episodes Completed
Comedy Martial Arts Romance Supernatural
Details & Synopsis
Ranma Saotome is a martial arts prodigy. He is also, depending on water temperature, a girl. A childhood training accident in the cursed springs of Jusenkyo left him with a condition his father, who turns into a panda, considers a minor inconvenience. Cold water: girl. Hot water: boy. This is presented as a problem. It is actually the greatest comedic premise in the history of anime.

Created by Rumiko Takahashi, the architect of Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku, and Inuyasha, Ranma ½ began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1987 and ran for seven years. The anime adaptation by Studio Deen aired from 1989 to 1992, producing 161 TV episodes plus a mountain of OVAs and three theatrical films. It is one of the foundational texts of the fansub era, one of the shows that built the underground tape-trading networks that eventually became digital fansub culture in the West.

The cast is enormous and every single member of it is insane. Akane Tendo is the fiancée who would rather hit Ranma than admit she likes him. Shampoo is a Chinese Amazon who becomes a cat when splashed with cold water, which is its own catastrophic problem. Ryoga Hibiki has the worst sense of direction in human history and turns into a small black pig. P-chan is not a pig. Everyone knows P-chan is not a pig except Akane.

The 2024 Netflix remake exists. It is fine. Watch the original.
Alt Title らんま½
Studio Studio Deen
Network Fuji TV
Aired 1989 - 1992
Episodes 161
Genre Comedy, Martial Arts, Romance, Supernatural
Status Completed
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TV Martial Arts Disciplines

Anachronistic Martial Competitions

The Concept of Martial Arts Anything

A defining staple of the classic TV broadcast run. The Anything-Goes philosophy extends into transforming mundane hobbies, sports, and social etiquette into deadly martial arts disciplines with formal rules, ancestral techniques, and combat gear.

Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics

Kodachi Kuno · Black Rose Discipline
Combines competitive gymnastics with lethal weapons disguised as performance props. Utilizes razor-tipped ribbon whips, explosive clubs, spiked hoops, and paralyzing black-rose paralyzing gas to incapacitate opponents before they can strike.

Martial Arts Tea Ceremony

Sentaro Daimon · High-Velocity Hospitality
A combat discipline where practitioners perform the traditional Japanese tea ceremony at high kinetic velocity. Wooden teapots, bamboo whisks, and heavy iron kettles are swung like bludgeons, utilizing boiling water vectors and tatami-mat maneuvers.

Martial Arts French Dining

Picolet Chardin · Gourmet Speed & Reach
Founded on the principle of consuming high-end multi-course meals at extreme speeds while denying the opponent any food. Emphasizes an elongated tongue and hyper-flexible jaw mechanism to snatch delicacies out of mid-air across long tables.