Father of Ranma Soatome. Fell into the Jusenkyo cursed Spring of the Drowned Panda when sparing with Ranma and becomes a seven-foot giant panda when splashed with cold water. In this form he communicates by holding up signs he mysteriously conjures out of thin air. Genma also seeks a cure for his curse and will do anything to be rid of it.

He is a master of the Anything-Goes-Martial-Arts and desperately wants his son to marry Akane to carry on the school and always wears a white gi. With Soun Tendo, he was a student of Master Happasai. They fear and hate him as Happasai has, and continues to, make their lives miserable. They will grovel before him out of complete fear of him, but will turn and try to kill him if they sense weakness, usually to their detriment.

Though he himself claims to be a model martial artist and makes a point of telling Ranma about the right thing to do, it is evident that he does not practice what he preaches. He concerns himself with food, seems to look out for himself most of the time, and is a notorious coward when it comes to confrontational situations. He is by no means dishonorable, but he has been known to attempt to justify what he has done through ridiculous logic and pleading tones of language.

An example of Genma's martial arts instruction