In case you didn't know, this guy holding a torch and a rather angry Shampoo-neko is Pansuto Tarou (which, roughly translated from Chinese, means 'Mr. Pantyhose'). In my opinion, he's one of the best villians in all of Ranma 1/2. Want to hear some of Tarou's story?
A nice pic of Tarou in the mountains
Tarou prepares to battle Ryoga
Tarou with Shampoo-neko and Akane
Ryoga yelling at a smirking Tarou
A color pic of Tarou and his cursed form
The guy on the backpack with the umbrella? Why, that's good old Ryoga Hibiki, one of the most popular characters in all of Ranma 1/2! What's the deal with Ryoga, you ask? Well, pull up a chair and I'll tell you all about it...
Ryoga looking angry at something
Ryoga looking sad, with P-Chan in back
Ryoga wandering through some weird mist...
This lovely young lady is Ukyo Kuonji, okonomiyaki chef extraordinarie and Ranma's "cute" fiancee. Wanna find more out about this girl? Well, I'm only too happy to oblige you.
Ukyo looking very nice in a dress
Ukyo in her chef's outfit in the rain
Ukyo wearing an interesting apron
And who's that over there, you say? Well, that would be Ryu Kumon, the man in camoflauge pants who briefly pretended to be Ranma. Confused, you say? Well, let me try and clear things up a little.
Akane yelling at an unemotional Ryu
Ryu uses his ultimate technique
Well, okay, mayber they're not the perfect couple (I don't think one exists), but they certainly do look good together.
Ryoga and Ukyo cook out on the beach, while a monkey man looks on
Ryoga takes his first REAL look at Ukyo
Ryoga and Ukyo prepare to beat something up
Ryoga and Ukyo beating something up
Ryoga and Ukyo hold hands in joy
Ryoga and Ukyo are caught holding hands...again
Ryoga and Ukyo scheming together
Ukyo offering Ryoga a 'suggestion'
The happy couple...not so happy
© 1997 duke71@sccoast.net
Long ago, when Happosai was journeying through the wilds of China, he found an abandoned baby. He took it and wanted to name it. So, he hauled the baby (Tarou) to Junsenkyo and baptized him in the "Spring of drowned yeti-riding-bull-carrying-crane-and-eel". Then, he named him Pantyhose Tarou. So, basically, when Tarou gets splashed with cold water, he turns into a giant minotaur creature with disproportially small wings and an eel for a tail. Granted, one of the odder cursed forms around.
This doesn't bother him though. He likes to be powerful (and believe me, he IS). It's his name that he despises. Under the laws of his tribe, Pantyhose has to convince the 'old lecher' to give him a new name since Happosai is the one who named him in the first place. So, Happosai tells him to get the signatures of certain people in a book and bring it to him and he'll get a new name. Who are these people? Hmmm...Ryoga, Shampoo, Genma, Mousse, Soun, Ranma...shall I go on?
Without a doubt, Tarou is clearly one of the best fighters in the series. When he fights Ranma in human form, there's never a decisive winner, and one on one with monster-form Tarou, Ranma never stands a chance. In fact, it takes Ranma, Ryoga, Mousse, Shampoo, and Akane to take him down as a monster. Now, that's skill. Oh, and later on, he jumps into another spring and gets tentacles on his back, too. As if he needed them.
Ryoga Hibiki
Ryoga has a few problems. He went to junior high school with Ranma and, well, Ranma always stole the last bread before Ryoga could get to it. Everyday. Fed up with this humiliation, Ryoga challenged Ranma to a duel in an abandoned lot behind Ryoga's house. However, Ryoga has no sense of direction. I mean NONE at all. Let's just say it took him 4 days to find the lot. Of course, Ranma was gone, his father having dragged him off to China the previous day for his ill-fated training mission. Infuriated because he thought Ranma ran out on their duel, Ryoga chased them all the way to Junsenkyo (don't ask me HOW, given his problem. I don't know).
Now, at Junsenkyo, Ryoga is standing on a cliff overlooking the springs when a panda goes flying by, knocking him off balance and almost sending him into the cursed water. He's about to regain himself when a red-haired girl chasing said panda (actually Genma and Ranma, just cursed) knocks him off the cliff. he falls into the "Spring of drowned pig", and from now on, he turns into a tiny black piglet when splashed with cold water.
Anyway, to make a long story short, Ryoga trails Ranma back to the Tendo dojo, tries to duel with Ranma (although their duel is never officially settled), accidentally cuts Akane's hair short, Falls in love with her, accidentally becomes her pet pig P-Chan, and discovers Ranma is the cause of his curse. Pretty full schedule, I'd say.
Ryoga is one of the all around best characters in the series. he loves Akane, and he blames all his troubles on Ranma. When they fight, 4 out of 5 times, Ranma wins. Ryoga does put up one heck of a battle though. He's one of Ranma's most dangerous foes, to be sure. Later on, he also falls in love with Akari Unryuu, a girl who knows he turns into a pig and loves it, because she trains and raises sumo pigs for a living. Go figure. There are those of us who think a certain okonomiyaki chef would make a better partner, though...
Ukyo Kuonji
Ukyo's story begins when Genma (Ranma's dad) and a buddy of his made a deal. Genma would promise that Ranma (then a little kid) would marry Ukyo (who Ranma thought was a boy), and Ukyo's dad would put up his okonomiyaki cart as a dowry (by the by, okonomiyaki is a japanese pizza-like dish containing a mix of various meats and vegetables). But, Genma, being the evil, evil man that he is, asked young Ranma which he liked better, Uyko or Okonomiyaki. To this five-year old Ranma replied "Okonomiyaki!", and thus fate intervened. Genma grabbed the cart and took off. Ukyo became the laughing stock of her villiage and went to train by the ocean, swearing vengeance.
So, way later on, Ukyo shows up (dressed as a guy, because, of course, Ranma still thinks she is one. Silly Ranma.) and she's got it in for Genma and Ranma. Ranma discovers Ukyo's a girl and that she's technically his fiancee, and calls her "cute". Well, that pretty much does it. Ukyo falls for Ranma in that moment and spend the rest of her time from then on trying to get Ranma to fall in love with her.
As a fighter, to be honest, Ukyo's not all that great. Sure, she'd beat Akane any day, but then again, who wouldn't (not meant as an insult to Akane fans)? She's definantly a cool character, although it seems she ends up with a crossdressing ninja named Konatsu, much to many people's chagrin. She often schemes to break Akane and Ranma up with either Shampoo or Ryoga. Say, that bandanna'd boy wouldn't be a bad match up for her...(hint hint)
Ryu Kumon
Long ago, Genma Saotome created a technique that was supposed to make its user invincible. He wrote it on a scroll and gave half of it to his wife Nodoka. the other half...well, he lost it. Now, way later on, this guy Ryu shows up with the missing half of the scroll. He wants the other half, so he tells Ranma's mother (who at this point in the story hasn't been told who Ranma is, and so she doesn't know what he looks like) that he is in fact Ranma. He does this, of course, so that he can get the other half of the scroll. Basically, he uses the first half of the technique to soundly thrash Ranma, but gets beaten at the end and takes off, but not before wisely telling Ranma he should tell his mother the truth.
Ryu is an excellent fighter, and I'd put him close to Ryoga Hibiki in terms of overall prowess. However, he's only a one-shot character, which is a shame, considering he had the potential to be so much cooler. Oh well.
The Perfect Couple
Ukyo and Ryoga are so much alike, it is apparent how much they belong with each other. Despite the fact that Ukyo seems to be the only girl Ryoga doesn't get all fidgity (ie bloody) with, they're actually good friends. Well, as good as they could be, considering. They're both very lonely, and besides, they're always scheming ways to break Akane and Ranma up together. All we can do is hold our breaths and hope Takahashi-sensei hears our pleas.
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