Ranma ½ Akane

[Authorroy]

Why do so many people hate her so much? I mean, what's the basis for it? Is it because she's a tomboy? The most consistent reasoning I've heard for it is because she beats on Ranma or has anger problems, but that's actually pretty rare, if I'm remembering the manga correctly. Plus, she's a fictional character, so nothing she's done actually happened to anyone anyway.

This is something that has had me pulling my hair in confusion and frustration for years now. I'd really like some answers.

 

[Karnath]

Never actually seen or read Ranma, but I started to read the stories through authors I liked and most of the hated Akane so it coloured my views of her to the point where I can't stand to see her with Ranma. Now I don;t mind her as a friend but I still can't see her being a love interest and I honestly have no desire to change that.

 

[Wheeljack]

Oh lord, here it comes....

So, IBTH...

Personally, I like Akane, but then again I've always recognized that much of the violence is pretty much slapstick for humor/plot reasons and have never treated as anything else.

::braces for impact::

 

[David Alan Abramczyk]

It's what I think they call Adaptation Decay.

Akane appeared more violent in the anime, due to the writers collapsing storylines together. Most people who fan-write for Ranma 1/2 have only seen the anime, and then they exaggerate her temper issues, to make her some sort of beserker with a hair trigger.

 

[cilrais]

I believe the vast majority of Ranma fanfiction is written by people who have never read the manga or seen the anime. Thus most author's characterizations are just colored by what fanfics they've previously read.

 

[Authorroy]

It's what I think they call Adaptation Decay.

Akane appeared more violent in the anime, due to the writers collapsing storylines together. Most people who fan-write for Ranma 1/2 have only seen the anime, and then they exaggerate her temper issues, to make her some sort of beserker with a hair trigger.

Even still, that's no reason to HATE her. She's just violent (even if exaggerated), and that alone isn't worthy of hate. Hair trigger berserkers can make fun and interesting characters too, that's why Ryoga's so fun. But people HATE Akane. They paint her like the Draco-Malfoy-Meets-The-Incredible-Hulk of Ranma 1/2 and I don't understand. I don't make a habit of hating fictional characters at all; the only one fictional character in all the fiction I've read/watched/heard I even remotely dislike (well, I hate her guts) is Sasaki from Haruhi.

And if everyone's hating her because of the fanfiction they've read, that's just criminal. You're not even giving the poor girl a chance, instead basing your opinions off of those of others...

 

[PCHeintz72]

It's what I think they call Adaptation Decay.

Akane appeared more violent in the anime, due to the writers collapsing storylines together. Most people who fan-write for Ranma 1/2 have only seen the anime, and then they exaggerate her temper issues, to make her some sort of beserker with a hair trigger.

Groans... another Akane thread...

Personally, I can't truly say I like or hate Akane, but I do not like her in a relationship with Ranma. Even stating that is a bit much, as she has quite the number of character flaws I do dislike.

I will say any story I read that is an Akane/Ranma match the author must work to make me believe that relationship is believable. As I just do not see a lasting one between them working with canon personalities and history intact. I do not believe they have enough trust for each other, and as such friendship and love between them is IMHO near impossible.

Akane is nice to everyone in the series except Ranma, Happosai, the orning hentai squad, and Kuno. The last three I state basically get everything they deserve. But when treating even your kidnappers better than your supposed fiancee, or that fiancee's rival better...

She makes you have to work to like her.

Ranma is no innocent in the relationship problems, unlike tons of fannon based stories may imply. He causes a lot of issues, so it is not just on Akane's head they are where they are.

As for manga vs. anime. I have to say, having seen both, I honestly do not get where everyone states she is so much nicer to him in manga. I just am not seeing it. I will agree she is *slightly* nicer, but that really is not saying too much.

EDIT: edited multiple times for clarity.

 

[daniel_gudman]

...Well, alot of this was exacerbated by the politics internal to the Ranma fandom about ten years ago. There were flame wars over the Ranma/Akane pairing that were long, intense, and personal. I wasn't involved personally but... they really influenced the fandom a lot.

Basically what it boils down to is that Akane is a polarizing character: she's just a topic in Ranma that people love to fight about.

 

[Wheeljack]

It's what I think they call Adaptation Decay.

Akane appeared more violent in the anime, due to the writers collapsing storylines together. Most people who fan-write for Ranma 1/2 have only seen the anime, and then they exaggerate her temper issues, to make her some sort of beserker with a hair trigger.

Even still, that's no reason to HATE her. She's just violent (even if exaggerated), and that alone isn't worthy of hate. Hair trigger berserkers can make fun and interesting characters too, that's why Ryoga's so fun. But people HATE Akane. They paint her like the Draco-Malfoy-Meets-The-Incredible-Hulk of Ranma 1/2 and I don't understand. I don't make a habit of hating fictional characters at all; the only one fictional character in all the fiction I've read/watched/heard I even remotely dislike (well, I hate her guts) is Sasaki from Haruhi.

True. And then you have the authors who need to 'teach her a lesson'.... I remember reading pieces in years past that had Akane subject to things that were probably too harsh for even Hitler...

Anyone remember when these stories started to become the norm? I remember Zen and a few others had them but I don't think the dam burst forth until some time around 2001...

I know Hung Nguyen (aka animeaddiction) has a few rants about it. I recall him saying something along the lines that Akane was Rumiko Takahashi's self insert. That Akane carried herself as a prima donna and whatnot and didn't have to answer for any of her outbursts...or something to that affect. And there are other authors who have shared that opinion. Skysaber was one of these, IIRC.

And then there was this whole "Knights of the True Fiancee" thing were supposedly members were attacking any author who didn't write Akane in a favorable light, causing them to hate her even more....

And if everyone's hating her because of the fanfiction they've read, that's just criminal. You're not even giving the poor girl a chance, instead basing your opinions off of those of others...

This is probably it too. I remember a fanfiction panel at Anime Expo years back (moderated by Megazone of Undocumented Features fame) and it was mentioned that a lot of Ranma fics at the time were becoming 'me too' type of stories, that the formula was easy enough to others to mimic, unfortunately there were not good (you could say these stories were a type of "I can write a story too...", a variation of Akane's "I'm a martial artist too" phrase...ironic...) , a big reason why Megazone had stopped reading them.

 

[PCHeintz72]

And then there was this whole "Knights of the True Fiancee" thing were supposedly members were attacking any author who didn't write Akane in a favorable light, causing them to hate her even more....

This has been proven mostly false. Try this link:

Ranma Info on Knights of the True Fiancee

• [Direct] http://www.sanjiyan.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=4361

This is probably it too. I remember a fanfiction panel at Anime Expo years back (moderated by Megazone of Undocumented Features fame) and it was mentioned that a lot of Ranma fics at the time were becoming 'me too' type of stories, that the formula was easy enough to others to mimic, unfortunately there were not good (you could say these stories were a type of "I can write a story too...", a variation of Akane's "I'm a martial artist too" phrase...ironic...) , a big reason why Megazone had stopped reading them.

I should note, there are a heck of a lot of Ranma/Akane matchups on FanFiction.NET and elsewhere. You make out like there is not. Also... formula writing is not specific to Ranma by any means.

 

[SoftRogue]

In my opinion, there is two reasons. The first is that Ranma/Akane is canon; and in order for an author to change that and have Ranma in a match-up with someone other than her (whither it be a crossover or not); the easiest way to do that is to amplify her 'worst' traits.

Also, keep in mind that Ranma 1/2 is a comedy and Akane was a tsundere before the term became popular (she wasn't one of the original tsundere; but she comes close). Adding those two things together means that there will be over the top physical violence; which does taper off before the end of the manga.

The other thing is, like what other people have mentioned, is fanfiction. In fact, there is one fanfic in particular that is the root of the the whole 'hate Akane' thing...which is strange, because the writer didn't write it to bash Akane; he wrote it because, back over a decade ago, there was the whole KotTF issue going on.

I'm speaking of The Bitter End by Zen.

Now, mind you, this fic is wonderfully written; but it is both powerful and old. In fact, the original sites it was posted on haven't existed for years. But it also took the idea 'what if the violent mood swings that Akane has sometimes shown were real' and took it to it's furthest extent.

On a personal note; I dislike Ranma/Akane myself, but mainly because I don't think that don't really have anything in common. However, I do read good Ranma/Akane fics where they do find some common ground; some of the classics come to mind like The Magical Mystery Hibiki Tour and Daigakusei no Ranma.

 

[Drawde]

The main reason I've seen GIVEN, is that she's so violent towards her fiance. She has no problems with most of the other males in the series, and is even respectful when dealing with Tatewaki. But the violence towards Ranma is the key, and that if their genders were reversed (Akane male, and Ranma female), everyone would be up in arms over it.

Personally, I think the main reason is simply that she's the female lead, the one who'll win Ranma in the end. Yet she's not the hater's favorite female in the series. You'd probably have people hating Akane even if she had Belldandy's personality.

 

[coconutED]

I wouldn't say that I hate Akane, but rather that there was a point in the manga where her temper tantrums ceased being funny. As the series started to wind down (as much as a Takahashi series can wind down, anyway) my reaction to her "beatings" of Ranma went from "Ha, that's funny" to "Wow, what a bitch."

Looking back, I think it was because in the later parts of the manga, they arose more from misunderstandings than from Ranma being socially inept.

As far as the pairing goes, I'm not completely against it, but it's not my favorite either. I take the opinion that while they are far from a good match (and in all honesty, none of the girls are good matches for him), they certainly deserve each other.

 

[Authorroy]

You'd probably have people hating Akane even if she had Belldandy's personality.

This too, I don't understand. Why hate her, period? Aren't all of the characters in Ranma 1/2 fun and easy to like?

Why not just give a legit reason in the Fanfic for why they can't get together and have him with someone else? Weebee did an okay job of this in Contrast Match. Akane wasn't attracted to Ranma's female side, so Ranma ended up breaking it off with her. Both had their own regrets, and no one exploded in random bouts of anger.

And what's with the taking the relationships seriously anyway? Not only is it a romantic comedy, but they're manga characters. They could be acting the same way twenty years from the end of canon and be considered happily married in the world of fiction. Or hell, even if they were real, what if they both just like the way things are? This also brings up the question why so many people write Ranma as "Argghh-my-life-is-shit" and a lot of other confusing topics (Ranma's take on honor for one).

 

[PCHeintz72]

and that if their genders were reversed (Akane male, and Ranma female), everyone would be up in arms over it.

This I have long held to be true, and have made statements to that effect for over 5 years now on forums (fondly remembers a email discussion I had with Bob Lobster in 2003). In fact, I've held the belief since watching Ranma in 1999 or so, and reading it in 2002 or so. Been reading Ranma fanfiiction since 1999, though not joined any forums until years later.

However... I disagree with the rest.

EDIT:

This too, I don't understand. Why hate her, period? Aren't all of the characters in Ranma 1/2 fun and easy to like?

Ehhh... this is in the *Ranma* series... most characters give reasons to hate them, even Ranma has some pretty big flaws. Heck, so does Kasumi, which is as clode to Belldandy in the Ranma series as you will find.

Heck, there are some things I don't care for in Belldandy.

The best characterizations are ones that are flawed or slightly incomplete. Otherwise, even if it is canon material, it amounts to a Gary Stu or Mary Su character.

 

[Authorroy]

and that if their genders were reversed (Akane male, and Ranma female), everyone would be up in arms over it.

This I have long held to be true, and have made statements to that effect for over 5 years now (fondly remembers a email discussion I had with Bob Lobster in 2003).

I'd think it'd be interesting if their genders were reversed... With Ranma as a girl who turns into a man and Akane as a man, but their personalities were the same... Then again, after reading Ranma 1/2 and a lot of introspective fanfiction, the line between the different sexes totally kind of blurred for me...

 

[PCHeintz72]

and that if their genders were reversed (Akane male, and Ranma female), everyone would be up in arms over it.

This I have long held to be true, and have made statements to that effect for over 5 years now (fondly remembers a email discussion I had with Bob Lobster in 2003).

I'd think it'd be interesting if their genders were reversed... With Ranma as a girl who turns into a man and Akane as a man, but their personalities were the same... Then again, after reading Ranma 1/2 and a lot of introspective fanfiction, the line between the different sexes totally kind of blurred for me...

No... you are misunderstanding what I stated, or I you.

I meant were Akane (as a girl) always being attacked by Ranma (as a guy). I mean being hit on the head with a table, or boken, or shinai, or other objects, verbally laskhed at, punched to the skyline, through walls, etc...

Then the series would not be near as popular, and fans would not exist or be in an uproar. For sure Nabiki and Soun would not put up with it. Or would be soo OOC as to make reading/seeing it pointless.

And no way would Akane take it as nice as Ranma.

They call that relationship or spousal abuse.

 

[SoftRogue]

This too, I don't understand. Why hate her, period? Aren't all of the characters in Ranma 1/2 fun and easy to like?

Why not just give a legit reason in the Fanfic for why they can't get together and have him with someone else? Weebee did an okay job of this in Contrast Match. Akane wasn't attracted to Ranma's female side, so Ranma ended up breaking it off with her. Both had their own regrets, and no one exploded in random bouts of anger.

You're forgetting another angle in this. They, technically, can't just 'call it off'.

There's the whole Tendo/Saotome agreement to deal with.

Even if they both convinced their fathers that they aren't suitable for each other; there is Nabiki and Kasumi waiting in the wings...not that they necessarily want to be waiting.

There are ways for the Tendo/Saotome agreement to be broken; but the easiest way it, like I said before, something completely over the top. And again, the easiest way to do that is to take the 'worst' traits of Akane and magnify them.

Again, Ranma 1/2 was a comedy and Takahashi (in my opinion) took the over the top slapstick too far.

In the end; there is no real answer to your question. Some people just hate characters with a passion while others love them. You'll find this true with every series out there...

...except for Macross; everyone hates Minmei!

 

[Wheeljack]

The main reason I've seen GIVEN, is that she's so violent towards her fiance.? She has no problems with most of the other males in the series, and is even respectful when dealing with Tatewaki.

This is pretty much a plot point for other similar storylines/characters (ie Love Hina), in that the main couple for the series must have that wall/barrier between them and for the most part *must* be kept. Mainly as once the two leads get together, the series is pretty much over, so they have to drag it out someway or another.

Personally, I think the main reason is simply that she's the female lead, the one who'll win Ranma in the end.? Yet she's not the hater's favorite female in the series.? You'd probably have people hating Akane even if she had Belldandy's personality.

I have seen fic like that, and IIRC correctly the male Akane is named Kaneda. Anyone else remember those stories from years past?

In the end; there is no real answer to your question. Some people just hate characters with a passion while others love them. You'll find this true with every series out there...

...except for Macross; everyone hates Minmei!

We do?

 

[cgobyd]

That Akane carried herself as a prima donna and whatnot and didn't have to answer for any of her outbursts...or something to that affect.

From what I remember of the Manga other then the kidnappings she actually suffered very little from her outbursts and other flaws.

And I might have forgotten some scenes but I can only remember twice when she actually apologized to Ranma for jumping to conclusions and hitting him/making his life harder. Now while this is partially Ranma's fault for saying the wrong things and insulting her when he got mad (which is when she would have apologized) it does not excuse her from not getting over it and apologizing later.

And as for her outburst being rare, there is a site, that a member linked to in an earlier thread, that lists every time in the manga that Akane hit Ranma, the reason and whether it was justified or not. If I remember correctly the final count was two-hundred times of hitting Ranma without a justifiable reason.

If anyone has this site can you please link it? And if this is wrong I will delete that paragraph.

The reason why I think so many people hate her has two main reasons. The first was already mentioned which was the Pairings wars. During that time the older readers/writers become largely polarized in there feelings of pairings and characters. These feelings have carried over to newer readers and writers by the reading stories and forums.

The second reason is similar to why many people hate Ginny {HP} Hinate {Naruto} and Sakura {Naruto}. That is that they have a high concentration of stories that usually aren't very well written, are paired up with the main character (MC), and that seeming to be perfect all powerful saints that can do no wrong. This quickly becomes really annoying and not only turns off people to the pairing but also causes the readers to dislike the people involved, but since most peoples favorite character is the MC they don't blame him/her so focus all there annoyance the other character.

My reasoning mainly goes along with the second reason. Might not be fair but it is how I feel.

 

[Wheeljack]

That Akane carried herself as a prima donna and whatnot and didn't have to answer for any of her outbursts...or something to that affect.

From what I remember of the Manga other then the kidnappings she actually suffered very little from her outbursts and other flaws.

And I might have forgotten some scenes but I can only remember twice when she actually apologized to Ranma for jumping to conclusions and hitting him/making his life harder. Now while this is partially Ranma's fault for saying the wrong things and insulting her when he got mad (which is when she would have apologized) it does not excuse her from not getting over it and apologizing later.

And as for her outburst being rare, there is a site, that a member linked to in an earlier thread, that lists every time in the manga that Akane hit Ranma, the reason and whether it was justified or not. If I remember correctly the final count was two-hundred times of hitting Ranma without a justifiable reason.

If anyone has this site can you please link it? And if this is wrong I will delete that paragraph.

There was a thread in the Creative Writing section on spacebattles that had a similar thread of characters people hate and that site was linked. I can't recall off the top of my head but I do remember hearing that in that list, which also listed Ukyo and Shampoo, Akane fared very well against them

 

[PCHeintz72]

I have seen fic like that, and IIRC correctly the male Akane is named Kaneda. Anyone else remember those stories from years past?

Ehhh...

Kaneda is the name of male *Nabiki* in some Bader stories, like 'Nabiki 1/2'.

Kaneda was also a sensei of Kasumi's in 'Kasumi's Little Secret'.

 

[Authorroy]

I guess having Ranma go Ronin is "over the top". That's what Weebee did...

Does it really matter? None of the injuries in Ranma 1/2 last for more than a few panels, save for Shinnosuke's back injury and Saffron's...death, which is even still kind of reversed. Since physical trauma is trivialized in R1/2, is it fair to call it spousal abuse?

It'd be more reasonable if Ranma was knocked into a coma for twelve volumes because of one incident that was Akane's fault. Otherwise, everything counts as a love tap; yes, even pounding a three ton statute over his head. I mean, If all he gets is a lump that goes away in ten seconds...

 

[Wheeljack]

I have seen fic like that, and IIRC correctly the male Akane is named Kaneda. Anyone else remember those stories from years past?

Ehhh...

Kaneda is the name of male *Nabiki* in some Bader stories, like 'Nabiki 1/2'.

Kaneda was also a sensei of Kasumi's in 'Kasumi's Little Secret'.

I'm positive I remember hearing the name Kaneda used for a male Akane, though to be fair the stories I'm thinking of were around in '98 and '99 when I ran into them. :hmm:

 

[PCHeintz72]

If anyone has this site can you please link it? And if this is wrong I will delete that paragraph.

I did not see your post at first, but here:

Ranma vs Akane Argument League Tables

• [Direct] http://web.archive.org/web/20060415030415/...Q/argument.html

Note, it may take a minute to come up.