Ranma ½ Kicking fanon in the teeth

[nuclear death frog]

Not likely. Saffron is airborne; Ranma's finish against Ryu Kumon was absolutely dependent on physically trapping him in a way that would be impossible to attain against a flying enemy. Do recall the amount of set-up it took, and then he still had to come down on Ryu from above, *and* it was Ryu who actually started that trap's effect. It couldn't be done otherwise, and none of the conditions were present against the King of Phoenix Mountain.

 

[Anonguy]

Ranma's first inclination in the fight was to disable Saffron as fast as possible so he could use the water on Akane and restore her. He succeeded in forcing him outside, but Saffron regrew his wings and started flinging fireball like some manic D&D wizard. While it would have been useful for defense once or twice, it would rapidly fill and force him to carry around a bag of fire that would only hinder his overall goal of winning as fast as possible.

Speaking of Ranma's ingenuity in battle, he does invent two variants of the HSH: The Hiryuu Hiyo Toppa (said specifically to need the Genkaja to cool his body far enough to use it, though this might be a mistranslation) and the Rising Dragon Looks to the Sky (I forget the original Japanese), used to force the Dragon Tap to look up and spray Akane.

Also, the Saffron fight again kicks the "Ranma hates weapons" fanon in the head. He not only willing uses the Genkaja, he doesn't think twice about using it.

 

[cgobyd]

So plan.

1. Catch fireball.

2. Try to fire it back at Saffron (After the first time that this doesn't work/heals him skip straight to step 3)

3. Fire it at a near-by mountain.

4. Be ready to catch the next one.

5. ???

6. Profit.

 

[Ezit Meti]

Okay, seriously how is everybody missing the three other problems with this plan?

1: He doesn't have something with which to catch the fireball.
2: Even if he did, it's a god-damned fireball it will burn it to cinders.
3: He doesn't have something with which to catch the fireball.

I felt that was such a vital point that it was worth mentioning twice.

 

[Tonyloco]

Ranma's first inclination in the fight was to disable Saffron as fast as possible so he could use the water on Akane and restore her. He succeeded in forcing him outside, but Saffron regrew his wings and started flinging fireball like some manic D&D wizard. While it would have been useful for defense once or twice, it would rapidly fill and force him to carry around a bag of fire that would only hinder his overall goal of winning as fast as possible.

Speaking of Ranma's ingenuity in battle, he does invent two variants of the HSH: The Hiryuu Hiyo Toppa (said specifically to need the Genkaja to cool his body far enough to use it, though this might be a mistranslation) and the Rising Dragon Looks to the Sky (I forget the original Japanese), used to force the Dragon Tap to look up and spray Akane.

Also, the Saffron fight again kicks the "Ranma hates weapons" fanon in the head. He not only willing uses the Genkaja, he doesn't think twice about using it.

He actually has several variants of the HST the reverse one he used against Herb, and another one that doesnt seems to need the spiral to work.

During the mirror clones arc, on of Ranma's clones uses a smaller version of the HST against Soun and Genma, by using the corckscrew uppercut against them when they rushed her and sending them flying with a big twister, but not a tornado.

Of course this also can be seen as yet another proof of Takahashi's inconsistences, but lots of fics work with even less.

 

[Drawde]

I see that one as Takahashi not bothering to draw the clone leading them into the spiral. Everyone knows it takes the spiral so why bother drawing it? Not to mention that there is a limit by page count that she can put out every week.

 

[antimatterenergy]

Everyone knows it takes the spiral so why bother drawing it?

At least two done during the battle with Saffron did not (the one that shattered Saffron and the one that broke the dragon tap did not require Ranma making a spiral beforehand or leading the battle into a spiral). My take on it is different. At first while learning it Ranma needed a large spiral as time passed and he got better at creating it the size of the spiral needed was reduced culminating in the final battle versus Saffron that only a twist of the arm is enough to create the reaction .

 

[foesjoe]

but then...? look at how he did at figure skating.

In my opinion, Ranma's inability to balance on ice makes no sense at all when viewed against his superhuman balance elsewhere. I simply can't rationalize it, and so I don't try. :headbanger:

How did Ryoga do? IIRC, he and Ranma-chan had to fight as a team for a time in that challenge.

If he was as bad at ice skating as Ranma, you could maybe fanwank it as being a side effect of the Jusenkyo curse.

 

[nuclear death frog]

You know, that's a good point, but I still hate it.

 

[Tonyloco]

Everyone knows it takes the spiral so why bother drawing it?

At least two done during the battle with Saffron did not (the one that shattered Saffron and the one that broke the dragon tap did not require Ranma making a spiral beforehand or leading the battle into a spiral). My take on it is different. At first while learning it Ranma needed a large spiral as time passed and he got better at creating it the size of the spiral needed was reduced culminating in the final battle versus Saffron that only a twist of the arm is enough to create the reaction .

To me this makes sense, Ranma mastering the HST would probably lead to him needing to use less and less the spiral to crate the tornado, probably allowing him to create a weaker version only using the corkscrew punch only and probably manipulating his KI for the desired effect.

Remember that by the end he doesn't needs to create a spiral by running around he knows that he can create it in other ways, like the using the dollified Akane.

But I also agree with Drawde that in the clone arc it seems to be more related to Takahashi being lazy and that particular scene being a gag.

But in the end it's in the manga and it's cannon, and many writers base tons of assumptions with even less evidence than this one.

 

[Basikampfire]

Its Fanon that MT/SSH cause an increase/strengthing in the emotions used for the chi bolts right.

 

[Anonguy]

Its Fanon that MT/SSH cause an increase/strengthing in the emotions used for the chi bolts right.

Well, Ranma never uses the Moko Takabisha to the level Ryoga does. We do know the more depressed you are, the stronger the Shi Shi Hokodan gets, all the way up to the blast into sky, fall down level. Ryoga is never shown to be more depressed or miserable after using it. The idea that the SSH does adversely affect the emotions of the user is probably from a mistranslation or a misunderstanding of Cologne's explanation for why the move is bad. The explanation that the two would wind up as two lions scrapping far too fiercely and not even a fall off a cliff could break them up. That is not saying, "Oh, you'll commit suicide." at all, because remember where Ryoga got it: from a tunnel digger who saw him use the Bakusai Tenketsu and suggested the SSH as a superior method of digging. What it is saying is that the technique is cake to do as long as you can be depressed, and that you'd get caught up using it and forget about the consequence of what is happening in the fight. It is, essentially, a forewarning on over reliance on the move because you might not notice that you've broken a couple ribs, and even if you do, that just depresses you more *BLAM*.

And again, the MT isn't used all that much from my recollection and it is a fairly weak move. It requires a far too fleeting emotion and at best, it managed to tie with a vanilla SSH before Ryoga's depression over Ranma's new move made it worthless. The last time I recall it being sued was when Ranma showed off the ability to fire one from each hand, but Hinako ate it and it was really never mentioned again.

 

[nuclear death frog]

To be honest, the only time I remember Ryouga using the Shishi Houkodan after its intro story was to drop Lime. But I admit my memory may well be wrong.

 

[Anonguy]

Yeah, that was the last time I remember him using it too.

 

[Ura Mamoru]

To be honest, the only time I remember Ryouga using the Shishi Houkodan after its intro story was to drop Lime. But I admit my memory may well be wrong.

He used it once during the Saffron arc. I think he was using it to boost Ranma into the air or something like that....

 

[nuclear death frog]

So Ryouga barely uses the technique either. A total of three times between the two of them outside the storyline where it debuted. So much for it being a signature attack.

 

[Dumbledork]

So Ryouga barely uses the technique either. A total of three times between the two of them outside the storyline where it debuted. So much for it being a signature attack.

Compared to how often the other characters use thei special moves it can be considered a signature attack.

 

[nuclear death frog]

So Ryouga barely uses the technique either. A total of three times between the two of them outside the storyline where it debuted. So much for it being a signature attack.

Compared to how often the other characters use thei special moves it can be considered a signature attack.

Yeah, but only barely at best. By my reckoning it's less a signature technique and more a "technique of sometime convenience."

Otherwise, you might as well go about writing such things as "Special Technique! Boot to the head!" *kick*

Although that might be funny.

 

[Tonyloco]

So Ryouga barely uses the technique either. A total of three times between the two of them outside the storyline where it debuted. So much for it being a signature attack.

Compared to how often the other characters use thei special moves it can be considered a signature attack.

Yeah, but only barely at best. By my reckoning it's less a signature technique and more a "technique of sometime convenience."

Otherwise, you might as well go about writing such things as "Special Technique! Boot to the head!" *kick*

Although that might be funny.

He also uses it during the age mushrooms arc, when he's a kid he uses against Ranma a few times.

So I would say that he does use it a lot more than Ranma.

 

[antimatterenergy]

It is used a bit more. Ryoga uses his ki blast in connection with the breaking point to tunnel through the ground (for example while trying to get to a date with Akari). Ki blasts are used during the mushrooms of aging storyline as well.

 

[Legendary Legacy]

In pretty much every fic I read that involves Ryoga, he always, sometimes multiple times depending on the length of the story, uses the phrases "Prepare to die!" and "Because of you, I've seen Hell!"

Yet, in the manga, I can only remember him saying either line once, and both were in his first appearance arc. First one was his initial attack on Ranma, second was during their duel.

Is it the anime's fault that two throwaway lines became his catch-phrases, or is it pure fanon to think that he says it every time he and Ranma meet?

 

[PCHeintz72]

In pretty much every fic I read that involves Ryoga, he always, sometimes multiple times depending on the length of the story, uses the phrases "Prepare to die!" and "Because of you, I've seen Hell!"

Yet, in the manga, I can only remember him saying either line once, and both were in his first appearance arc. First one was his initial attack on Ranma, second was during their duel.

Is it the anime's fault that two throwaway lines became his catch-phrases, or is it pure fanon to think that he says it every time he and Ranma meet?

You are attempting to apply logic to fannon, which will not work.

I am surprised everyone for example likes to have Kuno refer to Ranma as the pig tailed girl... when he also is known in the early days to call her the tree borne kettle girl.

Go figure.

 

[nuclear death frog]

The expression "osage no onna" all but literally means "girl with braided hair", so 'pig-tailed girl' is very close.

 

[Tornado Ninja Fan]

One reason that fanfic authors use those phrases repeatedly are all those AU and time-travel fics that describe Ranma's first encounter with Ryoga again. Because of that they are more familiar to the reader than they should be.

But the real blame goes to all those fics where Ranma has to fight every character every day.

You know those that start with a description of a "typical day" for Ranma. Bucket of water to the face/thrown into the pond, malleted at the breakfast table, encounter with the ladle lady, fight with Tatewaki, standing in the hall with buckets, drained by Miss Hinako, every fiancÚe tries to feed him during dinner, every rival attacks, gets malleted by Akane again, etc. etc.

 

[KCKitsune]

You know those that start with a description of a "typical day" for Ranma. Bucket of water to the face/thrown into the pond, malleted at the breakfast table, encounter with the ladle lady, fight with Tatewaki, standing in the hall with buckets, drained by Miss Hinako, every fiancÚe tries to feed him during dinner, every rival attacks, gets malleted by Akane again, etc. etc.

... and if they didn't have Ranma going homicidal in a week then I throw the bullshit flag. I mean come on... how much can a person take before they snap?

I'm giving Ranma the benefit of the doubt by saying that he would last a week.