Ranma ½/Characters/The Chinese

Shampoo (珊璞 (Chinese); シャンプー (Japanese))
"Voiced by: Rei Sakuma (JP), Cathy Weseluck (EN)"

A mysterious female martial artist from China, who initially chased Ranma with a Kiss of Death over a confused first meeting, then stopped and began trying to court him instead. As with all of the main teens, a contradictory sort of girl; she genuinely loves Ranma, yet is still willing to try and use mind control in order to win his heart, and while normally bubbly and playful, she's quick to make death threats and start tearing up the surroundings. She is generally a friendly, playful girl, but has no qualms about attempting to kill her rivals for Ranma's heart, if she thinks she can get away with it. Outside of Ranma, the closest friend she has is Mousse... although "close", in this case, is something of a misnomer.


 * Accidental Marriage: Her engagement to Ranma. When they first met, Ranma challenged her to a duel as a way to make up for eating her food: had Ranma been in male form, or Shampoo otherwise known he was really a man, she would have married him after losing. When she finally met him as a man for the first time, he defeated her by accident (breaking her weapon, its head fell onto hers and knocked her out cold), and so she declared herself married to him.
 * All Amazons Want Hercules: Her village basically encourages female martial artists to wed even more skilled men.
 * Arrogant Kung Fu Girl: Very proud of her martial arts skills, prone to boasting about the skills and history of her people, and can BACK IT UP.
 * Best Her to Bed Her: It's a written-down law of her village that's centuries old.
 * Betty and Veronica: The Betty to Akane's Veronica. Case in point that like Betty, Shampoo is a lot smarter than she looks, is surprisingly multi-skilled, and vies for Ranma's attention.
 * BFS: In her first appearance, wields a surprisingly large dao (a Chinese saber), which is about half as long as she is... and she hefts it around in one hand as well.
 * Boobs of Steel: A lot of fans consider her the bustiest of the girls after Ranma, and she is also one of the most formidable in combat.
 * The Bully: She's the girl who most frequently announces her intention to kill, and makes explicit overtures at it, even if she does always call it off before actually hurting somebody or has it interrupted. Most explicitly she indiscriminately kept beating up identical twins Pink (the malevolent) and Link (the benevolent) for years. Pink may have started it by poisoning Shampoo for no reason when they were kids, but Shampoo then beat up Link when the good twin cured her (admittedly, Shampoo mistook her for her sister), and when both sisters jumped Shampoo to try and beat her up in revenge for beating up Link, Shampoo beat them both up and decided to beat them up every time they met from then on.
 * Car Fu: Almost all of Shampoo's manga appearances are marked by her hitting someone (usually Ranma) with her bike.
 * Carry a Big Stick: Her main weapons are chui, basically basketball sized spheres of solid steel on the ends of short staves.
 * Chinese Girl: One of the better examples of the "From the Land of Dragons" version.
 * Dual Wield: Because she's so strong, she generally carries her weapons in twos, either twin chui or a chui and a sword.
 * Effortless Amazonian Lift: She's strong enough to easily catch Mousse in her arms to save him from a villain.
 * Glass Cannon: Despite being the most destructive of the female martial artists, can often be taken down with a single attack. Admittedly, turning into a harmless kitten when splashed with cold water is a pretty blatant weak spot.
 * Hot Amazon/No Guy Wants an Amazon: Seesaws between these two tropes. On the one hand, she is admired and lusted after as much for her fighting skills as she is for her beauty, with even Ranma noting he thinks she's attractive on a few occasions. On the other hand, she still can't get any romantic interest save for the childhood stalker and all of her efforts to make Ranma look at her the way she wants him to backfire.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Perhaps even more worthy of the title then Ranma, given that while she does end up naked less often, she's much more likely to be deliberately trying to be sexy when she is naked. Not to mention lacking the whole potential Squick factor of being a Gender Bender. Also, there's that high-slit cheongsam she often wears.
 * Murder the Hypotenuse: Greatly overstated in Fanon: while she doesn't seem to have any qualms about contemplating it, she won't actually try it unless she's got a very, very good chance of being able to get away with it cleanly, and she will easily shrug and let it go if it turns inconvenient or stops being important (Miss Hinako, for example: she's fine with nulling the Kiss of Death and letting Ranma handle her when he brings the subject up).
 * No Sense of Personal Space: No matter what the situation, if she sees Ranma, she'll latch onto him if she can.
 * Odango: Her hairstyle consists of two large "dumplings" of hair at her temples and long hair down to her butt.
 * Pet the Dog: When Cologne captures Ryōga-in-piglet form at the start of the Bakusai Tenketsu story arc, Shampoo thinks that the pig looks familiar, recognizes it as being Akane's pet, and promptly runs into the kitchen to try and stop Cologne from making it into today's special. Keep in mind up until the moment when Ryōga leaps naked out of the pot, Shampoo has no idea that this is anything more than an ordinary pig that just happens to be Akane's pet.
 * Please Put Some Clothes On: Shampoo will usually be completely naked when reverting from cat form.
 * Poor Communication Kills: The whole mess with the Kiss of Death could probably have been avoided if she had been able to warn Ranma that she would be expected to chase and kill "her" if she lost, or if Ranma had told her from the start he was really a guy.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the anime, she has deep red eyes. Ironic, given that in this continuity, she's portrayed as less of an outright villain than she is in the manga... though she is still dangerous and amoral.
 * Scarily Competent Tracker: She chased two strangers across China, over the ocean, and into the heart of Japan, while barely speaking their language or the language of the second country. And she had no idea that her quarry were shape-changers, which meant she could only follow information based on sightings of their alternative forms. On the other hand, she was basically chasing down a buxom, foreign, Hot-Blooded girl (who is often soaking wet) that doesn't speak the local language and a giant Panda that acts like a human and has martial arts skills. One would imagine that they tend to leave an impression, and if their general behavior is anything to go by, Ranma and Genma don't really bother trying to hide their tracks once the immediate danger has passed by (she never actually manages to find Ranma once she starts actively hiding after running into her... even after running into her in an enclosed room while the latter was still recovering from her injuries after the battle against the Golden Pair).
 * Shout-Out: Shampoo is generally considered to be a homage to Lum: the anime was even going to give her green hair and light blue eyes originally, as can be seen in the season one opening credits. For a Mythology Gag, she's seen from behind jogging through a scene wearing Lum's trademark outfit in one episode of Inuyasha.
 * Super Speed: Much slower than Ranma, but considerably swifter than Akane. In their first "match", she was able to dodge Akane's attack, get behind her, and complete her Laser-Guided Amnesia inducing Pressure Points attack, all in the span of seconds (five to six in the anime, though a much less impressive 56 in the manga). An even more impressive display occurs during the manga's version of the Miss Takeout Race story, which doesn't happen very long afterwards: Cologne throws a barrage of daggers at Shampoo, who is currently serving some customers. Without looking back, Shampoo tosses her order straight up in the air, uses the serving tray to deflect the daggers right back where they came from, pinning the people that Cologne was showing off to harmlessly to the wall, then catches the order back on the tray and resumes serving it. All without spilling anything or seeming even the slightest phased by this. Akane, meanwhile, doesn't get a similar feat until the second-last manga story... and her version, while still impressive, still isn't quite in the same league.
 * Super Strength: In the Super Soba story, Shampoo is explicitly shown as stronger than regular Akane, as she topples over her rival after a brief arm-wrestling competition. She also routinely effortlessly plows through wood, concrete and steel as though it was wet cardboard.
 * There Was a Door: In the manga, almost never uses a door if she can make a dramatic entrance through a solid wall instead. Even in the anime, she's still the one most likely to do this.
 * Victoria's Secret Compartment: Has stored items in her chest on more then one occasion.
 * Waif Fu: A short and slender Chinese girl that can take down mammoth opponents without trying.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: In the anime, she's usually depicted with dark blue hair with hints of purple; some episodes, and particularly the specials, go so far as to show her with deep purple hair.
 * You No Take Candle: In the dub, which ends up giving her Hulk Speak. She speaks simplistic/broken Japanese too, which fits the Japanese stereotype of a Chinese person trying to speak their language. She is not the only Chinese character in the series to do this. In fact, pretty much every Chinese character except Cologne and Mousse speaks this way (and judging by the flashback episode, Cologne used to).

Cologne (可崘 (Chinese); コロン (Japanese))
"Voiced by: Miyoko Aso (JP), Elan Ross Gibson (EN)"

Shampoo's great-grandmother is an ancient grandmaster (grandmistress?) of Chinese martial arts and mystical lore, clocking her age in centuries. Though she initially attempts to strong-arm Ranma into agreeing to honor his Accidental Marriage to Shampoo, she calms down and mostly sticks to the sidelines after that (which may mean it was actually a test of character). She is a frequent source of advice and aid to Ranma... but she has also helped his enemies once or twice as well, usually as a ploy to force Ranma to become even stronger and thus a better catch for Shampoo.

It should be noted that the animated version directly states her age somewhere in the 300s, but the manga never outright states her age, vaguely placing her over 100.


 * Cool Old Lady: A somewhat more antagonistic version: Ranma generally goes to her for advice on the strange and unusual, but he prefers to avoid her otherwise.
 * Glass Cannon: Although she was never defeated in combat, and is one of the two most skilled martial artists in the series, she can be knocked out with a sharp Tap on the Head if she lets her guard down.
 * I Was Quite a Looker: As a young girl, she was basically a slightly older Shampoo.
 * Me's a Crowd: In the anime, has a technique called "Splitting Cat Hairs" where she multiplies into 18 clones of herself.
 * Miniature Senior Citizens: A 'typical' example, going from a Shampoo-like Hot Amazon in her teens to a wrinkly she-gnome with long hair by the time of the series.
 * Ms. Exposition: Will typically sit down and explain lore related to Jusenkyo, ancient Chinese tribes and magical devices.
 * Never Mess with Granny: This "little old lady" can kick the ass of just about any of the main characters in the series when she feels inclined. She can even toss Pantyhose Tarō's monster form around like it was nothing.
 * Old Master: She looks like a deformed she-gnome, measures her age in centuries rather then years, and can still beat down any two of the teenage martial artists at the same time.
 * Trickster Mentor: Gives her students everything from sound advice to Training from Hell, but if she can teach them and make them look stupid at the same time, she's much happier.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: In the anime, a time-travel episode shows the young Cologne as having very dark blue hair and green eyes.

Mousse (沐絲 (Chinese); ムース (Japanese))
"Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki (JP), Brad Swaile (EN)"

Shampoo's "stupid friend from childhood", Mousse is head-over-heels for her and chases after her madly in a desperate attempt to win her love, either by kissing her feet or by proving his prowess by defeating the man she wants to marry. Though his relationship with Ranma is much more bitter and hostile then, say, Ryoga's, Mousse does eventually come to something of an understanding with him, and stops actually attempting to kill him... though not enough to make him stop blaming Ranma for "keeping Shampoo from him". While she doesn't seem to outright hate him, she certainly doesn't seem to have any romantic interest in him, to the extent that even saving her from mind control (giving up a chance to make her his literal love slave in the process) didn't earn him so much as a "thank you", and she had to be tricked into helping save his life.


 * Badass Longcoat: For all of THREE panels when he first appears. He can still give this impression when he fights seriously.
 * Blind Without'Em: Played with. On the one hand, he's so bad in his regular life that he can mistake a tanuki statue for Shampoo without them on, even going so far as to ask "her" how and when she got so fat. And he's frankly not much better off even when wearing them. However, when engaged in serious combat, he can and will fight very effectively without his glasses, even against opponents that he shouldn't be able to track accurately through sound alone.
 * The Bully: Was perfectly willing to join an assault on a weakened Ranma, to ambush and kidnap Akane for the sake of luring Ranma to him, to threaten to afflict Akane with a Jusenkyo curse for added "incentive", to cheat in the name of victory, and to kill for expediency. He also instinctively banged together the heads of the youthenized Ryoga and Ranma when he realised they looked like his rivals, although he immediately felt bad about it afterwards.
 * Cursed with Awesome: While at a general disadvantage as a duck, he does gain the ability to fly and he can still use hidden weapons (usually throwing knives in his wings).
 * Dogged Nice Guy: To Shampoo. The manga makes it very clear that, when he's not fighting Ranma over her, he's extremely devoted to her and sincerely tries to do right by her, working himself to an early grave if it means taking her out on a happy date... he just has the most horrible tastes and even worse timing, and she doesn't appreciate his persistence.
 * Dude, Where's My Respect?: He is much stronger than Shampoo, and she still considers him to rate somewhere between bacteria and pond scum, no matter what he does for her. At least in the manga. In the anime, she was actually touched in the second movie.
 * Fan Service: Another good-looking character whose transformation back into human form usually doesn't involve clothes.
 * The Glasses Come Off: Likes to invoke this... but, usually, whenever he takes the glasses off dramatically, he ends up looking stupid and ruining the effect.
 * Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Most of it was spent unsuccessfully trying to win over Shampoo.
 * Hyperspace Arsenal: Duck potty, yo-yos, cup-and-balls, gauntlets on ropes, multiple swords (the first Non-Serial Movie has him create "wings" by sprouting about six or seven broadswords from each sleeve)... the sheer amount of crap he can conceal and actually use relatively effectively, with or without modifications, is truly amazing.
 * Mad Love: He will stoically suffer through virtually any amount of abuse Shampoo heaps on him, firmly convinced that his dedication and displays of prowess will win her over, no matter that she has stated outright that she hates him and wants him dead.
 * Murder the Hypotenuse: During the first half of the series, Mousse made at least four attempts to kill Ranma, so he can have Shampoo for himself. One of them through subterfuge. Although he apparently simply attempts to prove himself stronger in their few confrontations after the Herb arc.
 * Nerd Glasses: He actually prefers to be Blind Without'Em because of how they make him look goofy.
 * Stalker with a Crush: Pretty much defines who he is. Although redeems himself by the final arc of the manga, when deciding to set Shampoo free of her enslavement rather than refocus it on himself... and is naturally paid with no appreciation whatsoever (or even noticing that he's there).
 * Super Speed: Fast enough to be in the same general league as Ranma and Ryōga, but they are shown as able to avoid most of his attacks by exerting themselves. Sometimes considered by Fanon to be the fastest of the three, as he was pitted against Mint, the fastest of the Musk Dynasty warriors.
 * Super Strength: At least around the same level as Ranma, going by the fact that the latter was very impressed after a thoroughly exhausted Mousse split a large iron bell barehanded.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: Considers himself to be this to Shampoo. Whether he actually is or not is up for debate, considering Shampoo calls him her "stupid friend from childtime" and all of his flashbacks to that point in their life show her treating him the exact same way she does now (alternatively ignoring and hitting him).
 * Wax On, Wax Off: He gained tremendous stamina and strength by going out on dates with "Shampoo" (in reality, a stupendously heavy Jizo statue that had assumed her likeness), thanks to the fact he was going days without rest and constantly hauling around the statue when he wasn't doing his jobs at the Nekohanten.
 * You No Take Candle: Oddly subverted. Mousse is the same age and just as Chinese as Shampoo, yet he speaks fluent Japanese.

Pantyhose Tarō (パンスト太郎)
"Voiced by: Shinnosuke Furumoto (JP) Matt Hill (EN)"

The only recurring villain of the series outside of the main cast, who appears in three stories, Pantyhose Tarō was named by Happōsai (as if you couldn't guess) and unintentionally baptized by him in the "Spring of Drowned Ox-Riding, Crane and Eel-Carrying, Yeti". As his cursed form is a powerful monster, as opposed to a girl or a small animal, Pantyhose Tarō has no problems with his Jusenkyo form (it also helps that he has lived with it from the moment he was born), but hates Happōsai with a vengeance for his name and is dedicated to having him change it... by his village lore, Happōsai is the only person in the world who can do this, so if he can't make the old pervert see sense, he'll live with the name "Pantyhose Tarō" for the rest of his life. Between his first and second stories, he somehow manages to use "Spring of Drowned Octopus" water to give his cursed form giant tentacles, and become even stronger.


 * Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: One of the few characters in this series with both the attitude and the skills to back it up.
 * Berserk Button: Being called by his name. Before it was revealed, he reacted the same way to Ranma calling him "pantsuto yaro" ("pantyhose bastard") which sounds way too close to his actual name.
 * The Bully: Relishes the power of his cursed form and uses it to beat up and terrify others into submitting to him.
 * Combat Tentacles: In his second and third appearances.
 * Cursed with Awesome: Rare example in that he doesn't actually mind it, as he may not quite be in Ranma's league of pure hand-to-hand-combat without traps and manipulation, and has not demonstrated any special-techniques, giving him a hell of a trump card with some cold water. In fact, when other characters believed his beef with Happōsai was this curse, he stated that he didn't mind it at all.
 * Embarrassing First Name: The prefix of his first name is Pantyhose. Is it any wonder he runs away from girls who ask him what it is?
 * Giant Flyer: His cursed form is a mass of solid muscle several stories tall, and yet his wings are appropriately crane-sized. He still pulls off fancy aerial maneuvers and can fly fast enough to travel from deep mainland China all the way to Japan within an afternoon.
 * Iconic Item: For all his hatred for his first name, he still wears a pair of pantyhose around his waist in lieu of a sash. It was also his calling card when he first appeared in Nerima, wrapping all his victims in pantyhose as a way to taunt the person who named him.
 * Jerkass: Even if he does have something of a Freudian Excuse, he's still a real asshole.
 * Kill It with Water: Plays around with this trope. Dousing him with hot water reverts him to his weaker human form, making him vulnerable. On the other hand, letting him get splashed with cold water lets him turn into his monster form, at which point he's more than happy to hand out some beatings.
 * Manipulative Bastard: One of the few fighters who has successfully manipulated (and outcheated) Ranma during battle, and capable of setting up strategic traps.
 * Mix-and-Match Critters: Tarō's cursed form is apparently constructed with the premise of "what types of creatures would you have to mix to create something more-or-less archetypical demonic-looking?". Answer: You toss a yeti, an ox, an eel and a crane into one Jusenkyo Spring, and get a creature with the frame of a yeti, the head and hooves of an ox, an eel as a tail... and a pair of crane, rather than bat, wings, which is the only odd one out. He is even referred to as a "demon-lord" in the play Ranma set up for Happōsai. Later, he turns into a spoof of a "tentacle-demon" by adding "Spring of Drowned Octopus" to the concoction... with the bonus of shooting blinding ink blasts from his fingers.
 * The Nicknamer: While everyone else matters little to him, he specifically singles out Ranma to call him "okama yaro" ("crossdressing bastard," or just "crossdresser" in the English release) and annoy him to no end.
 * Nigh Invulnerable: In monster form.
 * Pet the Dog: Despite his ruthless nature, and stating that he has no hesitation about beating or killing a woman who was in his way, he is known to have saved a number of girls from being attacked after encountering them in danger. After accidentally spotting Rouge in the nude, he let her beat him up in retribution until he figured she'd had enough.
 * Politically-Incorrect Villain: Possibly, as homophobic slurs are his go-to insult style against Ranma.
 * The Sociopath: Probably not as extreme as Nabiki, but basically a male version of Shampoo.
 * Super Speed: Able to keep up with Ranma when in human form, but slower (and appears somewhat less intelligent) in chimaera mode. The octopus tentacles definitely helped to make up for it though.
 * Super Strength: Roughly the same level as male Ranma when human, given that their punches had literally equal effect on one another in the Rouge arc, and much stronger as a chimaera.
 * Take Over the World: In his third story, after misunderstanding what Rouge's "sources of power" are, he declares he'll use them to increase his own power and use it to conquer the world.
 * Voluntary Shapeshifting: Sort of. His curse form is enormous and powerful (albeit pretty silly-looking), so he's the only one to regularly carry cold water with him. Especially if he's going to a fight.
 * Would Hit a Girl: He doesn't usually bother with weaklings, and deliberately lets slighted women take out their anger on him for as long as he deems appropriate, but if the girl in question proves strong enough to fight, he holds nothing back.

The Jusenkyo Guide
"Voiced by: Kouichi Yamadera (JP) Ian James Corlett and Michael Donovan (EN)"

A mysterious man who acts as something of a tour guide to Jusenkyo and, to a lesser extent, the surrounding areas. He's not a very good one though, as he seems to need a map to find his own way around the springs and he fails to prevent anyone from ending up cursed at Jusenkyo. He also utterly failed to keep Ranma from ending up getting the Kiss of Death/Kiss of Marriage from Shampoo.


 * Catch Phrase: "Very tragic story!"
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Even the most polite characters refer to him as Mr. Guide/Guide-san.
 * Limited Wardrobe: Always seen in the same faded green Maoist uniform, cap and all, even though it's not implied to be standard attire for his job.
 * No Name Given
 * Poor Communication Kills: He fails to disclose the nature of the Jusenkyo springs to anyone in time to prevent mishaps. He fails to warn Ranma that challenging, and then defeating Shampoo as a man or as a woman will have consequences either way (even while he's translating said challenge and he's perfectly aware of the implications). He neglects to inform anyone that Jusenkyo can be drained, just so long as they restore the flow at the source again. And finally, he never says anything about Jusenkyo's level coming back down after it becomes flooded, so everyone goes home and gives up on the cures. In the anime, there's an episode where he comes to Nerima because, on this once-a-millenium day, the Tendo Dojo's koi pond can be turned into a Jusenkyo outlet. He naturally fails to warn that if they stuff this up, it can't be performed again for 1000 years, and that something like breaking the rope he surrounds the pond with will cause the ritual to fail and leave them all stuck with their curses.
 * You No Take Candle: However, unlike Shampoo, his dub voice doesn't use Hulk Speak (although he comes pretty close).

Plum
The Jusenkyo Guide's young daughter, who seemingly is studying to take his place when she grows up. Unusually mature for her age, exceptionally mature for the characters of Ranma ½.


 * Damsel in Distress: When Ranma first rescues her from Koruma and Masala.
 * Hair Decorations: Wears flowers in her hair, at the base of each pigtail.
 * Girlish Pigtails: One on each side of her head, above the ears.
 * Hell Is Coming With Me: She arrives at Nerima to warn the cast about the Phoenix People's plan to drain Jusenkyo, and ask for their help. The characters are then embroiled in a quest that, otherwise, would've blown right over them without incident.
 * Poor Communication Kills: Takes after her father, so it seems. After Jusenkyo is drained and the cursees are all angsting, she remembers that they could simply reopen the flow at the source. They then call her out on not telling them sooner and sparing them the grief.
 * The Ugly Guy's Cute Daughter: The characters just can't believe the Jusenkyo Guide has a daughter, let alone a cute one.
 * Wise Beyond Their Years: Although her age is never explicitly stated, she looks neither older nor younger than the six year-olds that Ranma and Ryouga once regressed to. She's still far wiser than the teens whose help she seeks (or, indeed, the adults), is incredibly resourceful (managed to get from deep inland China to Japan on her own, while on the run from deadly warriors), and is also quite fearless.