Akari-Ryoga Relationship

This is a page describing the romantic relationship between Ryoga Hibiki and Akari Unryu, including hints.

Similar to the Ranma-Akane Relationship, the Akari-Ryoga relationship is intended as a canonical relationship. It is described by Rumiko Takahashi as the only other relationship in the love tangle to have mutual, reciprocal love between the two characters involved -- in fact, the author admitted in an interview that she created Akari solely for the purpose of giving Ryoga a "happy ending" after he proved so popular with the fans. Akari/Ryoga is less popular amongst fans and frequently overshadowed by Ukyo/Ryoga: this is presumably due to the fact that Ukyo Kuonji is a much more well known character who has a longer established history. Akari Unryu does not appear except in the manga, does not appear until very late in its run, and Akari has only six actual chapters in which she appears including her three-chapter long introductory story, in the latter three of which she is very much a background character.

Ryoga and Akari met when, during their respective wanderings, Ryoga crossed paths with Akari's guardian sumo pig yokozuna, who attacked the wandering boy. Ryoga handily defeated him, and Akari immediately began to shower Ryoga with affection, proclaiming her undying love for him and that she has secretly been admiring him from afar for some time (she is revealed to by lying; this is the first time she's heard of him). Ryoga, at first, while thinking her attractive, is not interested -- the fact he discovers Akari is a pig fanatic after he first tries to get to know her out of politeness makes him even less interested, as he considers it insulting thanks to his curse. Ranma, seeing here an opportunity to wean Ryoga away from Akane, sets the two up on a second meeting and goes to the Nekohanten to borrow some mind-altering magic that he uses to condition Ryoga to hug anybody who says the word "pig". Unfortunately for him, Akari, having determined that Ryoga dislikes pigs for some reason, tries to condition herself to hate them as well, so the magic just makes things worse. Finally, Ranma takes Akari and Ryoga somewhere private and activates Ryoga's curse: it is Akari's ecstatic, blissful reaction that prompts Ryoga to start taking her feelings for him seriously.