Tentacular Spectacular

Kessen! tako ashi fuji (決戦！タコ足封じ!!) is the 238th chapter of the manga and the fourth and last chapter of the Pantyhose Returns Arc.

Ranma comes up with a plan to defeat Pantyhose Taro using Happosai as bait. She lures him out of the bathhouse and sets the trap.

Continuing from the Previous Chapter
Realizing what she could do, Ranma provokes Pantyhose Taro by claiming to know the weakness to his tentacles. Genma and Soun have no idea what Ranma is talking about. She challenges him to a final match, then leads him out to the roof while carrying Happosai. Pantyhose swings his tentacle holding the Jusenkyo water, but Ranma is able to keep Happosai away.

Help arrives as Genma and Soun get on top of the roof as well, allowing Ranma to pass Happosai to them to keep him away from Pantyhose. While Happosai is kept away from the tentacles, Ranma finds a smokestack. Genma passes Happosai to Ranma, but Happy uses body replacement technique to replace himself with a statue.

Setting the Trap
Meanwhile, Happosai is busying himself inside girls' locker room running around and harassing everyone there. Thankfully, Akane is there as well and kicks him in the head to get his attention. She asks him what he's doing here while others are fighting to save him. Instead of explaining his position, Happosai asks Akane why she's not undressed in girls' locker room and flips Akane's skirt. Furious Akane then launches Happosai through the roof and towards the smokestack, with other girls cheering. Upon seeing the unconscious Happosai in the air, Ranma quickly climbs the smokestack and grabs hold of him, with Pantyhose gaining on them. She decides now is the only time to initiate the plan and tosses Happosai into the smokestack. Pantyhose's tentacles rush to grab him, but Ranma grabs him out of the way just in time. Pantyhose attempts to punch Ranma, but finds that he cannot pull his tentacles out of the smokestack. The tentacles are stuck inside and trap Pantyhose on top of the building, just as Ranma planned. Soun then explains that octopi have strong instinct to stay inside enclosed spaces for protection, which is why the plan worked.

Triumphant Ranma starts gloating to Pantyhose. He attempts to swipe at Ranma, but fails. However, a single smokestack is not nearly enough to hold Pantyhose for long, and the smokestack soon breaks off and swings towards Ranma, knocking her out. Pantyhose smiles as Ranma falls to the ground, not realizing that the swinging smokestack was also coming in his direction. The smokestack knocks him out as well and they both fall back into the bathhouse.

Aftermath
As Pantyhose falls, he loses grip of the Jusenkyo water which hits a crow. The crow then poofs into two crows and flies around, just in time for falling Pantyhose to wake up and see the true effect of the water. They crash into the building and manage to fall in the hot water, turning Pantyhose back into his normal self. Ranma then explains that he wasn't trying to save Happosai out of good will, but because of how destructive two Happosais would be. Pantyhose laments that his last hope of having his name changed was in vain, while Genma and Soun comment on how tragic the entire situation is. Pantyhose decides that it was a bad idea and it's best to just move on and go back to China. However, before doing anything he holds up the water from the spring of drowned twins and claims that he'll turn himself into twins and kill them all. Fortunately, Genma, Soun, and Ranma are able to beat the water away from him. Happosai also heard what they said, and now aware of what they were doing, takes the water to clone himself. Ranma manages to knock him out by throwing a scale. Happosai falls to the ground with a bump on his head, but the water ended up splashing on Happosai's head. Terrified Genma, Soun, and Ranma prepare for the worst, but find that the water only splashed the bump on Happosai's head, thus producing two bumps instead of two Happosais.

They return to the Dojo and Kasumi and Nabiki comment on the gladness of the water only splashing the bump, while Happosai looks at his two bumps through a mirror. Pantyhose is still noticeably ticked off that Ranma calls him by his name.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Ranma Saotome (female)
 * Happosai
 * Pantyhose Taro
 * Soun Tendo
 * Genma Saotome
 * Akane Tendo
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Kasumi Tendo
 * Nabiki Tendo

Trivia

 * Ranma's smokestack trap works the same way as octopus trap: octopuses enter and remain inside, using the pot as shelter and protection. When the pot is raised, the octopus will not normally try to escape. This may indicate that Pantyhose's tentacles have a mind of their own.