Anything Goes Martial Arts


 * This page is about the Martial Arts style "Anything Goes Martial Arts", for the second anime season, see: Anything-Goes Martial Arts.

Anything Goes Martial Arts, known in Japan as Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū, is the school of martial arts founded by Happosai, and is the art used by Ranma Saotome, his fiancée Akane Tendo, and their fathers Genma Saotome and Soun Tendo, respectively.

History
It is most commonly believed that Anything Goes Martial Arts was founded by martial arts master and perverted lecher extraordinaire Happosai during his travels around China and Japan long before the start of the series. How long ago is disputedn as his exact age has never been disclosed. In the manga, Happosai is at least 118 and at most 230 years old (and in the anime a little over 300), with his training journey happening when he was still a young man. If this is true, then it is safe to assume that the school itself, or at least its beginnings, are quite old. What is known is that, sometime before the start of the series, Happosai took two young apprentices, Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome, as his students, an act which would lead to both the creation of the two main branches of Anything Goes Martial Arts as well as his lengthy hibernation without food or water.

After Soun and Genma were able to imprison Happosai in a cave with sake, explosives and Shinto seals draped over a boulder that sealed the cave's entrance, the two founded their respective branches of Anything Goes Martial Arts, both named after their families. Soun would eventually settle down to teach his Tendo School to his daughter Akane, while Genma would later take his son Ranma on a 13 to 14 year long training journey, wherein both inadvertently gained their Jusenkyo curses, before presenting him to Soun for the eventual reunification of the two schools.

Philosophy
True to its name, Anything Goes Martial Arts, is based on learning and adapting many different styles of martial arts, taking what works and discarding what doesn't. As such, Anything Goes Martial Arts is not confined to a single way of thinking or philosophy when it comes to martial arts combat. This gives the practitioner of Anything Goes Martial Arts the advantage of adaptability and unpredictability in a fight since he or she would ideally know moves and techniques from many different schools that complement each other, minimising perceptible weaknesses. In this respect, the ideal practitioner of Anything Goes Martial Arts is its heir apparent, Ranma Saotome. Throughout the course of the series, Ranma not only learns multiple styles and techniques from both friends and enemies, but also displays the uncanny ability to adapt or modify these techniques in mid-battle to catch his opponent off-guard.

It is interesting to note that the philosophy of Anything Goes Martial Arts is similar to that of many martial arts used by many real-life mixed martial artists, most of whom cross-train in many different disciplines to create a balanced, well-rounded fighting style.

Known Practitioners

 * Happosai - Founder and Grandmaster
 * Genma Saotome - Master, Saotome School
 * Soun Tendo - Master, Tendo School
 * Ranma Saotome - Heir to the Saotome School, Happosai's chosen heir
 * Akane Tendo - Heir to the Tendo School

Practitioners by loose extension only

 * Hinako Ninomiya - Not a trained martial artist, strictly had her body modified as a child for her special abilities
 * Natsume (Anime only) Almost exclusively independent training
 * Kurumi (Anime only) Almost exclusively independent training
 * Ryu Kumon - Not affiliated with, or directly trained by, the school; Heir to the Kumon Dojo/Style and practitioner of the Yamasenken, which Genma invented; later forced to seal the scroll that described the style's techniques, and possibly his knowledge of them, after being defeated by Ranma

Branches of Anything Goes Martial Arts
After Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome sealed Happosai away in a cave, Anything Goes Martial Arts was divided into two styles, the Tendo and Saotome schools. Happosai also has his own variation, Ganso Anything Goes Martial Arts, which relies a lot on trickery and seems to have been developed to compensate for his advanced age.

Soun and Genma seem intent on having the school's legacy advanced and promoted through Ranma, regardless if he marries Akane or one of her untrained sisters, possibly due to Akane's comparatively limited prowess or the relative dearth of unique techniques that the Tendo Dojo would be able to provide due to its sedentary history. Given that the Saotome branch seems superior in adaptation, aerial and unarmed combat, speed, and even power, the only possible contributions of the Tendo school would be armed, and likely melee combat, as it apparently focuses on ground-based power, versatile traditional weapons use and possibly fighting against many opponents, like what would be seen on a samurai battlefield. This last area would be a potent addition to the Saotome School's arsenal; it is repeatedly shown throughout the series that Ranma tends to fare particularly poorly when battling multiple opponents at once,

It should be noted that Akane's prowess versus that of Ranma's (and, by consequence, the effectiveness of their respective schools) is a matter of some controversy, partially due to the "Battle Dogi" story, which hints alternatively that the dogi brought Akane's untapped potential out to its fullest extent (most notably Akane wondering if the power she now wields is her own full potential) and that the dogi is actually the entire source of Akane's power (as it is shown to be semi-sentient to the point of being capable of moving and defeating Ranma on its own). The debate over the dogi is made more intense by those pointing out that Akane has on rare occasions been willing to claim skill or prowess that came from some external source as her own, namely the Super Soba-granted strength and, more tellingly, the swimming prowess bestowed by an explicitly enchanted bathing suit. Some have suggested that Soun Tendo may not have trained his daughter properly, due to either his overprotective paternal nature, the apparent emotional breakdown he suffered after his wife's death, or a combination thereof. Others suggest that Akane is simply less skilled in Ranma because she has not been immersed totally in martial arts the way her fiance was. Even Akane's personality and how it may affect her martial arts skills is a matter of debate, between those who note that Akane has a very solid "normal" life and seems quite happy being a popular, if somewhat jockish, girl who is admired for her friendliness and sports prowess and who secretly strives to be more like her traditional eldest sister, and between those who point out Akane's fierce drive to excel and strong confidence in her own prowess.

Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts
In general, the Saotome School is the more aerial of the two branches, with both Ranma and Genma Saotome performing feats of acrobatics during their fights. During a competition with Kodachi Kuno the former stated outright that mid-air combat was the speciality of this style. In this respect, it is probably the closer of the two systems to the original school of Happosai, since the latter also prefers to go to the air when fighting. The Saotome school is also host to a number of offbeat, diversionary techniques named after animals, such as the "Crouch of the Wild Tiger", which are a hallmark of the Saotome school.

The school also has two sealed martial arts developed by Genma Saotome, the Yamasenken and Umisenken. Both are schools designed to help in thievery and have some rather deadly attacks. It was in attempting to learn the Yamasenken that the father of Ryu Kumon ended up killing himself and destroying their dojo, leading to the beginning of the younger Kumon's quest for the complementing scroll "to rebuild the Kumon Dojo".

Training for the Saotome School involves turning everything, even mundane events into training exercises, as well as experimenting with many new techniques (as is the way of Musabetsu Kakutō). This willingness to experiment, however, can lead to some unexpected results.

Despite some rumours, the Saotome-ryu does involve weapons use, however, they haven't been shown to match the diversity of the Tendo-ryu. Saotome-ryu makes use of staves at the very least and may have an element of hinged weapons (nunchaku), as Ranma seems to prefer using makeshift staves and polearms and has once been seen using nunchaku (to beat himself up), but they excel at taking just about anything to hand and using it as a weapon. Their swordplay seems to have more in common with Chinese styles than Japanese kendo, going by Ranma's beach duel with Cologne. Ranma tends to use unarmed techniques and unorthodox/makeshift weapons most frequently, especially the former, and this is often taken as a preference for fighting unarmed. He only requires relatively slight practice to master the more esoteric weaponry (tea sets, gymnastics or cheerleading equipment) to the point where he can at least match the specialists he has fought in their use (Sentaro Daimonji, Kodachi Kuno, Mariko Konjo), provided these have considerably lesser general skill than himself. The main exception to this talent seems to be ice skates, where even with extended practice, he's just about able to stand and move forward on them.

Saotome-Ryu may emphasise one-on-one confrontations over one-on-many confrontations, as Ranma has on multiple occasions and even in possession of his full strength suffered heavy damage when battling against two or more opponents simultaneously. Even Kuno aided by Hikaru Gosunkugi (manga)/Sasuke Sarugakure (anime) and Ryoga Hibiki in P-chan form was able to severely injure Ranma, to the point he was forced to limp home using a stick to support himself, in the direct aftermath of the Nekoken story.

Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts
The Tendo school seems like the more 'traditionally Japanese'/Karate-like ground-based school of Anything Goes Martial Arts (as opposed to the more 'Chinese'/Kung Fu-like Saotome school), implied by the fact that Akane and Soun Tendo more seldom use aerial techniques. However, both Akane and her father have been known to jump significant heights and use aerial attacks when necessary, and Akane has shown remarkable manoeuvrability in battles against the Orochi, the Dojo Destroyer, or Kiima.

The Tendo School may emphasize power over speed, evidenced by Akane's ability to smash through cement blocks, the dojo's walls on a regular basis and on at least one occasion, even stone palisades. The Tendo School also seems to teach weapons use, both standard and improvised. In her battles with Ranma, Akane has wielded shinai, bokken, mallets, bonbori, tables, bows and arrows, and been clad in samurai wear, and Soun uses archaic armour and weaponry far more frequently. Akane's weapons training has proved enough to maintain an almost even official kendo match with Tatewaki Kuno, a known and highly skilled practitioner.

It is possible that the Tendo school has been taught to more than those who are shown practising the style in the series. This is due to the fact that Soun Tendo owns the Tendo Dojo and undoubtedly used it to make a living out of teaching prior to the series, though no students are shown at all throughout the run of either continuity and the separate anime continuity has an episode focusing on the drive to acquire new students. It is also open for regular community requests to get rid of monsters, catch thieves, public nuisances, attackers and similar.

Tendo-ryu may be more effective against large groups of opponents than it is one-on-one, as evidenced by Akane's nearly instant wins against throngs of her school's sports and martial arts club members, but this may also be due to the attackers' comparatively low skill level.

Founding School of Anything Goes Martial Arts
The Creative Indiscriminate Martial Arts, sometimes translated as the Founding School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, Ganso Anything Goes Martial Arts is Happosai's variant of Musabetsu Kakutō. This variant mostly involves chi manipulation as well as stealth and trickery. Whether or not this is the original school of Anything Goes Martial Arts, or whether Happosai developed it as a response to his advancing age, is unknown. It seems different enough from the Tendo and Saotome schools that it can be considered a later development. However, both the Tendo and Saotome schools have themselves evolved further with the appropriation of new techniques.

Special Techniques
Happosai, Genma, or Ranma perform the majority of the Anything Goes Martial Arts techniques shown in the series. In Ranma's case, two of his techniques are actually moves he learned from Cologne, elder of the Chinese Amazons. There is a subset of moves that only Hinako Ninomiya is able to use because of the training Happosai gave her when she was young that allows her to absorb and utilise raw chi from her opponents.

Soun
As a former student of Happosai, Soun is in excellent shape, frequently fights wearing full traditional samurai armour, and is skilled at both hand to hand combat and handling a wide variety of archaic weaponry. He has been able to reach a draw against Ranma in serious staff fighting. He's managed to come across as quite formidable during a few confrontations with Happosai, but hasn't been explicitly shown to use any special techniques beyond his battle aura.

Battle aura: Manifested either in the form of Soun's regular head, once shown with shoulders, armour, and possibly body, since only the upper part was shown, alternately, as a distorted demonic version, with a prehensile tongue. It can apparently be maintained for a considerably longer time than Genma's, but, with the above-mentioned possible exception, hasn't seemed nearly as large. It's usually seen inducing fear or intimidation, but has also been used to physically attack/hunt Happosai, presumably being of similar nature to that of the 2 other school masters. In the anime he shares both Happosai's and Genma's ability to grow into a giant.

Akane
As one of the heirs of the Anything Goes Martial Arts School, Akane is a very good fighter and has excellent physical strength and agility. She's been shown as extremely talented but doesn't know enough to use her style as efficiently as Ranma.

Battle Aura: So far it only seems usable when she's severely upset, and then strictly for intimidation and a remarkable strength boost. In the Akaneko-dan computergame, this ability to occasionally strike with extremely heightened force was treated as the game's ultimate hidden special move, Moeru Kobushi, and did not tax character stamina. Akane could only learn it by being trained to level 99.

Dual Jet-Stream Raging Waters Attack (Anime only): In this combination attack, Ranma and Akane cross their arms together and spin each other around and around, using their respective weights like a centrifuge; once enough speed/momentum is gained, they deliver a combined sharp kick. This attack was only used once, in their battle against the Dojo Destroyer.

Sixth Sense: Like an undisclosed amount of other martial artists in the main cast, Akane has a certain extrasensory awareness, which in her case is consistently shown to warn her from incoming danger/ambushes, and active battle auras, for example from Mousse or Kodachi. It also occasionally seems to grant her a vague premonition, as when she heard Ryoga call her name from afar when the latter was almost strangled to death by Lime, and possibly overhearing Ranma's thoughts after the conflict with Saffron.

Teate: A medicinal technique that allows Akane to treat her allies injuries and help them recover more quickly. The Mina Teate is a variant that allows her to cure multiple allies at once, but is only as powerful as the original Teate, while the Mina Chiryo is a more powerful variant of the Mina Teate and the Zenkai Teate is an extremely powerful curative technique that can even restore consciousness to a fighter who has been knocked out. All are only present in the roleplaying videogame "Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", released for Super Nintendo.

Jigoku Gurama: A powerful grappling technique that flings the foe into the air and allows them to then plunge back onto the earth. Only present in the roleplaying videogame "Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", released for Super Nintendo.

Yama Arashi: A rapidly performed series of Jigoku Guramas, allowing Akane to hurl multiple foes skyward in a single explosive burst of motion. Only present in the roleplaying videogame "Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", released for Super Nintendo.

Ranma
Ranma's training in the Anything Goes Martial Arts began under his father when he was approximately at most 2 years old (going by the flashback to the time he was separated from his mother). He is aware of Genma's recurrently dishonourable nature, and holds a grudge for the semi-bullying upbringing, but may have incorporated some of the latter's underhanded methods to maximise his effectiveness. While he doesn't mind extensively cheating in order to 'triumph' against superior enemies, he generally tries to fight fairly and expects the same from his opponents. His first thirteen to fourteen years of practice were classical in nature, training almost exclusively with Genma, but after encountering the Chinese Amazons, Ranma has been taught two of their techniques, which he has incorporated into his fighting style.

Pride of the Fierce Tiger (猛虎高飛車, Mōko Takabisha, literally Fierce Tiger Domineering): A chi attack based on the emotion of confidence, created by and for Ranma. It was developed as a direct counter to Ryoga's Shishi Hōkōdan (獅子咆哮弾, literally Lion Roar Bullet) since, although he does know the original attack, Ranma could not maintain the level of depression required for it to be an effective tool. Its weakness is that it is inefficient if he is unnerved by the prowess shown by a sufficiently powerful opponent. In the manga, Ranma is able to create a "Double Mōko Takabisha" that fires two equally strong chi blasts. In "Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", Genma Saotome is shown as having a move with this same name, but his variant does nothing offensive -- instead, it draws the attention of all enemies on the field and causes them to focus their attacks on him. However, the translation could actually be a play on words, as the name was spelled slightly different. This attack could be a tribute to Genma's famous "Crouch of the Wild Tiger", which was simply begging for mercy with a fancy name.

Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire Fist (火中天津甘栗拳, Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken, literally, Imperial Roasting Chestnuts in the Fire Fist): The name comes from the method of learning the technique, which eventually trains the user's hand speed such that one can snatch chestnuts from a fire without burning themselves. Because Ranma was affected by the Full-body Cat Tongue pressure point at the time, he could not handle heat from just being close to the fire. Thus, he did not master the technique in the conventional manner, but instead does so by pulling piranhas from a fish tank using his bare hands. In the manga this is not treated as a special attack, but as a general speed exercise/enhancement. Although it is mentioned that due to undergoing it, Ranma can throw several hundred punches so swiftly that it looks like a single strike. In the anime it is shouted out loud, and manifestly used more frequently.

Sixth Sense: Like several other characters, Ranma has displayed a certain extrasensorial awareness, warning him of incoming danger, or battle auras.

Heavenly Dragon Strike (飛龍昇天波, Hiryū Shōten Ha, literally, Flying Dragon Ascension Wave): Cologne taught Ranma this attack based on a clash of temperatures. The fighter develops a "Soul of Ice", to devoid himself of emotion. The user then attempts to lead his/her opponent in a circular motion, creating a spiral of heated chi/battle-aura, but it has also worked on Happosai's intense lust and Saffron's raw heat. The user then makes a corkscrew uppercut strike, while still maintaining an ice-cold aura. The pressure difference, from the collision of hot and cold, forms a tornado that carries off the opposing fighter(s). It is Ranma's most powerful technique, and has only been used in situations where he can't possibly prevail through other means, such as against Happosai, Herb, Saffron, Lukkosai, Ryoga, and (anime) Kirin. Although being caught in the initial blast does not necessarily knock out his opponents. Happosai, Lukkosai and Herb have been unfazed and ready to continue fighting afterwards. Lime, Mint, and even Ryoga's piglet- and Mousse's duck-form, were similarly unaffected from being accidentally immersed in the resulting tornado. Hot chi/battle aura is not necessary for the move, just a usable temperature difference between intense heat and cold, which can be directed to create the whirlwind. When Herb changed chi from hot to cold, he avoided all damage from the blast, but still rode the vortex upwards. It is unclear if this was an intentional choice through his ability of flight, to attack Ranma by surprise when descending. He also proved able to 'detonate' it by directing cold chi at Ranma's feet, catching the latter in his/her own blast.

Ryusekyaku: An extremely powerful flying kick, infused with battle aura so that it appears that the user's leg is on fire. Only present in the roleplaying videogame "Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", released for Super Nintendo.

Hishokyaku: An even more powerful variant of the Ryusekyaku. Only present in the roleplaying videogame "Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", released for Super Nintendo.

Heavenly Dragon Strike Variations
Flying Dragon Descent Blast (Hiryū Kōrin Dan): Since the Hiryū Shōten Ha proved ineffective against Herb, Ranma noticed that the surplus hot chi from the latter's stray blasts had accumulated to overflow in the surrounding air. He visibly initiated the spiral motions for another whirlwind, counting on that Herb would repeat his previous counter-measure of radiating cold chi to throw him/her into it. While in the air, Ranma shot a spiral blast of "cold energy" into the centre, in effect making the excessive 'hot energy' forcefully draw into the vortex of 'cold energy', and forming into a giant version of his ordinary Moko Takabisha. This took Herb by surprise, since he believed Ranma already defeated, and knocked out the otherwise consistently overwhelmingly skilled opponent.

Flying Dragon Ice Breakthrough (Hiryū Hyō Toppa): This is Ranma's final attack against Saffron in volume 38 of the manga, completed with the aid of the Saffron and Gekkaja a very powerful artefact/weapon of the Phoenix people, which produced an icy cold touch based effect. Ranma planned on throwing a whirlwind though a channel of cold air surrounded on both sides by the hot air of Saffron's blasts. The swirl in the middle the whirlwind would become highly concentrated, squeezing the cold spiral into a razor's edge. He was unable to find an opportunity to use the move until Akane threw her frozen doll form at Saffron, tunnelling through Saffron's heat and giving a Ranma a small channel of cold air to fire the Hiryū Hyou Tōppa. The refined Hiryū Shoten Ha froze Saffron's lower body into ice which quickly fragmented from his frame, in effect defeating him.


 * Flying Dragon Searching the Heavens Strike (Hiryū Gyōten Ha): Used immediately after the former, also in while using the Gekkaja. Akane was seconds away from dying and only the water from the Dragon Faucet could save her. Ranma, falling from the sky, had no time to get Akane to the water. Instead, he used all the hot air remaining from the fight to create another whirlwind. Drilling downwards and then sideways through the Dragon Faucet, to make it spew water into the sky, restoring her to normal, but risking to destroy Jusenkyo, and the cures for him and his companions, in the process. It should be noted that Ryoga's and Mousse's regular fist- or axe-strikes respectively only caused superficial dents and cuts to the Dragon Faucet prior to this, and beforehand, when Ranma was propelled towards it by one of Ryouga's smaller Shishi Hokodan, he strictly made an almost 2m wide circular indention. However Kiima's "Thousand Wings of a Seabird" attack was able to slice straight through the side of it.


 * Flying Dragon Ascension Strike Revices: Horizontal Spiral (Hiryu Shōten Ha kaiteiban: Gedan Rasen): (Anime) A counter to the unique situation offered by Natsume and Kurumi's Hiryū Carimbō attack, Ryūka Ringu (Ring of Dragon-Fire). A rationalization of this unexplained attack is that Ranma used the spiral of hot chi radiated from Kurumi's ribbon as a basis to create an opposing whirlwind. Ranma the used it to throw Akane into her opponents. The cold chi from Natsume weakened Ranma's own attack, but since the hot chi in the spiral was stronger, the effects were negligible.

Sealed/Unreliable Techniques
Umisenken (海千拳 – Sea of 1000 Fists/"Way of the Silent Thief"): : Genma taught Ranma this system when Ryu Kumon arrived and challenged them for the Umisenken scroll using its companion set, the Yamasenken. By becoming "emotionless" and moving silently Ranma can hide the "presence" which warns other martial artists of danger, and using extreme speed can sneak up on and attack them. However, he can be brought out of this "invisible" state if someone successfully provokes him. Most of the moves are specifically constructed to counter the Yamasenken, and have extremely limited usefulness beyond this respect.
 * Opening Move: the user takes a stance like that of a ghost, hands limp in front of their abdomen on slightly bent arms. The user then hides his 'presence'/battle aura from an opponent, limiting the effectiveness of the 'awareness' that warns many Ranma-verse martial artists of danger, or allows them to predict attacks, but remains fully discernible by any onlookers. The techniques are:
 * Gaito Retsuga Dan (鎧戸裂牙断 – Armored Door Splitting Fang Failure): A counter to the Yamasen-Ken's "Welcome Gate Iron Fang Fingers"/Geimon Tessen Shi, by biting the antagonist's hand.
 * Shichū Rakuchi Sei (支柱落地勢 – Collapsing Brace Force): After the former. Ranma's falls to the ground while still biting the hand and then forces the opponent's legs open, unbalancing them briefly to set up for the next attack. Based on knocking loose floor braces without being caught by the resultant collapsing floor.
 * Haku Dato Shin Shō (白蛇吐信掌 – White Snake Venom Reliable Fist): Multiple focused strikes towards the back, based on the concept of a sneak thief rapidly rummaging through drawers, capable of making Ryu dizzy for 1-2 seconds.
 * Goshin Ryūsei Fu (護身流星布 – Self-Protection Shooting Star Cloth): A counter to the Yamasen-ken's backbreaking bearhug attack. Ranma's wraps a star cloth around the adversary's head.
 * Rigyo Honshin (鯉魚翻身 – Carp-Fish Bodyflip): After Goshin Ryūsei Fu, he flip out of the hold to move behind the latter.
 * Haizan Tōkai Tai (背山倒海態 – High Mountain Reverse Sea Ability): After Rigyo Honshin, Ranma drives his feet into his rival's back while pulling down on the cloth, creating a strangling effect unless the cloth is ripped apart.
 * Goshin Dai Ryūsei Fu (護身大流星布 – Self-Protection Great Shooting Star Cloth): Ranma whirls a psychedelic batik-patterned huge bath towel around his body, allowing him to quickly disappear from view.
 * Yasha Tankai Hō (夜叉探海包 – Demon-Guardian Searching the Sea Wrap): Still under the effects of the Goshin Dai Ryūsei Fu, Ranma steals a Yamasenken user's clothing from behind, as well as those of nearby onlookers, and any debris created by the Kijin Raishū Dan vacuum blades. He wraps all of them inside the cloth, while simultaneously loosening all the soil around the latter with his feet. He then gains the Yamasenken user's attention and jumps from above, to provoke an attack. When the enemy unleashes his/her vacuum-blades the contents of the bag will absorb the brunt of the attack, while the void will cause a sucking effect on the soft dirt on all sides, wrapping and burying everything under the towel.

Nekoken (貓拳 — Cat Fist): A condition Ranma is subject to when his fear of cats reaches an unbearable level, rather than an actual technique. If he were cured from his fear, this state would likely disappear. When this happens, he starts acting like a cat, apparently using his power more efficiently by fighting like a ferocious animal, with swipes of his "paws" which have torn tree-trunks to shreds from a few meters distance. This does not seem to be the result of chi-blades, since no visual effect has implied it, while they were clearly distinguishable when generated by Herb, but rather powerful air pressure swipes, somewhat similar to those of Kuno or Ryu Kumon, but with far less shown destructive power than the latter. While in this condition, he even managed to disperse Cologne's Shark-Fist water-blast, though it is uncertain how much she held back. However, he is mentally a cat, driven by instinct and of limited intellect or attention span, making catnip (which will make him 'drunk'), distraction (throwing something and saying 'fetch!' has proved enough to get rid of him) and complete lack of strategy major weaknesses of this form. He has been brought out of the Nekoken by triggering his curse/being doused in water, or by falling asleep in the lap of someone he trusts. Also worth noting is that Ranma and Akane shared their first "kiss", while he was in this state, as he impulsively rubbed against her face. It is not a practically usable technique and beyond two times very early in the manga, it has only been activated against Maomolin, the Bakeneko, but his general fear of cats is shown more frequently. Given his own increase in versatility and more efficient use of his inherent power, it is uncertain if this state would give him an advantage towards the end.

Shish Kebab (manga only): An attack Ranma uses to counter Mousse's Takazume Ken (Hawk's Talon attack). He uses a rapidly ascending kick to avoid Mousse's attack and slam into his face like a kebab rod going through meat and vegetables.

Pansuto Ryūsei Kyaku (パンスト流星脚 — Pantyhose Shooting Star Kick): An extremely powerful kick Ranma used to nearly defeat the already severely pounded cursed form of Pantyhose Taro, though he still had to beat up the latter's even more battered human form straight afterwards. When Ranma's feet accidentally got caught in a rope of Pantyhose. Taro used the opportunity to throw him towards a cliff, but Ranma managed to use their elasticity as a catapult to use the monster's own strength against him. Causing much more damage than any of his single previous attacks had managed.

Expoding Round-House Kick (anime only): This technique was only used in one episode of the anime entitled: "Meet You in the Milkey Way". Ranma used it to defeat Kengyu after becoming enraged when he found out that he had been beaten by kicked on the back of the head by Kengyu's steer, Li'l Moo.

Non-Techniques
Saotome Secret Technique: Fast Break: The "secret attack" of the Saotome School, which Genma says is based in the concepts of motion, contemplation, and opposition. In other words, the user runs away from his opponent, buying time to think of a better way to attack. Ranma used this only once, after Ryoga Hibiki learned the durability-enhancing Breaking Point technique.

Tekizen Daigyakuso: Only present in the roleplaying videogame "Ranma 1/2: Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", released for Super Nintendo. This technique is similar to the "Fast Break" in that it is used to escape from most foes without giving them a chance to retaliate or pursue Ranma and his allies.

Puppet Grip: Ranma clings to his opponent's back, then manipulates his/her arms like a puppet. Used it to try and make Tatewaki apologise to Kodachi and also to eat some Ramen in the Martial Arts Takeout Race. His efforts failed when Tatewaki exploited the one flaw: the technique doesn't control the victim's head, which means the victim can thwart it by keeping his mouth closed. Ranma gets around this by simply insulting Tatewaki, causing the latter to open his mouth to respond, allowing Ranma to feed him.

Parlay du Foie Gras: The "Parlay" involves quickly stuffing your food in your opponent's mouth. Because of this, the user does not have to develop the characteristic distended mouth or elongated tongue possessed by many champions "martial arts diners". It can be deflected by putting a plate in your mouth in such a way that the dish acts as a shield. Ranma used this technique to defeat Picolet Chardin III.

Saotome "Fan the Smoke Back" Technique: Just a joke move, to parody Konatsu's tendency to shout out a name for anything he does. Ranma counters the latter's smokescreen-like attack by fanning the smoke back toward its source.

Crouch of the Wild Tiger: Learned from Genma in the moxibustion arc.

Ranma also recurrently uses improvisational underhanded trickery, among other instances when vainly attempting to 'beat' Ryoga when the latter had the battle-mark on his stomach.

Genma
Alongside Soun Tendo, Genma trained directly under Happosai as a young man. Although most of their "lessons" consisted of panty raids and working to pay off the master's debts, it is clear that he did learn a lot of his moves from the old pervert. Genma personally trained Ranma from birth using a series of questionable methods and is also responsible for his son's Jusenkyo curse. Shortly after concluding his training with Happosai, he invented two martial arts of his own. He designed them to aid in the thievery he conducted, apparently to fund his training with Ranma, but sealed away his knowledge of both of them after a fellow martial artist was killed by practising one of them, bringing down his dojo on top of himself. While Genma is usually too lazy or cowardly to show it, his full arsenal of special techniques would easily make him one of the most powerful fighters in the series if he ever used them in combination.

Battle Aura: Focusing all of his battle aura, Genma can generate a skyscraper sized version of himself, which can then fight on a far greater scale. This special attack is extremely taxing for him and unlike Happosai, he can't keep this technique up for more than about a minute at most. He uses this mostly when he's in panda form. In the anime, this doesn't seem to be an energy construct, but an actual size transformation, and Genma can use it for longer periods of time.

Yamasenken (山千拳 – Mountain of 1000 Fists/"Way of the Noisy Thief"): One of two secret and forbidden styles of martial arts that Genma developed when he was younger. This one is based upon burglary, specifically the movements and techniques of a noisy bandit who smashes through the front door of a house. Genma taught this set to Ryu Kumon's father years ago, which indirectly led to his death. See Ryu's Techniques for illustrations.

Umisenken (海千拳 – Sea of 1000 Fists/"Way of the Silent Thief"): The other of a pair of secret and forbidden styles created by Genma. Like the Yamasenken, this too is based upon burglary, however, this one is specifically designed upon the movements and techniques of a quiet thief who sneaks in through the back door. When Ryu arrived to find the scroll for this partner martial art, he took on Ranma's identity. Genma had no choice but to teach the Umisenken to Ranma to restore his son's identity. See Ranma's Techniques for illustrations.

In the Super Nintendo RPG videogame, "Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", Genma is shown with an array of additional techniques. Shonmao Kikodan is a potent energy blast technique, akin to Ranma's Moko Takabisha. The Moko Rakuchizei is akin to Ranma's Tekizen Daigyakuso. The Moko Ichigekitai allows Genma to teleport multiple foes away from the field of battle, while the Roga Shuhaitai is a more potent version that only affects one foe.

Unreliable/Non-Techniques
Jigoku no Yurikago (地獄の揺篭 – Cradle of Hell): Genma's only remaining move that is still consistently able to beat Ranma in regular sparring, without using special moves. It is a grappling attack reminiscent of a parent embracing their infant child, effective mostly because it seriously disturbs Ranma. Its effectiveness is increased if the user grows thick abrasive whiskers, to rub them on his opponent's cheek. Genma practised this move by playing with a tire in panda form. This move is present in the videogame "Treasure of the Crimson/Red Cat Gang", where it can only be used by Genma in panda form and serves to paralyze a foe, rather than hurting them.

Embarrassing Photo-Fu: A move which can only be used by a parent against a child. The user rapidly produces incredibly embarrassing photographs and displays them to nearby members of the opposite sex. Though incredibly powerful, its use leaves Genma's conscience burdened. Used to teach Ranma the Soul of Ice.

Carp on a Chopping Board: The user lies on their side facing their opponent and puts their palms together above their head with their legs extended and crossed at the knees, making the shape of a fish. It is a submission move that indicates unconditional surrender, as the user is at a great disadvantage relative to their opponent when in this position.

Howl of the Demon Dog: By retreating and taunting, a combatant attempts to provoke the enemy enough to make a fatal mistake.

Crouch of the Wild Tiger: This grovelling technique is accomplished by first crouching, placing both palms on the ground, and then bowing and scraping for forgiveness. Genma says it is "named for the legendary wild tiger that fell from a cliff and..." The basis can be assumed as a tiger scrambling madly to not fall off a ledge. In the "Hard Battle" Super Nintendo Game, this technique is depicted as using the grovelling to trick the opponent into lowering their guard, whereupon the user then launches a swift and savage assault. The video game Ranma ½: Battle Renaissance shows a variation in which Genma pounces on his opponent after they are lulled into a false sense of security.

Happosai
As the founder of the Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū, Happosai knows the martial arts inside and out, and is by all appearances very likely the most formidable fighter in the series, given that he is simultaneously shown as one of the two most skilled martial artists, and among the three characters with by far highest amounts of raw power. Many of his moves are highly advanced and difficult to oppose for a young combatant who lacks the necessary experience, and it appears that some of them were designed to protect himself from the people he stole from or the women he molested. He is also knowledgeable in magic, having both the skill to create some magical concoctions of his own accord and having stolen or knowing how to buy others. He has displayed a rejuvenation potion, power-increasing "super-soba", a pill which magnetically attracts two targets, incense which causes someone to sleep throughout the spring, incense that causes a person's repressed personality side to come to independent life, and the Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion, which reduces the victim's strength to less than that of a baby. His hoard of personal belongings seems to contain at least a few stolen enchanted items, although he apparently does not keep good track of them. In both canons, he has access to the Joketsuzoku artifact known as the Love-Pill Bracelet, which he stole from Cologne, though he evidently had either forgotten or was never aware of the "jewels" being love potion concentrates. In the anime, he had also stolen the Nanban Mirror from Cologne, though this time he was aware of its power to transport the user to anywhere and anywhen they desired

Finger Block: Happosai can use this move to stop huge objects or powerful punches aimed at him with only his index finger. It has proved sufficient to effortlessly stop Taro's cursed form in its tracks. It is unknown if he uses his own strength, channels his chi to stop the attack, disables the object's momentum, or any combination thereof. Either way, it is one of Happosai's best defensive moves and hints at what he could do with a full arm if he ever turned serious.

Extra-Dimensional Warp: Happosai becomes invisible, allegedly by turning his body composition similar to air/a gaseous state. The downside is he cannot attack without becoming visible. It is used primarily to spy on girls. In the Japanese version, this move is called: "Cicada Shell Concealment".

Fist of the Hermit Crab: Happosai throws several empty buckets into the air towards his target, then uses his extra-dimensional warp to hide in one. Afterwards he attacks from his bucket as he bypasses his target. In the anime, this technique is part of an entire sub-discipline of the Anything Goes School known as Bathhouse-Fu. He probably devised it to protect himself from the girls he peeped on in public baths.

Happo Throw: A technique that Happosai uses on attacking opponents. He hooks their arm or leg with his pipe, then uses their own momentum to throw them a great distance, by flicking his wrist. He can also do this without the pipe.

Bean-jam Blow-out (Anime): Using his chi, Happosai creates a large blast of wind to blow his enemies away. This move is named as he created to steal Bean-jam from Soun and Genma.

Flying Squirrel Suit: Happosai has occasionally worn this get-up to glide through the air, and given that he has travelled upwards as well as downwards, possibly even fly short distances.

Happo-Fire Burst (八宝大華輪 Happo Daikarin): Happosai's "ultimate technique" and his favourite. He sealed it away because it damaged a bra many years ago and promptly forgot how to use it, but after Ranma pushed him too far he recalled this long lost technique and set out to retrieve the scroll for it. Though he was unable to read his own handwriting and then tore it up in irritation, he remembered how to perform the move after being hit in the head. In reality, it is just throwing large fireworks at people. They are presumably infused with chi, however, and can cause massive damage. Happosai can also immediately create these bombs in different sizes to increase their power, some even as large as a small house. Even single regular sized versions have repeatedly beaten Taro's cursed form. In Episode 130 of the anime, "Mystery of the Marauding Octopus Pot!", Happosai is also seen using two slight variations of this move, one called the Happo-Rapid-Fire Bursts, where he throws many of the bombs in rapid succession, and the other called the Happo-Fire Cannon, where he uses a cannon to fire one of the bombs in a bazooka-like fashion.

Happo-Mold Burst (Anime): A modification of the Happo-Fire Burst used only due to heavy rain preventing the use of the regular attack. Happosai's bombs create clouds of paralytic mold instead of explosions. This disgusts and immobilises opponents. As with the Happo-Fire Burst, he has a rapid fire variant called the Mega Mold Burst.

Battle Aura: as the grandmaster of Anything Goes Martial Arts, Happosai is exceptionally skilled at manipulating his immensely powerful battle aura. The shown uses include paralysing Ranma, chi-direction, or solid giant-scale fighting, and it can evidently be moulded into different forms and sizes. In the anime, he is shown to fire it as a serpentine blast resembling a demonic Chinese Dragon, while during his first "duel" with Ranma in either canon, he is shown creating a variant of Soun's "Demon Head", which only Ranma can see -- in the manga, he promptly follows this up with a hand-variant when Ranma manages to shrug off his paralysis. Several times in both the anime and the manga, he uses this technique to manifest a skyscraper-sized version of himself, and he can keep this up for prolonged intervals. Enough to scourge the town in a search of Taro and then effortlessly beat him up, or battle Genma's similar technique even when severely weakened. In the anime, this is depicted as an actual transformation, rather than an energy construct, with both his students capable of the same feat, but they are not as durable. Happosai's lust aura is even more powerful than his battle aura. Cologne commented that the latter could “lay waste to the Earth”. This seems like hyperbole, but is nonetheless signifying the extent of his power, derived from his perverted spirit.

Chi-direction: Happosai has occasionally generated chi-blasts, either directed from himself or his battle-aura. These are shown capable of instantly defeating Taro's monster form, which took an extended beating from Ranma, Ryoga, Mousse and Shampoo without as much effect.

Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion: A stolen technique, used on Ranma after the latter stopped one of Happosai's panty raids. By burning a mark in a certain spot on his opponent's body, he reduces their strength to that of a baby, reversible only with a counter-moxibustion on another point.

Shiatsu: Happosai has also used pressure points to make Ranma empty his tear-ducts, or instantly knock out Ryoga.

Silky Storm: A distraction technique that involves Happosai spinning his pipe and creating a blizzard of bras/panties to cover his escape.

Hinako
Thanks to Happosai's "training" when she was still a sickly young girl, Hinako is able to both absorb chi from her opponents, through any object with a circular hole as a focus, as well as shoot it back at them as a charged attack. She effectively matures into an adult whenever she absorbs chi, but reverts back to her child form when she fires it off. As hitting a set of pressure points caused this condition, the only way to prevent Hinako from performing these techniques is to hit another set every day for at least a month.

Happōgoensatsu (八宝五円殺 Happo Five-Yen Satsu) Hinako uses a five-yen coin to absorb chi that is already manifest, usually an opponent's battle aura. With the five-yen coin, she cannot absorb chi from someone who is not emitting any battle aura.

Happōgojūensatsu (八宝五十円殺 Happo Fifty-Yen Satsu) Using a larger fifty-yen coin, Hinako can absorb chi even if her opponent does not manifest a battle aura. While the fifty-yen coin works on a single opponent, she is also capable of using larger ring-shaped objects, such as a basketball hoop, to drain chi from multiple opponents. Plugging or otherwise filling the hole of the focus object can stop all of her techniques. Given Hinako's lack of actual martial arts training, swifter opponents, such as Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi, have also proven able to effortlessly disarm her.

Another limitation is that her ability to sense battle aura is restricted when she's surrounded by competitive spirit, like at sporting events.

Happōtsurisengaeshi (八宝釣銭返し Happo No-Yen Coin Return) Hinako releases all of her stored chi in a large blast. While it is quite deadly, this attack can usually only be performed once since it effectively drains all of the chi that Hinako has absorbed, returning her to her normal child form. However, she is able to stay in her adult form if she has enough energy. For instance, the vengeful chi of Furinkan students once supercharged her, so she was capable of firing off multiple blasts. A shown drawback in this instance was that her personality could be severely affected/compelled by sufficiently large quantities of 'sentiment-imprinted' aura. She also had a fish bowl containing two Siamese Fighting Fish that constantly gave off enormous amounts of battle aura so that she could remain in adult form as she fought.

Ryu Kumon
Ryu practices the Yamasenken (山千拳 – Mountain of 1000 Fists, also known as the "Way of the Noisy Thief"), one of two secret and forbidden styles of martial arts that Genma developed when he was younger. This one is based upon burglary, specifically the movements and techniques of a noisy bandit who smashes through the front door of a house.

Opening Move: The user shouts something distracting at the opponent, such as "Freeze!" or "Behind you!" This can severely distract opponents or even freeze them in their tracks, making them susceptible to sucker-attacks. The techniques are...

Mōko Kaimon Ha (猛虎開門破 – "Fierce Tiger Opening Gate Strike"): A powerful kick through the opponent's guard by separating their blocking arms apart. Ryu used this to kill a rampaging bear.

Kaichū Hōju Satsu (懐中宝珠殺 – "In the Pocket Gemstone Kill"): An arm-locked bear-hug manoeuvre, to force opponents to either surrender or have their backs broken.

Dokuja Tanketsu Shō (毒蛇探穴掌 – "Poison Snake Searching Hole Palm"): A fierce strike to the chest area, in an attempt to literally rip out an opponent's heart. It knocked out Ranma for several minutes, despite being saved by Genma. However, he was also distracted at the time.

Kinshi Kinbaku Shō (金絲緊縛翔 – "Gold Thread Tightly Binding Flight"): Ryu throws a rope around his opponent, tieing them up.

Geimon Tessen Shi (迎門鉄扇指 – "Welcome Gate Iron-Fan Fingers"): After the former. A powerful pointed strike towards the solar plexus, with all fingers extended. Female Ranma had to limp home in great pain up to an hour or two afterwards.

Kijin Raishū Dan (鬼神来襲弾 – "Fierce God Assault Blast"): Spreading arms strikes so powerful that they create vacuum arc projectiles.

Kijin-Gun Dai Ranbu (鬼神群大乱舞 – "Group of Fierce Gods, Great Chaotic Dance"): A strange whirling dance while throwing multitudes of Kijin Rashuu Dans in virtually any direction.

Saidaikyū Kijin Raishū Dan (最大級鬼神来襲弾 – "Strongest-Level Fierce God Assault Blast"): Multiple regular-sized Kijin Raishū Dans sent in the same direction. Making into a powerful attack that is capable of carving a large iron Buddha-statue into pieces, and very painful even for Ranma himself, but not enough to deter him for more than a few seconds. Larger, and more powerful than the basic Kijin Raishu Dan because of the multiple simultaneous strikes.

Natsume and Kurumi (Anime only)
Natsume and Kurumi appear to be two of the most formidable young female characters in the anime series. Natsume's fighting style utilises what appears to be a carpet beater or similar implement she normally wears on her back. She can use this to strike an opponent with intense cold, or create miniature ice tornadoes. Kurumi's fighting style utilises a red ribbon she wears in her hair, which she can charge with incredible heat.


 * Ryūka Ringu (竜火リング - Ring of Dragon-Fire): A combined attack similar to the Hiryu Shoten Ha. Kurumi creates a hot spiral with her ribbon while Natsume fills this spiral with a blast of cold energy.