Danger at the Tendo Dojo!

Ayoushi! Tendō Dōjō (危うし! 天道道場) is the tenth episode of Ranma ½ Nettohen, and the tenth episode overall.

Ranma and Akane's relationship has always been kind of rocky, but now things really seem to be going sour. Not helping matters is that Shampoo is offering Ranma a cure for his curse if he'll take her out for an evening... on the same day that a challenger has come to fight against the Tendo Dojo.

Relation to the Previous Episode
None.

Plot Overview
Early one morning, Soun and Genma are forced to break up yet another argument between Ranma and Akane, and take turns in scolding them that the dojo is not to be used as some sort of boxing ring. While Ranma and Akane listlessly watch and listen, the fathers repeat yet again their spiel that the two fiancees should try and get along better, for the sake of their future marriage. The teens promptly tell them flatly that they don't want to be fiancees and then get ready to get up and walk away, forcing the fathers to emotionally try to blackmail them into hearing them out. Ranma and Akane simply repeat that this was never their choice nor their decision. Before things can get any more out of hand, Kasumi's startled cries bring them all running.

It turns out the dojo has just gotten a challenge letter from a dojo destroyer, much to Akane's shock, as she thought such things only happened in old martial arts movies; this mysterious figure intends to challenge them for the sign of their dojo on Saturday evening, the next day. Soun and Genma initially claim that they will meet this challenge, then quickly declare that, as the respective heirs to their Schools, Ranma and Akane should be the ones to face the dojo destroyer. This, unfortunately, just triggers yet another argument as each of the teens declares they can handle this threat alone, Ranma going so far as to rub Akane's face in the fact he is much more skilled she is and declaring she has nothing going for her except brute strength.

Fortunately, Soun cuts off the impending brawl by slapping on the table and enthusiastically declaring they must use that energy when they fight the dojo destroyer tomorrow, emphasizing his confidence in their capability to work together and fight this threat off. While Akane and Ranma both dismiss him, the surge of embarrassment has made them forget about their squabbles and they walk off. Once they are gone, Soun sadly and tiredly asks if Genma is so sure they can trust them to handle this, with Genma reassuring them that they will pull through, as they are not bad kids, but they are stubborn. Soun is only partially relieved, noting with some concern that this outside threat may be the only thing to bring the two together.

During gym at school the next day, Shampoo makes a dramatic entrance, though neither Akane nor Ranma, who almost got run over when she appeared, is particularly happy to see her. Shampoo merely asks if Ranma's sure he wants to talk down to her like that, then uses a dog she's brought along to display something she's picked up: Instant Nanniichuan, which turns the dog into a guy and which she whispers to Ranma will make him a whole man again. She offers Ranma a trade; a date that evening for the packet, which Ranma immediately accepts. Akane then icily reminds Ranma that they need to defend the dojo this evening, at which he weakly asks Akane to handle it alone, to which Akane accepts - though she makes her disgust with Ranma clear by grabbing him, spinning him around and then hurling him across the floor to dent the wall when he smacks into it headfirst.

That afternoon, Ranma blithely heads off to meet Shampoo in the park like they agreed, bouquet in his hand. Soun tearfully calls Ranma a traitor, but Akane sweetly encourages Ranma to go and meet Shampoo, declaring she can handle the fight on her own and throwing a powerful straight arm punch into the wall Ranma is walking along, cracking it heavily, to emphasize her point. Ranma promptly bounds off, but once he is gone, Akane winces; she's put too much force into her blow and sprained her wrist. Soun notices and asks if Akane will really be okay with doing this on her own. Akane tries to bluff him, but her father is skeptical.

In the park, Ranma hands over the bouquet, much to Shampoo's ecstatic delight - but when he then demands she give him the powder, she gives him the bouquet back and gets ready to cycle off, tearfully declaring how Ranma just wants the Instant Nanniichuan. Ranma gets irritated, then turns his back to Shampoo and makes a show of squatting down and giving her a sad speech about how he was looking forward to this, but it's a shame that Shampoo doesn't trust him. At that, Shampoo touches his shoulder and softly tells him that the powder he wants is in the backpack she brought along, promising that she'll give it to him after the date is over and telling him she believes him. Ranma makes a show of being happy about this, pushing the bouquet towards her... and then triggering a switch and giving her a faceful of irritating powder, snatching the backpack and running off with it while she can only cough and splutter in indignation. However, he quickly he discovers he's been tricked; he gets the wits scared out of him by a cat that was sleeping in it, and then Shampoo catches up to him and smugly tells him she isn't as stupid as he thought.

Back at the Tendo dojo, Akane is breaking bricks in an effort to convince her family that she can handle this on her own, even with her right wrist bandaged and injured. Kasumi asks if Akane is really okay, but all Soun can do is sadly admit that he couldn't talk her out of this, as Akane is far too stubborn.

Minutes later, the dojo destroyer finally arrives.

At an almost empty theater showing an old, black and white romance, while Ranma is behaving himself, Shampoo isn't particularly enjoying herself. She notes that Ranma is fidgetting, and while he denies Akane as the cause when she asks, she can also see the way he promptly crushes his can of drink. Looking thoughtful, she promises Ranma that as soon as the date is over, he can have the Instant Nanniichuan, drawing Ranma's eager gaze to her purse and a pleading to end it now when she suggests doing so. While clearly not happy with this, she decides to turn sour to sweet and asks Ranma for a goodbye kiss, right here and now, in exchange for the powder, which makes Ranma freeze up.

At the Tendo dojo, the dojo destroyer boasts that the Tendos will make his 1000th sign, questions if Akane is really the only one he has to fight, and then proceeds to battle her, wielding his signs as formidable weapons and a defensive shield, all but crippling Akane's right hand when she unthinkingly uses it to punch through one of his signs.

At the movies, Ranma is still frozen, while Shampoo is waiting patiently for him to kiss her. When she gently asks what's wrong, Ranma's mind starts to race; he needs to get to the dojo, but he can't just turn his back on the Instant Nanniichuan. Finally, he gently clasps her hands, bringing a blush to her cheeks... before taking advantage of the way her grip has slackened to slip the packet out of her grasp and, with a quick apology, take off with it. As he runs off, though, Shampoo cycles up behind him, calling out if he really wants to leave without the real Instant Nanniichuan. Ranma stops and tears the packet's top off, causing a small bundle of flowers to sprout, much to his dismay. Shampoo skids to a halt beside him and triumphantly declares that he's not going to get the Instant Nanniichuan without that kiss... then sadly asks if he's really that worried about Akane. While Ranma makes a weak protest, Shampoo then asks if he'd like to ride her bike.

Back at the Tendo dojo, the fight is very much against Akane. She is losing energy rapidly, she's having a hard time dodging, and she can't seem to hurt the dojo destroyer no matter what she does.

With Shampoo sitting at his back, Ranma pedals rapidly back towards the Tendo dojo, assuring Shampoo that they will go back to finishing their date once he has checked up on Akane. As they approach, though, Genma shows up on the walls, happy to see that Ranma has come back to help Akane, but eager to see if Ranma has gotten the Instant Nanniichuan, drenching both of the cyclers with cold water - the resultant panic causes neko-Shampoo to end up falling off of the bike and Ranma to end up smashing through the wall into the dojo, just in time to intercept a flung sign that is about to deliver the KO to a pinned Akane. Once Ranma regains consciousness, she can't help but note how it's looks like Akane's losing in response to Soun's gratitude for her coming to help Akane, which makes Akane angrily insist that she doesn't need any help.

Nabiki thankfully cuts the approaching argument off by restoring Ranma to male form, whereupon he challenges the dojo destroyer in Akane's place. His opponent eagerly accepts, eager to have a worthy fight to claim his 1000th sign, but Akane objects to Ranma trying to muscle in on her match. This time, it is the dojo destroyer who brings the argument to a premature close by attacking them both indiscriminately. Neither teen is able to significantly hurt him on their own, and he envelops them in a swirling vortex of signs, prompting Genma to call out to them to use the "Dual Jet Streams Raging Water" attack. In this tagteam move, spinning each other around like a counterweight, they are able to break through the vortex of wood and deliver a powerful double diving kick to the destroyer's forehead, knocking him out cold and securing victory.

At this, the others congratulate them on their teamwork, noting that they finally acted like fiancees are supposed to and declaring the Tendo Dojo to be secure in their hands... to which Ranma can only sarcastically think to himself that they don't have a choice. Trying to forget about them, he asks if Akane is alright, and isn't pleased in the slightest when she angrily insists she didn't need his help at all. Shampoo finally catches up to Ranma, asking if they can pick up where they left off their date - more importantly, the kiss. Soun, needless to say, does not take this happily, nor does Akane - Shampoo claiming that Ranma actually has kissed her once already, saying that he told her he loved her and then flatteringly telling him he is a sweet kisser, doesn't make things any better. After she says this, though, and despite the fact she never did actually get that kiss she was after, she gives him the packet. Of course, Akane just takes this as confirmation of Shampoo's claims and when she gives Ranma a sincere-sounding congratulations and thank you for helping her, Ranma can hear the underlying venom, running after her repeating his insistence that he never did kissed Shampoo and ending up with a powerful slap for his troubles.

That evening, as the Tendos get ready to eat dinner, they look upon the Saotomes sitting in the koi pond, having transferred the koi into a fishtank and weeping with joy that they are immersed in the cold water and not transforming.

At the Nekohanten, as Shampoo helps clear up for the night, Cologne congratulates Shampoo on scoring such a long date out of Ranma with only an Instant Nanniichuan, which she notes is a one-shot curse... meaning that the very next time someone like Ranma or Genma who has used it gets splashed, it will be their original curse that activates, not the Instant Nanniichuan curse.

Indeed, that is what happens when a rain shower breaks out and catches the Saotomes still in the koi pond; their Instant Nanniichuan curses wear off and their original Nyanniichuan and Shonmaoniichuan curses are activated, leaving Ranma howling at the moon for vengeance.

Trivia

 * The dog Shampoo uses to display the power of the Instant Nanniichuan takes on the form of Ataru Moroboshi, the lecherous, unlucky highschooler and male main lead of Urusei Yatsura, Rumiko Takahashi's prior slapstick romantic comedy prior to Ranma ½.
 * Shampoo is given a much softer characterization in this rendition of the story than in the original manga.
 * In the manga, it is implied that she hired the dojo destroyer to attack the Tendo dojo, and she is a villain in general. Here, though she truly wants to have her date with Ranma, she is willing to take steps to try and make him feel better and to simply accept the limited time she was able to spend with him. She even restricts her vindictiveness over Ranma's "cheating" her out of a kiss by merely claiming that he did kiss her in front of the Tendos, whereas the manga had her plastering "Instant Nanniichuan" packets over the dojo destroyer and making Ranma think his only choices were to destroy them or let the destroyer ruin the Tendo dojo's reputation by winning.
 * The movie that Ranma and Shampoo watch on their "date" has a rather ironic theme, consisting as it does of a man who is loved by one woman, but who is promised to another.
 * The dojo destroyer is much more verboise and a capable threat here in the anime than in the original manga.