Azusa Shiratori



Azusa Shiratori is one of the two members of "The Golden Pair of Kolhotz High School". She is well known for her obsession for collecting things she regards as being cute and then giving them names, usually with a french origin. "Azusa" means "catalpa tree" while "Shiratori" means "white bird".

Personality
Azusa is very unintelligent (a "half-wit" in the words of Kuno) and strange even by the standards of the series. Shiratori is a kleptomaniac and feels the need to take random objects and people regardless of ownership. If Azusa is denied, she will throw a childish tantrum and resort to violence.

An example of Azusa's childish intellect is her coming to the conclusion that Tatewaki was a magical Tanuki after a statue fell on him.

Still Azusa understands battle tactics and in a rare moment of cleverness figured out Ryoga was Charlotte.

Anything-Goes Martial Arts
Azusa first appears at a Staking Rink that Akane happens to be visiting with Yuka and Sayuri. While they have a break from skating she finds Ryoga Hibiki (as P-chan) and decides that it is "her Charlotte" and asks him to be good and come home with her. When Ryoga tries to run away Azusa grabs him by his scarf and knocks him out with a small wooden hammer with "Marianne" written on it. Azusa then picks up Ryoga and skates off it him.

Azusa then goes to the Daikanki Ramen Shop (untranslated in the dub) where Akane is talking to Ranma about P-chan being abducted. Ranma then points out that the girl who just entered. Ryoga then comes to and begins to squeal at Akane, while Azusa continues protest against the idea that "Charlotte" isn't her's after all, just then Mikado takes Ryoga from her and gives it back to Akane, while Azusa demands that he gives her Charlotte back. Mikado then explains to Ranma and co. that Azusa has a tendency to "collect cute little things" and give them "a silly name", all the while Azusa hits Mikado on the head with increasingly larger objects until Mikado gives in and tells her to stop. Having excepted defeat Azusa challenges Akane to a Figure Staking match where the winner keeps "Charlotte". Yuka then recognises them as "The Golden Pair from Kolhotz High School", the two of them then formally introduce themselves.

After being told about the pair's winning streak, Azusa tells Akane that she should just surrender and get it over with. After Ranma flicks some Narutomaki at Mikado, Azusa wants it and begins to call it "Françoise" and after Mikado removes it from his face Azusa begins to hit Mikado over the back of the head again (at first with a frying pan and ultimately with a lamppost).

Later that day, Azusa returns to the Skating Rink where she finds Akane teaching Ranma (who has turned into his female form to try and avoid embracement). Azusa skates up behind Akane, jumps and uses her knees to knock Akane onto the floor. Just before Mikado attempts to kiss Ranma (who had been sent flying across the Rink after Akane fell), Azusa hits Mikado over the head and tells him it's time to practice the "Assault of a Hundred Foes". A large number of Ice Hokey Players then arrives and begin to attack the Golden Pair.

The Golden Pair then begin to fight the Hokey Players and using a combination of kicks and punches along with other Ice Skating moves are able to defeat all 100 of the group in nine seconds flat (which according to one of the Hokey Players is a new record). Ryoga (who had been turned into P-chan by Ranma earlier) appears and Akane and Azusa skate towards him to try and get him before the other does. Just as P-chan jumps towards Akane, Azusa skates in front and grabs P-chan. She then gives P-chan a pink collar with "Charlotte" written on it. When Akane tries to get the collar off, Azusa reveals she can't since she locked it with her key.

After Ranma leaves and returns in his male form due to Mikado kissing him in his female form, Azusa finds Genma (who was seen skating earlier) eating some Rice Balls and she decides that one of them is her "Josephine" and tries to get it off Genma. However, the Rice Ball is out of her reach so Azusa picks up a Tetsubin and begins to hit Genma over the head with it (Genma simply ignores this and continues to eat the Rice Ball). When Genma finishes eating the Rice Ball "Josephine", Azusa becomes very upset and angry so begins to hit Genma with a nearby chair (the Tetsubin she previously used had been almost destroyed/crushed by this point). This causes Genma great pain and he apologises for what he did.

Outta Control
Azusa is causing trouble in town(stealing various items and causing a cyclist to crash) when she crosses paths with Kuno and Sasuke at an antiques shop. She quicky claims Sasuke and accidently makes a tanuki statue come loose and fall onto Kuno. When Tatewaki lifted it off of him, she thought that he was a shapeshifting Tanuki named "Marianne" and that he was there to serve her. Kuno gets a short attraction to Azusa despite her wierd behavior(he attempts to rationalize it as his mere presence scrambling what little brains she has) and lets her mischief.

Big Trouble in Nekonron, China
Azusa with Mikado have a speaking cameo as a member of the crowd chasing Ranma and Akane.

OVA
Azusa is one of the many visitors to the Tendo Christmas Party.

Relationships
Mikado is her skating partner and they are often seen together. However this seems to be for practical beneficial reasons rather then true friendship as both often treat each other very poorly.

Azusa dislikes Ranma and Akane for taking away her "Charlotte."

In her second appearance in the Anime, Azusa believed Kuno was a tanuki servant, then a Tanuki statue which fell on Kuno. Kuno was very annoyed by her behavior but found her difficult to say no to as he had a brief attraction to her(he called her the "curly haired girl" in the Japanese version). At the episode's end Kuno was completly through with Azusa like everyone else.

Sasuke also was unable to stop her as she was one of the few people who treated him somewhat nicely. Though he too got over this at the end of the episode

In their brief meeting in the anime, Kodachi was shocked to see Azusa in the Kuno Estate Kodachi found Azusa so annoying that she packed up her bags and left the Kuno mansion to find lodgings elsewhere.

Like Mikado, Azusa has her own loyal fanclub.

Non-canon Appearances
Azusa appears with Mikado in the Hot songs contest and two versions of Lambada Ranma.

Trivia

 * Her personality is similar to Elmyra of Tiny Toons.


 * Despite almost every character holding an antipathy towards her, Azusa has been completly unharmed at the end of both her appearances.

Quotes

 * You're so cute! - Azusa's catchphrase when she sees anything she thinks is cute.