Principal Kuno



Principal Kuno is the father Kodachi Kuno and Tatewaki Kuno. He is also the Principal of Furinkan High School, who is determined to get all the students to have either Buzz cuts (for the male students) or Bowl cuts (for female students), especially Ranma Saotome. The Principal's first name is unknown, but Kuno can be broken down to mean "Nine Abilities", which is a sarcastic remark about his children's overblown sense of self-worth.

Personality
Generally the Principal is viewed as almost completely insane, with his only wanting in life to make the lives of the Furinkan High School students as miserable as possible. He does this by introducing new rules seemingly whenever he can gain from the situation, such as when he tells Akane she can't move to the next grade unless she can swim (which gives him the opportunity to tech her).

Despite his first impression the Principal does also seem to care a lot for his family, with him actually crying at the thought of his son, Tatewaki, who he hasn't seem for three-years at the time of his introduction. In the anime continuity, he also is extremely willing to make his daughter Kodachi maintain her preconceived/aged memories of her father, even going as far as to hide his true personality from her.

The three-years which the Principal has spent in Hawaii also seems to have changed his personality considerably, as he seemed comfortable in traditional Japanese attire prior to leaving, but on return he mostly wears a very Hawaiian outfit (in the anime he also shown to wear suits as well on occasion). Also upon returning his language becomes littered with Hawaiian words/phrases (or english words in the case of the original Japanese version).

History
Not much is known about the Principal's past. What is known, however, is that during the time before his leaving for Hawaii he spent pretty much all of his time annoying the students (and by extension the teaching staff who generally distanced themselves from him). A some point before leaving for Hawaii he also fell out of favor with his son, Tatewaki Kuno, when at the age of 14 the Principal managed to give him a buzz cut.

Shortly after giving Kuno his buzz cut, the Principal also claims to have drawn a map to a Coconut which has a "Get Out Rules Free" card inside (this map, however, is never seen as it's claimed to only be visible when Kuno has a buzz cut). After this, the Principal left for Hawaii where he claimed to have learned new teaching techniques, while also getting a tan and seemingly losing some wait as well.

Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion
After Happosai uses the "Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion" on Ranma, making him extremely weak, he sends out letters all over Furinkan, one of which the Principal receives, revealing this information. Taking this opportunity, the Principal tries to cut Ranma's pigtail but of course has to try to deal with Mousse, Gosunkugi and his son, all of whom want to defeat Ranma as well. The four of them are ultimately sent flying away by Ryoga who can't stand people picking on the weak.

Several days later (after Ranma has mastered the "Hiryū Shōten Ha" through his training with Cologne), Ranma challenges Happosai to a fight and uses the photos of his female form in Lingerie as bait to get Happosai to run in the required spiral shape. However, Kuno wants the picture as well and soon Ranma is faced with Mousse, Kuno and the Principal trying to attack him for various different reasons.

At first Ranma doesn't want to hurt the trio, but remembers back to what they tried to do to him and so uses the Hiryū Shōten Ha on them anyway. When the trio and Happosai land the students who gather around the site where they landed decide that only thing to do is bury them.

Later on, the Principal is out of the hole along with his son and Mousse. They try to get their revenge on Ranma, but as Ranma now has his strength returned he easily just kicks them and sends the trio flying.

Akane's Swimming Lessons - Principal Kuno
Akane is mobbing at the side of the pool since she's the only one who can't swim and there's going to be a swimming test next week. The Principal suddenly appears and pushes Akane into the pool, only to save her with a life ring. The sight of Akane splashing uncontrollably makes the Principal deduce that Akane can't swim, which he declares to be Kapu (a hawaiian word, which closely translates to "forbidden") as there is a rule where if a student can't swim they can't go to the next grade. Akane believes this is just a rule the Principal has made up on the spot, but the Principal continues by saying he'll teach Akane how to swim.

The next day, after Akane has decided herself to be taught how to swim by the Principal, she is next to the pool with a boulder strapped to her back. The Principal tells Akane to jump into the pool, but of course Akane is skeptical. Just then a shark jumps out of the pool, Akane questions what it is and the Principal shows that it's a Bonito Shark (Isurus glaucus) along with other information about it. This obviously isn't what Akane meant so she reiterates by asking what it's doing in the pool.

Now that the lesson has gotten severally out-of-hand Akane is going to leave, but the Principal tells her that she can train to be able swim away from Sharks while carrying large boulders (the other students don't buy it, but Akane seems to believe the Principal completely). Akane then suddenly throws the Boulder onto the Principal and grumpily tells him to show her first...

A few moments for completely silence pass and the other students decide that the Principal must've drowned so begin to walk away. Akane, however, feels responsible so jumps into the pool to check/try and save him. But when she gets under the water she is met face-to-face with the Principal using Scuba-gear to stay underwater. This causes Akane to realise that she's in the water and so she begins to panic and trash uncontrollably, attracting the Shark.

Luckily for Akane, Ranma steps in and kicks the Shark and defeats it. The Principal declares that interfering with the Kahuna is Kapu and the two of them begin to argue over Akane being able to swim or not. Eventually Akane has had enough of this and so knocks Ranma into the water before revealing she's going to do her best to learn to swim, much to the Principal's approval.

Out of the pool, the Principal tells Akane that the first lesson is called "Swan" and he tells Akane to put on the outfit he spent all night preparing for her. Despite Akane's preconceptions, the outfit looks more like an ugly ducking rather than a swan. This obviously causes Akane to become upset and embarrassed but she soon changes her mood when she notices the injuries on the Principal's fingers (caused by him getting pricked by the hitting needles) and decides to go ahead with the rest of the lesson.

The Principal then proceeds to push Akane into the pool while wearing the duck outfit. At first Akane seems to not be swimming any better, but the Principal activates a switch which makes the legs of the duck outfit begin to kick and at first it seems to be working, but Akane soon ends up upside-down while the legs trash wildly in the air.

After Akane has been taken out of the pool by Ranma and takes the duck outfit off as well, Ranma patronises her by patting on the shoulder and asking if she's ready to give up yet. This angers Akane who tells the Principal to move onto the next lesson, which the Principal calls "Da Mermaid".

Akane is then put into a Mermaid outfit and thrown into the pool, where the Principal flicks a switch that makes the outfit's tail being to trash. Ranma enquires how this is any different from the "Swan" lesson, to which the Principal reveals that he'll be holding onto Akane via a fishing pole. He then tells Akane to swim with confidence, but this causes the Principal to go flying across the pool and hit his head on the other side of the pool edge.

Once Akane is saved from drowning by Ranma again and brought to poolside. The Principal and other students watch over Akane and wait for her to come-to. When she does the Principal apologises to her as he can't give one student what they want, he then begins to cry at his failure. Akane, however, puts on a brave face and tells him not to worry as she plans to live on a boat and if a tidal wave hits she can run to the hills faster than any water can.

As she runs off, however, Ranma intervenes as she knows this isn't what Akane wants. The other students, all with tears in their eyes at Akane's desperation in wanting to swim, give her the courage to agree to have her third lesson with the Principal. The Principal explains that this lesson will make even a hammer girl like Akane swim like the Mahi-mahi. Akane and the other students are deeply intrigued by this comment, but all are shocked by the revelation that this the Principal describing a Life Preserver.

Nether-the-less, Akane tries using the Life Preserver and even then she manages to end up under the water as her feet trash wildly. The Principal wails in despair at being a "bad Kahuna" while the other students take back what they said to Akane earlier and tell her just to give up.

Reversal Jewel
A statue of the Principal is seen on the grounds of Furinkan High School, which Mousse mistakes for Akane when he tries to explain/warn her of Cologne's plans to make Ranma marry Shampoo.

Hinako Ninomiya Intro
The Principal hires Hinako Ninomiya to deal with Ranma, as he's heard of her ability to crack down on problem students. However, she is late and the Principal ends up practising with a toy bear over 45 times before Ranma takes the unconscious Hinako (who he mistakes for a transfer student). When Hinako comes to she tells the Principal that she's arrived, although he doesn't know who she is. Hinako introduces herself and the Principal is shocked and ends bedridden due to his plans ending up "Wiping Out".

Stolen Test
The night before the results of a test Ranma's class did where set to be sent out, Principal Kuno came and stole them, leaving behind evidence that it was him (mostly notable his Ukulele). After some confusion from Hinako as to who took the test the next morning, the Principal (riding a Hot-air Ballon with his face on it) reveals that the tests are inside the Ballon and at the noon it will explode and the tests will be spread everywhere. The Principal continues that the only way to stop is to take the bundle he's holding, Ranma is undeterred by this and makes a rather easy jump to the Principal's Ballon. The Principal of course has planned for this and jumps from the Ballon and blows up the Basket Ranma is stood in.

As the Principal slowly floats down using an Umbrella he's about to land in a pool of the other angry students, but uses a Jet Pack to get away from them as well. Unfortunately the Jet Pack soon explodes as so the students have to go searching for the Principal roughly where he landed. Ranma returns and quickly notices a large Pineapple Tree walking along a corridor. He attacks it and, unsurprisingly, the Principal was using it as a disguise.

The Principal is glad to see Ranma as he has his test score with him, and it's the worst. He then threatens to reveal the score publicly to other students, Ranma doesn't care, however, as being a Martial Artist is to fight against injustice, oppression for the sake of the oppressed. The Principal opens the test score and is seemingly shocked by the result, but begins to cry and runs away, saying that the students would think he's cruel for revealing his score; leaving a very confused group of students behind.

A few minutes later, the Principal is about to read the result of Ranma's test over the School's speaker system, but Ranma kicks the wall beneath the speaker and reveals the Principal to be hiding behind it. The Principal uses a smoke bomb to escape, but is then set upon by Ukyo and Akane who manage to knock him to ground so Ranma can grab the package for the Ballon off him. However, the Principal reveals that Ranma will have to do the instructions on the package in order to stop the Ballon.

Ranma is obvious confident in his ability to read the instructions, but is horrified when the only instruction is "kiss me" with a picture of Principal Kuno that has an arrow gesturing to his lips. The Principal proceeds to taunt Ranma that he must be stupid he can't do what the instructions say. Ranma responds by angrily slamming the package over the Principals head. This breaks the control to the Ballon which files away with the Principal in pursuit of it (the tests eventually fall from the Ballon and read on the news, with Akane getting 86, while Ranma's score isn't revealed).

Aloha School
The Principal decides that all the students have to pass Canoeing before they can go onto the next grade. Obviously the students don't like this, especially as the Principal is floating above them comfortably in his Hot-air Ballon. Ranma ends up destroying the Ballon by blowing a sharp pin into the Ballon. However, as he falls, the Principal throws a grenade which leaves the students stranded on an uninhabited island.

Three days pass and the students, along with Miss Hinako, find a building with a log saying not to eat any of the food as those who eat it will succumb to "Aloha Disease". Unfortunately the Principal has just started feeding the students food from the island which he's been collecting for the last three days. This causes the male students to become infected with "Aloha Disease" and so all begin to act like Tourists on their honeymoon on Hawaii.

The male students then begin to chase after Akane, Ukyo and Ranma who they believe to be their wives. Hinako manages to use her Happo Five Yen Satsu followed by her Happo No Yen Coin Return to knock the male students unconscious while she, Akane, Ukyo, Ranma and the Principal escape. In a cave the Principal reveals he has an antidote to the Aloha Disease, but Ranma'll have to catch him first in a race around the island!

At first Ranma seems like she'll easily catch up, but is tripped by a Banana peel and ends up having Sun lotion put on her by the male students and is at their whim until she sends them flying into the air with a powerful kick.

That evening, when the male students return in an almost zombie-like state, the Principal reappears and explains to them how to make blowguns. The students uses these to unsuccessfully to try and get their "wives". Ranma then set on the Principal to get the antidote, but the Principal ends up drinking all of it!

This seems to have their situation hopeless, but Ranma has an idea that is this is a tropical island then there must be a Hot Spring somewhere. With Ranma, Akane and Ukyo carrying the Principal to the Hot Spring, out-of-sight the Principal is thrown in where he sweats out the antidote. Using Akane and Ukyo they lure the affected students into the Hot Spring where they recover from the Aloha Disease (Akane, Ukyo and Ranma are out-of-sight when the male students recover).

Back at Furinkan High School, the Principal seems to have not learnt from this experience and declares that this week they're going camping. Ranma hits the Principal for this.

Repentance Room
After Ranma, Hiroshi and Daisuke are found by Hinako ditching school she manages to absorb the auras of Hiroshi and Daisuke while Ranma runs into a sign. She then takes the trio to the Principal who, after a discussion with Hinako, decides to put them into the dentition room, where the only way out is to bow at the statue of the Principal in their and say that you're sorry for what you've done.

Once Ranma, Hiroshi and Daisuke realise that there is no escape from the room otherwise, Hinako joins them and tells them just to do it as they'll fell better because of it. However, Ranma tries to makes Hinako bow instead which angers her so she tries to use the Happo Fifty Yen Satsu on him. This however ends up absorbing the aura of the students who've bowed to the statue of the Principal which Ranma hid behind, thus she appears to be permanently in her adult form.

This amass of negative aura causes Hinako to go on a rampage of revenge against the Principal, where she destroys his office (which he was secretly hiding from her in). While Hinako goes on her rampage on the streets of Furinkan, the Principal devices a plan where he sends out flyers which explain that whoever captures Ms. Hinako gets to go on a date with her. When she learns of this, Hinako and Ranma end up returning to Furinkan High and are faced with the Principal's newly hired "Three Wicked Phantoms".

Despite preconceptions the "Wicked Phantoms" turn out to be Tatewki Kuno, Nabiki and Happosai. The trio are quickly dealt with, as Ranma and Hinako take out Happosai and Kuno respectively, while Nabiki takes the money the Principal gave her and runs. In order to escape from Hinako, the Principal disguises his head as a bomb (which explodes) and when the students can't see him they all go out to look for him. The Principal meanwhile, reemerges from the ground and comments on how close and escape that was.

Some searching later, Ranma finds the Principal and chases after the conveniently left footprints. Of course the Principal has set a trap, where a heavy object falls on Ranma forcing him to bow to him. However, Ranma manages to use his hands to allow him to kick the Principal in the face.

Hinako arrives with the other students and tells Ranma to hold the Principal still. She then performs a powerful attack, called the "Happo No Yen Hatred Bazooka" which blasts a hole in the side of the School building. Despite this the Principal still manages to escape again.

Ranma follows the Principal to a weird out-building and notices the floor is covered in some odd glue-like substance and has the positions to place his hands, head and knees when he bows on it as well (these imprints were present on the area in front of the statue as well). However, before Ranma knows it a clumsy Hinako bumps into him and the pair are stuck. The Principal then makes the walls and ceiling of the makeshift building fall so as everyone can see them bowing to him.

Although it seems Ranma and Hinako have finally lost, Ranma manages to lift himself, Hinako and the floor up. Hinako then uses an attack called "Happo No Yen Hundred Fold Return" that manages to hit the Principal and sends him flying skyward. Afterwards Hinako returns to her normal self, but has no memory of the event.

Outta Control
In his first appearance the Principal wants the students to get bowl cuts and buzz cuts.

Big Trouble in Nekonron, China
The Principal has a cameo appearance, where he sees the group chasing after Ranma and decides to join the group so he can cut off Ranma's pigtail. However, he doesn't get a chance to attempt and remove it as he's sent flying into the air along with his daughter, Kodachi.

Abilities
Principal Kuno is not the most capable of fighters in the series. In fact, he's one of the weakest. He can't take much punishment, nor is he adept at dishing it out, so his focus is on evasion and escape rather than actual combat. He can move with surprising speed for somebody so bulky, and he is fairly stealthy. He is also cunning enough to prepare a wide variety of disguises and escape routes in advance.

When forced to fight, the Principal falls back on two weapons of choice. The first are bombs disguised as pineapples (and, at least once, present boxes), which explode in fairly small, but intense, radiuses. The Principal prefers to throw these at a foe or get them to unwittingly accept, then take off while they are dazed from the explosion. When it comes to the melee, the Principal wields hairclippers, especially handheld shears, that he uses to attack and defend like daggers. His striking speed is just barely equal with that of his son, and he can fend off an enraged assault by Kuno -- barely.

Because of the Principal's hostile relationship with his son, not to mention his obsession with cutting hair, he is specialised in facing off against kendoists. His special technique, the "Aloha Sword Shredder", allows him to shear a bokken or similar object (such as a short staff) into useless scraps if it is thrust at him, and if his opponent comes at him from the front with their sword held near their head, a common kendo assault position, then he can use their own sword as a bridge to shave their head bald.

Relationships
As a rule, the students of Furinkan High hate the Principal, who seems to actively go out of his way to annoy them. It's implied, most prominently when he first returns, that he actively enjoys making them angry; that he is not so fixated on the rules because he enjoys the rules, but simply because he finds it hilarious when the kids get into a riot and the rules of Furinkan are a perfect way into manipulating them.

With the exception of Hinako Ninomiya, who is too fixated on her own little problems to care, the other teachers at Furinkan High regard the Principal with a mixture of embarrassment and disdain. However, they must obey him or else risk their jobs, so they bow to his whims.

Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo are particularly opposed to the Principal's actions, especially the former due to the Principal's obsession with cutting off his distinctive hair style. They are usually the first to oppose the Principal's latest scheme, and the students tend to rally around them as natural leaders -- perhaps more due to their combat experience than anything. Ukyo Kuonji has a similar attitude, but tends to be more of a background character than her rival or fiance.

Tatewaki Kuno absolutely hates his father, due to a powerful cocktail of abandonment issues, his own ego and a history of abuse at the Principal's hands. Well indeed does he remember meals where the Principal would take his food and haraunge him for his "failings", being brutally overpowered and shaved bald, and being tied up and left hanging from a tree for hours, maybe days at a time. Tatewaki tries to deny any possibility that the Principal may be his father, and even after being forced to reunite with him, remains hostile towards him, most notably in the form of trying to do everything in his power to keep the Principal from returning to the Kuno Estate. In return, the Principal seems to delight in abusing, deceiving and manipulating his son, but may possibly have some twisted sort of parental care for him -- he still calls Tatewaki by the babyish nickname of "Tatchi". He has also been known to approach Tatewaki for assisstance if he needs some extra muscle, and Tatewaki will sometimes accept.

Kodachi Kuno can't remember her father at all, and doesn't even learn he has returned or where he works until Genma Saotome brings it up to her in the episode Dear Daddy... Love, Kodachi! Kodachi is overjoyed to finally meet him, and tries her hardest to be a caring, loving, gentle-natured daughter for him. In return, the Principal seems to appreciate this, and refrains from subjecting her to any of the torments that he dishes out to other kids. Like with her brother, he tends to call her "Kochi".

Non-canon Appearances
The Principal is a major enemy in the roleplaying game "Treasure of the Red Cat Gang", having become a high-ranking member of said Red Cat Gang and bringing his children along as weaker bosses.

In the fighting game "Super Hard Battle", the Principal is responsible for manipulating each of the fighters into pursuing their quest for his own amusement. For example, promising Ranma that he can get exemption from exams by defeating all of the other fighters.

Trivia

 * In the anime, when he reunites with Kodachi in Dear Daddy... Love, Kodachi!, he is shown attempting to escape from a mysterious building while in Hawaii. Perhaps some sort of prison or mental asylum?
 * In the Japanese original, the Principal's speech is littered with English words to try and convey his otaku-like fixation on Hawaii. In the English dubbed version, this is replaced with gratuitous Hawaiian, to convey the exact same point.
 * According to the episode The Secret Don of Furinkan High, the Principal flunked English when he was a student at Furinkan.
 * While the Principal's sabbatical to Hawaii is said to have lasted three years, it's possible that this was only the most recent of such trips. Sasuke Sarugakure notes to Ranma, Akane and Ukyo, when explaining his theory that the Principal is Kuno's long-lost father, that the Kuno siblings had almost no parental guidance or contact since they were children and suggests that this is to blame for their present attitudes.

Quotes

 * "It's time for de big fun, yeah!" - The Principal's catchphrase when things start to get exciting and absolutely not for for the students and other teachers.