Masked Death Match!

Gekito! o-men desumatchi (激闘！お面デスマッチ) is the 355th chapter of the manga and also the second and last chapter of the Hayato Arc. Hayato's full story is revealed, and he seeks revenge against Ukyo.

Truth Behind the Mask
Ranma is seen wearing a mask of a happy face. He struggles to get it off, but is unable to do so. Upon seeing the mask, Ukyo finally remembers the whole story behind her and Hayato. Six years ago, Ukyo and Hayato made a bet that whoever loses the match betwen okonomiyaki and takoyaki will wear a mask for the rest of their lives. Since losing that fateful match, Hayato has lived a life of torment, being constantly sneered at for wearing the mask wherever he went. He mentions that the most grievous of pain was not being able to scratch his nose after a mosquito flew into the mask. He tells the group of how hurt he is that she doesn't remember him after all the pain he's been through.

Ranma then jumps on his head and demands help in taking the mask off. Hayato mentions that the mask is made of takoyaki batter with glue, and by heating it up he can remove it. He then dons the mask, claiming that until he beats Ukyo, he must not take it off. They spring away, ready to fight once more. While Ranma and Akane watch Ukyo and Hayato disappearing into the distance, Ranma suddenly moans and panics, struggling to get the mask off.

Battle Takoyaki vs. Okonomiyaki
Hayato brings Ukyo to an empty construction site, telling her that nobody will interfere with them. He begins the fight with 'Barrage of Eight Hundred Blows', which Ukyo blocks with her spatula. Ukyo then counters by flinging three okonomiyaki in his direction. As the fight continues, the narrow, crowded space of a construction yard gives Hayato a distinct advantage since his smaller takoyaki can travel much better. Hayato demands that Ukyo should wear her mask for the rest of her life if she loses. She just hits him in the head saying to give up on the masks.

Meanwhile, Ranma and Akane are attempting to take the mask off. Akane does her best by pouring alcohol over hot pan to create a flame that rises to char Ranma's face. Suddenly Ranma's face swells and shocks Akane, but the swelling turns out to be the batter which Ranma was able to safely remove. He then immediately scratches his nose. Akane hits him with the pan since it turns out he was panicing about nothing. Ranma says that living all those years unable to scratch an itching face must have been hell for Hayato.

Back at the construction yard, Ukyo puts on a welding helmet and fuses two large metal boards together and makes a supersized okonomiyaki. She flings the giant food in Hayato's direction, but he vanishes. He reappears above her, spinning her oversized okonomiyaki over his head. He wraps the dough around himself and turns into a giant takoyaki, headed straight for Ukyo.

Ukyo is defeated, crushed by the giant ball. Ranma and Akane come to the yard, just as Hayato emerges from the takoyaki ball. She admits defeat, but does not accept to wearing the mask, which Hayato is fine with. He finally feels liberated from the mask after having defeated his rival, but finds himself unable to part with the mask. Ranma mentions that he lined the mask with the same glue ball that was used on him. As Hayato struggles to scratch his nose, Ukyo offers him the okonomiyaki grill to remove it.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Hayato Myojin
 * Ukyo Kuonji
 * Akane Tendo
 * Patoratsyu

Trivia

 * What Akane does to remove the mask from Ranma is known as, a cooking procedure where alcohol is added to create a burst of flame.