Martial Arts Figure Skating

Martial Arts Figure Skating is a fighting style in the world of Ranma 1/2, and is in fact one of the earliest "novelty" styles formally introduced in the canon, being second only to Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics.

Base Concept
Martial Arts Figure Skating is based on the concept of adapting the rules and physical abilities of figure skating to incorporate basic pugilistic techniques. Unlike most "novelty" styles, such as Martial Arts Dining, Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, or Martial Arts Shogi, there are no specific rules governing the mechanics or stylistics of combat; instead, it is an "environmental focused" style, teaching its practitioners how to battle whilst mounted upon ice-skates, roller-skates, or similar devices. In this, Martial Arts Figure Skating is closer to the likes of Martial Arts Cooking.

The closest thing to an apparent "rule" of the style is that battles are fought between mixed-sex teams of two, and it's unclear in canon if this is a mandatory stylistic rule or merely the terms of the individual challenges faced by Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo.

Known Techniques

 * Couple Cleaver: Only named in the anime, this is a tandem maneuver that requires both Azusa and Mikado to complete. The teammates grip each other's hands before Mikado swings Azusa around like a spinning flail as he skates towards his target; if need be, he can also throw Azusa as a projectile. The primary object of this attack is not so much to hit the target, but instead to separate the enemy team, allowing Azusa to catch the male opponent and Mikado the female. Its main use is to set up for the Goodbye Whirl.
 * Goodbye Whirl: Once Azusa has arranged to grab the male opponent by the ankles, pulling him off of his feet and causing him to grab his female partner, Mikado hoists Azusa aloft and begins to spin rapidly in place. As they spin, Mikado and Azusa exhort for the male opponent to release his female partner, promising to let him go unharmed if he complies. Once he does, or once centrifugal force pulls them apart, Mikado tosses Azusa skyward and races to catch the female opponent unharmed, whilst Asuza does a horizontal spin to slam the hapless male opponent into the rink below. Assuming that the male maintains consciousness and the female fights her way out of Mikado's grip, this technique usually devastates their trust in each other. For obvious reasons, this is a tandem maneuver.
 * Dance of Death: Mikado's only known solo attack; pirouetting on one foot, Mikado becomes a whirling vortex of high-speed punches and kicks that most opponents cannot hope to block or endure, allowing him to pummel them senseless when they fall into range.
 * Dance of the Snowbird: Azusa's only known solo attack, which only appears in the anime. Pirouetting rapidly on the tip of one foot, Azusa shaves the ice beneath her, creating a mass of frost that is then kicked up by the wind-force her spinning generates. This creates a mist-like mass she can use as a defensive smokescreen.

Known Practictioners

 * Azusa Shiratori
 * Mikado Sanzenin

Appearances

 * Martial Arts Figure Skating Arc
 * Kuno Becomes a Marianne!