Romeo and Juliet Arc

The  is the 15th story arc covered in the Ranma ½ manga, spanning four chapters. This arc was included in Volume 8 of the  and Volume 7 of the Viz Media tankōbon.

Plot Summary
Akane is chosen to be in the school's performance of, with Ranma, Kuno, Happosai and Gosunkugi fighting over the role of. Despite the other's best attempts to dispose of Ranma, he still succeeds in getting to the stage on time before dealing the other would-be Romeos.

Unfortunately, with Akane now asleep thanks to Gosunkugi, the play changes to. With the head judge assuring Ranma he'll win and get to "see China" if he wins, Ranma goes along with the changes and tries to kiss Akane, but can't bring himself to do so. Luckily Akane awakes and helps Ranma to kiss her by taping over his mouth. That evening, however, Ranma and Akane return to the Tendo Dojo to learn that the prize was to meet Mr. Ryokou, known by his friends as "China", much to Ranma's devastation.

Major Events

 * Akane is chosen to play in the school play.
 * Ranma and Akane share their first kiss (albeit with Ranma's mouth taped).

Changes in anime

 * Gosunkugi is still replaced with the anime original character Sarugakure, and most of his scenes play a bit differently.
 * During the kiss scene, it's Akane asking if Ranma hates her, not her dad. The whole thing is a little more romantic, less played for laughs.

Characters Introduced

 * The Director and his Assistant
 * Mr. Ryokou