Introduction Arc

The Introduction Arc is the first story arc covered in the Ranma ½ manga, spanning two chapters. This story arc was included in Volume 1 of both the Shonen Sunday and Viz Media publications.

Plot Summary
Soun Tendo receives a postcard from his old friend Genma Saotome. However when Genma arrives with his son Ranma, Soun, along with his daughters Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane, are shocked that the Genma they'd been expecting is a panda while his "son" is actually a girl. While Akane and Ranma have a sparring match against each other, Soun learns from the now human Genma what's happened to him and Ranma. Meanwhile, Akane goes into the bathroom only to find an unknown man in there. After Akane leaves the bathroom and tells the rest of the family about the man in there, the same man comes down the stairs (wearing the same clothes as Ranma had earlier) and says that he is Ranma Saotome.

Soun explains that Genma and Ranma fell into the cursed springs of Jusenkyo and turn into a Panda and a girl respectively. Genma and Ranma then go into more detail as to how this happened. Once they finish Genma gets scolded by Kasumi for going to such a dangerous place when he couldn't even read the map they were using to get there at the time. Ranma then gets knocked unconscious by Akane when Ranma compares her body to that of Akane's. When Ranma eventually comes round and goes to have a bath, only to encounter Akane naked again, Akane then slaps Ranma for seeing her naked again.

Major Events

 * Ranma and Genma Saotome arrive at the Tendo Dojo as a girl and a panda, confusing the Tendo family at first.
 * Ranma gets engaged to Akane Tendo.
 * After a misunderstanding when Akane sees boy-form Ranma for the first time in the tub, Genma explains what happened, revealing that he and Ranma fell into the springs at Jusenkyo and are now cursed to change form from men to girl and panda whenever doused in cold water, with hot water changing them back.

Changes in anime

 * Female Ranma has red hair. This will apply to entire anime, including OVA.
 * We're introduced to Ranma and Genma before Tendo family.
 * Anime frequently uses different layout than anime and changes small details. For examples when Akane first sees male Ranma in manga she goes for a big rock from garden to use it as a weapon. In anime she picks up table Soun and Genma were using instead.

Characters Introduced

 * Soun Tendo
 * Kasumi Tendo
 * Nabiki Tendo
 * Akane Tendo
 * Ranma Saotome (female)
 * Genma Saotome (panda)
 * Genma Saotome (human)
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Jusenkyo Guide