Nabiki, Ranma's New Fiancée!

Ranma wa Nabiki no Iinazuke? (乱馬はなびきの許婚?) is the 22nd episode in the fifth season of Ranma ½, Martial Mayhem, and is the 110th episode overall.

An angry Akane decides to renounce her position as Ranma's Tendo fiancee, transferring the responsibility to Nabiki instead.

Relation to the Previous Episode
None.

Just Another Day
With one of her having been stolen by Happosai, Akane chases down the old pervert throughout the Tendo Dojo, determined to get it back. Eventually the pair pass Kasumi who's carrying tray of several pieces left over from breakfast. As Happosai speeds past, Akane grabs the bottle of from Kasumi before chucking it in Happosai's direction. Unfortunately Happosai avoids the bottle, leaving it to hurtle towards the door just as Nabiki starts walking through.

Unsurprisingly the bottle hits Nabiki's shoulder, leaving a large stain of sauce on the new blouse she's wearing. Without another second's thought Akane rushes over profusely apologises for her actions; whilst Kasumi comments on how a soy sauce stain won't ever come out, especially on a white blouse. Nabiki, however, calmly tells Akane to forget about it, as she shouldn't have taken it without permission in the first place. She then continues handing the blouse to it's real owner, Akane, before walking off into the house, much to Akane's frustration.

Later that day Akane heads up to her sister's room, where Nabiki offers Akane anything in her wardrobe as way of an apology for ruining her blouse. Akane happily accepts the offer, but soon notices that almost all the clothes in Nabiki's wardrobe are actually hers!

After Akane spends the rest of the day going through Nabiki's clothes to find which one's are hers, Nabiki informs her that she was only borrowing the clothes. Just then Ranma walks in to return a rag which Nabiki let him borrow to clean the training hall, but notes that it fell apart in the process. Although Nabiki tells Ranma not to worry and just throw it away, Akane recognises as the sports towel she embroidered. Infuriated with her hard work being squandered, and angered over Ranma & Nabiki's comments on her lackluster sewing skills, Akane punches Ranma out of frustration.

During dinner that same evening, Nabiki apologises to the badly-bruised Ranma for her violent sister's actions. Akane, however, reminds Nabiki how she took her clothes without permission. Ignoring this Nabiki comments to Ranma how difficult it must be for him to be engaged to someone like Akane, a fact which Ranma silently nods in agreement to.

With Akane demanding to know who's side Ranma's on, Ranma calmly informs her that none of this matters as she still has the clothes she looks best in. This leads Akane to try and figure out which outfit Ranma's talking about, but soon learns the answer when Ranma reveals he was talking about her training gi. Infuriated once again, Akane flips the table over Ranma (leaving everyone else to quickly grab up all the food) before Soun finally intervenes and instructs the pair to stop fighting.

Once dinner is finished, Akane heads outside to vent her frustration on some cement blocks. Ranma, meanwhile, is taken aside by Kasumi who asks him to comfort Akane as he's the best person to do it. Kasumi adds that although Akane is violent, strong-willed, stubborn as well as scatterbrained, clumsy and not cute, she's still a girl. Just then Soun and Nabiki appear, who mention that, as her fiancé, he (Ranma) should be nice to her. Ranma, however, turns to Nabiki and asks her why she doesn't apologise as she started all this; leading Nabiki to explain that she only angered Akane whilst he's the one who hurt her.

Seeing no other alternative, Ranma gives in and goes to find Akane.

A little while later, Ranma finds Akane on the dojo balcony, but struggles to get her to even look at him, let alone listen to him apologise. Luckily Akane quickly tires of avoiding Ranma and asks him what he wants. At that moment Nabiki appears as well to tell Akane that they insulted her, but didn't deliberately gang up on her and that the insults just happened to occur simultaneously. Infuriated more than ever, Akane tells the pair to leave her alone before punching the balcony, causing it to disintegrate.

Akane quickly forward rolls mid-air so that she may land of a tree branch feet-first. Unfortunately the branch breaks under her momentum, causing Akane to land firmly on her tailbone when she hits the ground. Milliseconds later Akane recalls that Nabiki doesn't know what to do and turns around to try and save her, only to see that Ranma has already done so. During the ensuing awkward moment, Ranma reminds Nabiki that he had to save her instead of Akane as she's weak and "ordinary", unlike her younger sister. Ranma then walks over to Akane in order to make sure she understands, but Akane slaps Ranma in anger before declaring to Ranma that she's had enough before telling Ranma to go and be Nabiki's fiancé instead!

Not a moment later, Nabiki takes up her sister's offer, but does give her the opportunity to take it back as she plans to have Ranma for "keeps". But after a second's reconsideration, Akane lets Nabiki have her wish and even hands over Ranma with a little bow.

Having gone back inside Akane informs Kasumi and her father about the situation, leading them to make sure Akane understands what's going on as it doesn't matter to the Tendo school who Ranma marries. Kasumi then adds that Nabiki's dream is to sell the school and live a life of luxury, moments before Soun instructs Akane to make up with Ranma.

Akane then heads to her room where she thinks about how Nabiki can't be serious about Ranma, so decides that she can ignore the two of them and nothing will happen.

After thinking about how all this began with a fight with Nabiki and how Ranma has nothing to do with it, Akane heads over to Nabiki's room in the hope of making up with her. When she gets there, however, Akane overhears Ranma trying to convince Nabiki to make up with her. Nabiki, however, asks Ranma if he can't see how she feels about him before proceeding confess her love for him; much to Ranma and Akane's shock.

The Honeymoon Period
Early the next morning Akane wakes up and heads outside where she finds Ranma doing some early-morning training of his own. Seeing Akane sneaking about, Ranma asks her if she wants anything. This leads Akane to reply that she doesn't before moving on to question Ranma about he feels about being engaged to Nabiki, to which Ranma responds that he doesn't care who he fiancé is as he's too busy training. Hearing this Akane begins wondering if Ranma really doesn't care for Nabiki. At that moment Nabiki herself appears with a towel to cleanup all the sweat of Ranma's face.

A few moments later Nabiki notices her sister watching, but before she can talk with her Akane runs off and swiftly heads off for school.

Later that same day, Ranma takes Nabiki to a secluded area of the school ground to ask her if she really meant what she said about loving him. This question immediately leads Nabiki to wonder if Ranma doesn't like older woman and begins crying until Ranma informs her that age doesn't matter to him. The moment he does this, Nabiki's attitude completely changes as she becomes overjoyed at the news. Ranma then proceeds to crouch behind a nearby tree (thinking how to breakup with Nabiki), whilst Nabiki herself happily sells pictures of Ranma's topless female form to a large crowd of students.

Overhearing the commotion behind him, Ranma looks at Nabiki just as the students take their leave. Ranma then proceeds to demand to know what the other student's wanted from Nabiki, but quickly learns why when a set of Nabiki's pictures of Ranma fall from her grasp. As Ranma looks over the photos, Nabiki explains that they're images of the person she loves, so it makes sense for her to carry them around. But before Ranma can get an answer as to why Nabiki was selling them, an even larger group of students emerge to get their own set of pictures...

Akane's Observations
That afternoon Akane begins starring at local shop windows, wanting to avoid seeing Ranma and Nabiki when she gets home for a long as possible. Suddenly Nabiki appears and asks her sister what's wrong. Nabiki then continues by deciding that Akane must like Ranma after all and attempts the make her an offer, but Akane tearfully exclaims to Nabiki to just stop as she can't say "it" like she can; leaving Nabiki speechless.

The pair then head to a local restaurant where Akane reveals she overheard what Nabiki said to Ranma the night before. Nabiki tries to claim that she was kidding, although Akane refuses to accept that to be the case since whilst she might be twisted, selfish and cold, she knows she would never joke about something like this. Unsure what to do next Nabiki returns to trying to get Akane to agree to take back Ranma, but Akane continually rejects every offer until she (Nabiki) eventually gives up.

That evening, a tired and beaten Ranma finally drags himself back to the Tendo Dojo where he's met by a very affectionate Nabiki, who instructs Ranma to take a bath before dinner so she can wash his back. At that moment an irate Akane appears, but she soon suppresses her anger and runs off upstairs.

At dinner Nabiki attempts to feed Ranma, much to Akane's frustration and Soun's discomfort. Later on a deeply depressed Akane sits in her darkened room, telling herself that she doesn't care what happens between Ranma and Nabiki as it has nothing to do with her. Just then Akane overhears Nabiki welcome Ranma into her room through the wall. Almost immediately, Akane heads over and puts her ear against the wall and hears what sounds like Ranma trying to have his way with Nabiki. Not a second later, Akane storms into her sister's room, only to find it was all an ruse by Nabiki; who once again unsuccessfully attempts to get Akane to pay for Ranma's return as her fiancé.

The next day Akane heads for school as usual, determined that she'll make up with Ranma. Once she arrives in class, however, Akane is shocked to see Ranma walk in with Nabiki wrapped around his arm.

After morning classes finish, Nabiki takes Ranma up to the school roof where she melodramatically tells him that they should break up. Unfortunately Ranma doesn't agree with the idea, leading Nabiki to attempt to have Ranma break up with her for a small fee. Hearing that Ranma doesn't want to break up, Nabiki demands he kisses her as a sign that he wants them to stay together. Once a few seconds of silence pass, Nabiki drops to her knees in tears, declaring that Ranma was only using her to get back at Akane. Nabiki then continues by trying to get Ranma to pay for compensation for her pain, but sees that he's already disappeared; as Akane (who's been watching the whole time) thinks about much her sister is toying with Ranma's feelings.

Upon her return home, Kasumi suggests to Nabiki that she gives Ranma back to Akane now, to which Nabiki jokingly claims that she's been in love with Ranma for a long time. Unbeknownst to the pair, Ranma has overheard their conversation and continues to listen in as Kasumi notes how he'll be when he finds out the truth.

Returning to the Status Quo
Now knowing how Nabiki really feels about him, Ranma heads up to her room and arranges a date with her. Deciding it's time to cut Ranma lose before he gets too close, Nabiki informs Akane that Ranma wants to have a date with her. Akane asks why, prompting Nabiki to note that Ranma probably wants to make up with her. After handing Akane a note with the time and place for the date, Nabiki heads to her room whilst thinking how nice she is, whilst Akane prepares for her date as Ranma plots his revenge against Nabiki...

Next morning, as Akane heads off, Ranma buys some roses in preparation; not noticing that Nabiki cycled past behind him and now knows that the date was a trap. However, upon seeing how happy Akane looks as she heads to the date, Nabiki decides to sacrifice herself to save her sister and reaches Ranma before Akane arrives.

Seeing how irate Ranma is, Nabiki engages him in a game of chase around the park, moments before Akane arrives. Ranma soon catches Nabiki on her bike, but is soon knocked off by passing tree branch. As she continues to cycle away, Nabiki suggests to Ranma that he apologise to Akane and become her fiancé, but her suggestion falls on deaf ears.

Akane, meanwhile, waits for Ranma but soon begins to worry that he's changed his mind and stood her up. At that moment Akane hears Ranma chasing Nabiki behind her and follows the pair to the nearby hedge maze. Once there, Akane soon loses sight of the pair until Nabiki rushes past, seconds before Ranma grabs her (Akane) through the hedge, mistaking her for Nabiki.

Refusing Nabiki's claims that it was Akane he's holding, Ranma drags her through the hedge before declaring that he loves her, realising too late that Nabiki was telling the truth. With Ranma's revenge failed, Nabiki tells Akane she has her to thank for Ranma's confession before heading back home, whilst thinking how lacklustre Ranma's "revenge" plan was.

With Nabiki gone, Ranma explains to Akane how he planned to get back at her older sister before noticing Akane walking off. This prompts Ranma to tell Akane that home is in the other direction, to which Akane retorts by asking if this date wasn't meant to make up all that's happened recently. Not wanting to waste the roses he bought, Ranma hands Akane the bouquet, which she happily accepts.

Quotes

 * (Akane) "The sports towel I worked so hard to embroider! It's mine! Look at the bunny!"
 * (Ranma) "Bunny? I though it was a jellyfish."
 * (Ranma) "Won't this be solved if you apologised?"
 * (Nabiki) "You don't get it, do you? I only made Akane angry. You're the one who hurt her."
 * (Nabiki) "What a lame revenge. I got all worked up for nothing."

Trivia

 * This episode reveals what Nabiki plans are for the Tendo Dojo, should she inherit it. Namely, sell it on so that she can live in luxury.
 * This episode shows how Akane is really rather spoiled, seeing as how her family browbeats Ranma into taking the blame for upsetting her even when it wasn't really his fault.
 * This episode severely trimmed out a good chunk of side plots from its original manga version, such as Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi ganging up against Nabiki, only for Ranma to come to her defense, and the male students suddenly charging in to take out Akane, only for her to smack them all away.