Cologne (コロン, Koron?) is the leader of the Chinese Amazons and the great-grandmother of Shampoo.[1][2]
Biography[]
History[]
In the anime, Cologne's relationship with Happosai is expanded in the episode 55. At 18 years old, she secretly loved him despite his shortness, thievery, and unpopularity among the Amazons. In episode 68, as he tried to force her to marry him, but she was ignoring him to learn the hard way by using the Hiryū Shōten Ha. Sadly, his two timing ways ended up breaking the Amazon girl's heart and he left the village with her stolen family heirloom, the Nanban mirror.
Plot[]
Cologne, in her old age, with Shampoo and their "suitors".
By the series, Cologne is very elderly, being either 118+ years old (manga) or around 300 (original anime), to the point that she gets around by pogoing on a gnarled wooden staff she uses as a weapon. She is a leader (or the leader) of the Joketsuzoku village and has personally raised and trained her great-granddaughter, Shampoo, whom Cologne is openly proud of.
After Shampoo returned to China from Japan following her formal meeting with Ranma Saotome, Cologne trained her great-granddaughter again in Jusenkyo, where Shampoo accidently fell and received a cat curse. Realizing that Ranma had been cursed as well, Shampoo returned to Japan. This time, Cologne accompanied Shampoo to Furinkan, where the two Amazons opened the Cat Café.
Cologne often calls Ranma "bride-groom" and "future/son-in-law," and though she has tried to trick and scheme to get him to marry Shampoo (as well as at a couple of opportunities that fall into her lap), most of the time Cologne is there as an aside, seeming to find joy in just watching the madness around her. As a grand master of martial arts, she occasionally teaches Ranma new techniques, sometimes doing the same for his rivals.
Appearance[]
As a young woman, Cologne was quite beautiful (and normal sized) like her great-granddaughter Shampoo, in contrast to Happosai, who was basically the same, only younger. The cause of her severe wrinkled skin and shrinkage is unknown but is probably an exaggeration of the tendency for some people to get a bit wrinkled and slightly shorter as they age. In the anime, her outfit is a green dress with a red trim and her headband is green. In the remake version, her dress are now yellow-green with a purple trim and yellow Chinese emblems in each side of her upper long sleeves and her headband is purplish pink.
Personality[]
When first introduced Cologne comes off as an authoritarian, absolute follower of Chinese Amazonian law. She immediately sets Shampoo for re-training as she had failed in her objective with Ranma, even going as far as fighting Shampoo in Jusenkyo much to the distress of her father.
Upon meeting Ranma, she immediately attacked him and tried to force him into marriage with Shampoo, going as far as to use the Cat-Tongue Point technique to make Ranma's body intolerant to warm water, locking him into his female form unless he agreed to marry with Shampoo. Nonetheless, Cologne was also fair and provided Ranma a chance by teaching him the Katchu Tenshin Amaguriken technique, increasing his attack speed. During their final encounter Cologne feigned weakness to coerce Ranma into agreeing to marry Shampoo if he lost, but nonetheless acquiesced the Phoenix Pill on recognition of Ranma's spirit.
Cologne much like Shampoo, derives joy and amusement in the chaos they unleash, and is generally unapologetic for the disaster her actions bring. It can be assumed that Shampoo takes these traits, directly from Cologne herself.
Although Cologne would pursue further attempts to force Ranma into marriage, such as by training Ryoga and using him as a means to coerce Ranma, she mellows out as the series progresses. Cologne would eventually reduce her involvement with the issue directly, but does get behind Shampoo's attempts nonetheless.
Cologne would come to Ranma's aid at crucial times, such as when Ranma had his strength deprived by Happosai and would remain a steadfast ally of Ranma and generally on friendly terms.
Later on a bigger focus of her character is placed on her history with Happosai. Being former lovers that broke on the worst terms, their relationship after several years is one largely awkward, uncomfortable and filled with arguably unresolved affairs. Cologne remains repulsed by Happosai's perversion and antics that have not changed even after many years, but even so she doesn't entirely hate him either.
Abilities[]
Cologne in her prime.
Cologne demonstrate the Bakusai Tenketsu technique.
Of the entire Ranma cast, only Happosai could compare with Cologne's sheer skill, though the Ranma's full battle aura, Ryoga's perfect Shishi Hōkōdan, as well as Rouge's and Saffron's fire projection all seem beyond her in terms of raw power. She is the grand master of the Chinese Amazon martial arts and knows many ancient and powerful martial techniques that have been passed down for thousands of years, such as the Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken, the Bakusai Tenketsu and the Hiryū Shōten Ha. She is capable of trickery in combat such as holding back her true abilities in order to lull her opponents into a false sense of confidence, which once worked on Ranma all too well.
In addition to the martial arts, Cologne is knowledgeable in several other disciplines such as magical artifacts, arcane lore, Asian mythology, and Chinese cooking. It is very likely that she trained generations of Chinese Amazon warriors before she trained Shampoo, making her at least partially responsible for the Chinese Amazons being the powerful warrior tribe they are today.
Quotes[]
To be added
Non-canon Appearances[]
In the Ranma Hot Song's contest, a scene in Shampoo's song "My Lover" shows a movie starring young Cologne and idealized young Happosai.
Cologne is playable in the debug mode of Ranma ½: Chōnai Gekitōhen combat.
Trivia[]
- As with her fellow Joketsuzoku, Shampoo and Mousse, the gag in Cologne's name is that it sounds like a beauty product in English. Cologne's name is written with the kanji/hanzi "Ke" (meaning "Permitted" or "Certainly") and "Lun" ("Kunlun Mountains").
- A running gag in the series involves someone (usually Mousse) insulting Cologne by calling her a disrespectful name (e.g., Mackerel Jerky, Mysterious Mummy, old ghoul, Dried Up Monkey, etc.) which is quickly followed by Cologne whacking him over the head with her staff, even if he is well out of its reach.
- In the anime, when introducing or talking about a technique Cologne has mentioned historical figures who succumbed to or were fooled by it.
- In the fourth ending, Cologne is referred to as "Obaba", meaning "old lady" (in a respectful way) or "honorable hag". The name Obaba is used in italian dub.
- In the Latin American dubbing she is said to be 3000ish, possibly a translation mistake. There is a Christmas episode where she says (referring the death of Jesus Christ and not literally): "Yo sólo tenía 500 años cuando todo ocurrió" ("I was only 500 when everything happened".) Possibly related to this is Genma's insultingly calling Cologne a "3000 year old ghoul" in the English dubbed version of the second Dragon's Whisker episode.
- In one of Cologne's flashbacks, it was revealed that she used to speak like Shampoo.
- Although Cologne is Shampoo's great-grandmother, she often refers to Ranma as her "future son-in-law", which on a technical level would be incorrect unless she was Shampoo's mother. Alternatively, she may simply consider "Future great-grandson-in-law" to be something of a mouthful. It could also be because she raised Shampoo, or because she is the matriarch and he would be marrying into her tribe.
- Similarly to how the design of Happosai was recycled in Takahashi's subsequent series InuYasha to create the character Myōga, Cologne's design was recycled to create Myōga's anime-only fiance Shōga. Cologne and Shoga also share the same Japanese voice actress.
- Her second English voice actress provided the voices of Ritsuko Chigusa of the Maison Ikkoku and Narrator of Mermaid's Scar (OVA).
Media Appearances[]
References[]
External links[]
- Cologne at the Ranma ½ Perfect Edition