Ranma + Tenchi GXP Crossover

[Gaming Ikari]

I was watching Tenchi GXP today and got the barest thread of a crossover idea. Essentially, the entire thing would be a vehicle for hilarious Airi/Ranma and Seto/Ranma interactions, beginning with Ranma discovering Airi's berserk button when it comes to being called Granny.

Now, let's take it a step farther. Ranma gets assigned to some less-than-important duty as a newly-graduated GP cadet, something like doing mail runs or whatever. Naturally, he'd go hit Airi's berserk button whenever the mood struck him or he thought he could get a better (read: more dangerous) assignment. "Hey Granny, you got anything better? Like something that they could get a healthy young man like me to do instead of a senior citizen like you?"

As for Seto... She would probably take ONE LOOK at Ranma's relationship issues and then never stop laughing. Especially with Ranma's rather extensive collection of personality flaws. Hell, for the laughs, it'd be fun to have him run into Tokimi and somewhat charm her somehow. Tenchi's got two goddesses, it's only fair to give Ranma one, right?

The whole plot could reasonably be kicked off several ways, depending on the level of cliche I want to involve in the start: Beginning with the most obvious, Ranma could be a childhood friend or cousin of Tenchi, happens to drop by and then gets sucked up in the otherworldly craziness. If that's too cliche (and I believe it is), I could go for something a little less obvious, like Ranma's fight with Saffron pinging some sensors in Mihoshi's ship. Believing Ranma to be a transplanted alien, she drops off an application and nobody realizes he's just a human until he gets to the academy. By then, he's already pissed off Airi enough for her to rubberstamp his application and get his ass moving towards a nice, high-risk assignment that'll take him down a peg or two.

My main problem right now (aside from wanting to finish off one of my current stories before picking up ANOTHER) is trying to figure out when and where I plan on taking this. I'd probably avoid Ranma picking up the Body Enhancement stuff, just to avoid overpowering him. At least, initially. Perhaps have him run into some of the more heinous people in the universe (like Tenchi's Ryouko, for example) and then start to consider it. Or maybe have him go the other route, and start undergoing some DBZ-like gravity training to compensate for the "cheats the other losers in the academy use."

I'm also searching for ideas to bring at least a few of the other Ranma regulars into the equation. Ryouga the Space Pirate, anyone? Or I could sneak some sort of distant alien blood into his blood to get him into the GP academy. Perhaps have Airi send Ranma back to earth to train with her husband for a while (read: Have Yosho beat the living crap out of him until he learns some manners) and introduce a couple of the girls into the equation that way?

Anyway, yeah. There's the idea. Thoughts?

[LawOhki]

Tokimi took over the resident kami spot at the Masaki shrine, so yes Tenchi has all three Choushin "living" with him.

Body enhancement would be a requirement, if he couldn't complete the physical exam, he wouldn't be able to become a GP officer. And Ranma would have no qualms about using any advantage he could get. Knowing that he would be going up against people that would have that plus more, he'd jump at the chance to even the playing field.

Issue there is the curse, would it keep the enhancement or remain normal? Is it magic or genetic modification like Ryoko has?

The Ranma annoying Airi angle is good, which if she sent him to Yosho to get worked over, might be a good point to drag in the rest of the cast since it'd be back on earth.

Seto would probably finish the job Genma started, as she eventually did to Seina. Perhaps a dynamic with Ranma trying to avoid the Jurai noblewoman as much as possible? Perhaps Airi's next punishment when she learns that Ranma likes being around Yosho for training, is to make him spend as much time around Seto as possible?

A decent idea, I think there's another story that has a similar premise, the real question is where does it go? Does Ranma takes Seina's place? Is there a big bad to beat?

[Gaming Ikari]

No, the original plan here is to have Ranma essentially take Seina's place as Seto and Airi's whipping boy. Perhaps even hang a lampshade on the whole thing by having Ranma join the Kamidake II's crew for a while and then have Seina mutter to Ranma (who's just been visited by Seto and/or Airi), "Better you than me."

The thing with the Body Enhancement is that it's such a drastic power up, it'd be giving Ranma a massive upgrade right at the beginning of the story. Whatever big bad I eventually cook up, I want him to completely outclass Ranma for a while before having some Convenient Plot Powerup enabling our hero to fight the badguy on even terms. The Body Enhancement would be an ideal form for that, and it's not like Ranma would have any trouble with the regimen Seiryo was running Seina through. 50 laps, 1000 pushups, then 1000 situps? Ranma would chew through those like nothing and probably do so at a rate BETTER than the enhanced GP recruits.

Alright, how's this? Ranma's curse interferes with the medical scanning, both allowing him to continue with the GP despite being human and conveniently masking his lack of nanomachines. The GP Administration (i.e. Airi) sees Ranma in combat and his rate of healing and conclude that he's ALREADY undergone something much like the Body Enhancement treatment, making doing so without the ability to scan him a very risky procedure. So they skip it. That gives Ranma the ability to gain a powerup later in the story while giving enough reasonable handwaving to explain why it's not done right when he's recruited.

As for Tokimi, it's pretty explicitly stated that Washu and Tsunami/Sasami are in love with Tenchi, which is what I meant by Tenchi having two of them. Tokimi, on the advice of her sisters, perhaps, decides to give this whole mortal-loving thing a try... And concludes that Tenchi is just too spineless for her to deal with. Along comes Ranma to train with Yosho (perhaps after the Body Enhancement, so he can reasonably spar with Ryouko and Tenchi) who proves much more volatile and interesting. Cue a Space Pirate attack on Ranma while he's staying at the Misaki shrine, and the Lady Tokimi decides to tag along when the Kamidake II comes back to pick up their Ship-to-Ship Boarding Specialist. While I'm sure pretty much everyone would object, I don't think that'd bother Tokimi much.

The big bad and his or her organization have no real faces or identity right now. I'm more focused on getting this trainwreck moving in their direction before I start to develop specific motives for them.

[LawOhki]

The thing with the Body Enhancement is that it's such a drastic power up, it'd be giving Ranma a massive upgrade right at the beginning of the story. Whatever big bad I eventually cook up, I want him to completely outclass Ranma for a while before having some Convenient Plot Powerup enabling our hero to fight the badguy on even terms. The Body Enhancement would be an ideal form for that, and it's not like Ranma would have any trouble with the regimen Seiryo was running Seina through. 50 laps, 1000 pushups, then 1000 situps? Ranma would chew through those like nothing and probably do so at a rate BETTER than the enhanced GP recruits.

Without going back and watching the episode again, weren't they doing those within the span of a few minutes? That becomes a balancing issue. What need is there for body enhancement if you can train to be better? Either the physics defying things in Ranma are toned down, or the GP enhancements are cranked up.

Alright, how's this? Ranma's curse interferes with the medical scanning, both allowing him to continue with the GP despite being human and conveniently masking his lack of nanomachines. The GP Administration (i.e. Airi) sees Ranma in combat and his rate of healing and conclude that he's ALREADY undergone something much like the Body Enhancement treatment, making doing so without the ability to scan him a very risky procedure. So they skip it. That gives Ranma the ability to gain a powerup later in the story while giving enough reasonable handwaving to explain why it's not done right when he's recruited.

That's a better reason for him to wait, or even just they had to wait and send the scan results to Washu so she could figure out how to work around the curse.

As for Tokimi, it's pretty explicitly stated that Washu and Tsunami/Sasami are in love with Tenchi, which is what I meant by Tenchi having two of them. Tokimi, on the advice of her sisters, perhaps, decides to give this whole mortal-loving thing a try... And concludes that Tenchi is just too spineless for her to deal with. Along comes Ranma to train with Yosho (perhaps after the Body Enhancement, so he can reasonably spar with Ryouko and Tenchi) who proves much more volatile and interesting. Cue a Space Pirate attack on Ranma while he's staying at the Misaki shrine, and the Lady Tokimi decides to tag along when the Kamidake II comes back to pick up their Ship-to-Ship Boarding Specialist. While I'm sure pretty much everyone would object, I don't think that'd bother Tokimi much.

It's for all purposes locked in that Tsunami/Washu love Tenchi. But I think you're giving Tokimi too little credit. She obviously cared for Z, seems to like Tenchi a good deal as well. But really what would Ranma do that would be so interesting for her? He doesn't have Tenchi's potential, no weird super bad luck field like Seina, and even Ranma's ability to get women to fall for him is WAY overblown in fanon.

Perhaps as a start to the story, Ranma's off training in the mountains for some reason. Perhaps the Hells Cradle arc? Sees Amane crash landing her space ship, heads off to investigate, and ends up helping drag Seina out of the lake, as well as getting an application for the GP.

Forgets about the application till after his duel with Genma, when he finally gets to deciding if he wants to see what's going on or not. This way you can have Ranma and Seina both getting into hijinks at the Academy.

[Spokavriel]

I'd really prefer if you avoid the Body Enhancement. Creative use of the Chestnut fist can lead to nearly perfectly matching all the abilities shown in Seina's class mates. It's just a matter of Ranma seeing it happen to start trying to figure out how to adapt the technique to the situation.

I have another idea on how to get Tokimi involved in this. Think about the Experiment that the 3 godesses were doing to create someone able to use the Lighthawk wings and maybe even be more powerful than they are.

The original method was to cause strife and break the worlds and societies to see if that causes one to grow significantly to achieve that. Tokimi was the one to make Z following that method.

What if part of the way she did this was to create techniques that should destroy people attempting to learn them.

You more than likely already guessed I was eluding to the Neko-ken But maybe there could be more than just that. Maybe Genma's training under Happosai and consequent training of Ranma could be heavily influenced by such techniques.

That way Ranma could be an unintended result of Tokimi's experiments (Maybe without going all the way to light hawk wings) But still enough of her responsibility to be noticed.

[Gaming Ikari]

Spokavriel, good points.

Though as a twist on your own idea, Tokimi might notice that Ranma has managed to endure quite a bit of strife entirely WITHOUT her interest, which is what sparks her interest. Afterall, she's gone out of her way to create chaos and havoc all around the universe, and here's this interesting little mortal that gets up to so much trouble all by himself! That Tenchi boy has started to settle down anyway... It's not like he's going anywhere. Following this boy for a dozen years or so might be interesting! (That's probably a far better rationale for having Tokimi tag along with Ranma, yeah?)

I'm still not sold on abandoning the Body Enhancement entirely (canon Ranma would be turned into a fine paste beside some of the more impressive people in the Tenchiverse) but could, perhaps, spoof the "awesome power" it provides by having Ranma's physical condition only be *slightly* enhanced by all the nanomachines. The theory there would be that the nanomachines largely operate by providing a significant boost in the subject's muscle tone by bringing it to the limit of a subject's potential: A limit Ranma is already so close to that the boost he gets is minimal at best. Perhaps he only gets a few fringe benefits from the nanomachines instead (slightly enhanced healing, he doesn't get winded as easily, etc), with the major gains in power coming from the training he gets through Yosho?

[Spokavriel]

Maybe a durability enhancement? Instead of the physical capabilities being enhanced (Because the Battle Dogi and Super Soba show where that goes) I could easier see Ranma accepting that being harder to hurt could be beneficial. And having a way to do that without someone to put him through the Bakusai Tenketsu would be a Big +

How will you keep the Curse in play? Most non Jurrian ships don't exactly keep an abundance of water easily accessible in the crew spaces.

There are allot of Felinoid species. Will the Neko-ken come into play with them or will Ranma be able to convince himself they are "Not a cat" since they go around on two legs and talk?

As to how Ranma ends up at the GP academy what about having him assist Mihoshi in an arrest on an alien that was trying to evade the GP by going to Earth? A Ki blast or similar standard Ranma Technique would probably be more than enough to make her think he isn't a local.

Who all will know about the Curse? What would the Academy be like for Ranma? Sure that first day or two when he's working out how to keep up with enhanced people would be interesting. But how much have you thought about the difference between the Academy and what Ranma normally gets away with in an instructional setting. AKA sleeping in classes leaping out windows and ignoring instructors.

[Gaming Ikari]

Warning. This is pretty long.

Preliminary Outline for unnamed Ranma/GXP crossover

Chapter 1: Mihoshi's onboard computer detects the fight between Ranma and Saffron in China. This flags the incident for review, and Mihoshi concludes that the boy would be prime GP material, based on the fact Saffron is, in fact, an amnesiac Space Pirate who landed on Earth thousands of years ago. This leads to her placing the newly-reborn Saffron under arrest before swinging by the Tendo Dojo and offering him an “all expenses paid entry into the finest academy that exists!”

Based on Mihoshi's vague and poorly-worded proposal, everyone (incorrectly) concludes that Ranma is being offered a full scholarship to Tokyo University and prompt him to accept. Ranma, after a bit of hesitation, agrees to fill out the application, whereupon Mihoshi leaves. The next day everyone wakes up to find Ranma gone and a Galaxy Police team arriving to explain the details of Ranma's new life, much to mass confusion and consternation.

Chapter 2-3: Ranma at first is extraordinarily reluctant to join, protesting his kidnapping and demanding he be returned home. Then a green-haired chick with a headband manages to embarrass him in close-quarters combat and he decides to hang around for a bit, if just so he can train for a rematch. He slowly acclimates to life in the GP, undergoing an experience similar to Seina's first few days at the academy, sans meeting two love interests.

I'm thinking perhaps Kiyone Makibi would make an excellent instructor at the Academy, allowing me to introduce a canon character into the crossover who could plausibly be teaching at the time. She's got enough of an iron hand (thanks to dealing with Mihoshi) that I can see her more or less whipping Ranma into shape soon, especially since she refuses to have a proper rematch with him until he graduates. His training allows him to closely match the other GP cadets, but he's thoroughly annoyed that they're all just as fast and strong as he is. His only real advantage over them is his martial arts skill and the special techniques they entail, and his experience from all of his fights.

Ranma's curse would first be discovered here during Ranma's medical exam, the interference of which prevents the GP staff from determining if Ranma has undergone the standard Body Enhancement training or even conclusively proving Ranma's species. I'm thinking perhaps it'd be more or less accepted as normal, just further proving any doubters that Ranma is not human. Everyone will more or less ignore the protests that he is, based on his capabilities and inhuman ability to switch genders.

I'm thinking that the various felinoids would, at best, kind of unnerve Ranma. He logically knows that they're not cats, so they're not going to send him INTO the nekoken, but when he hears one meow without seeing them or whatever it does cause his pigtail to stand on end and a lot of nervous glances. I'll probably save a nekoken incident until Ranma gets to the Misaki shrine and meets Ryo-Ohki.

Chapters 4-6: Ranma's first mission is decided to be a simple mail run. He then complains about this to Airi. Somehow it comes up during the conversation that Airi is older than she appears. Cue Ranma's ranting about how the combat positions should go to the young, strong guys like him while mail runs should be reserved for old ladies like her. Cue Ranma's reassignment to what is essentially only a couple steps removed from being a suicide mission.

Ranma, of course, succeeds with flying colours, managing to save the ship he's on in the process and earning accolades throughout the academy for the prowess displayed... not to mention the enmity of the pirates whom he embarrassed by being an Academy Cadet who beat them essentially unarmed and alone. A couple of assassination attempts fail spectacularly, and a once-feared pirate group becomes the butt of a lot of GP jokes.

Later chapters would go on to detail the training with Yosho, the beginning of said trip prompting Seto's involvement in the poor boy's life. Upon arrival he'd of course garner Tokimi's interest, especially once several assassination attempts get shrugged off. I'm thinking that you're right about the Body Enhancement. It'd work well as a Bakusai Tenketsu-style upgrade... Especially since it opens the joke of Ranma fighting some sort of rock alien later on and lamenting the fact that while he's got the toughness, he still doesn't have the technique.

I'm lost for now on where to go from here, and right now I'm more looking for help in firming up the first six chapters a bit. After the Yosho trains Ranma arc, he'd probably go hunting this pirate group down with the crew of the Kamidake II.

[Nekomata-sensei]

I'm almost certain the body enhancement was never stated to involve nannites. Instead it was implied to be a combination of genetic and physiological modifications, possibly performed via nannites, but not with them remaining in the target's system afterward, which has several purposes, making them immune or resistant to most of the common bacteria and viruses found throughout the galaxy, increasing the different types of atmospheres they can breathe in, increasing their physical abilities to the maximum similar to some sort of Captain America effect, then going above and beyond boosting them to the maximum levels science allows, making all their bodily processes more efficient, eliminating internal genetic 'junk' and avatistic organs that they don't really need, and boosting their immune systems and cellular regeneration to their maximum efficiencies and capabilities without risk of cancer.

It is noted to Seina that after it he can't return to Earth and get medical treatment there because even an Earth doctor would be able to tell he isn't a normal human anymore even with a cursory examination, as his internal structure is different, not to mention he'd show inhuman internal organ arrangement and muscle and bone density and skin toughness and elasticity.

As mentioned previously, a good 'out' for the effects of the body enhancement regarding Ranma would be that it can only bring things up to certain maximums, but Ranma is already much closer than a regular human should be to them.

I'd like to bring up a note that while magic does not play a major role in the Ryo-Ohki/GXP Tenchiverse, it is implied it exists in some limited forms, including the sealing powers of the treeship powers, the psychic abilities of Neijuu (sp?), 'goddesses' like Washuu, Tokimi, and Tsunami, various artifacts and persons of good or bad luck, and Ryoko's spirit-summoning techniques. It is more the Tenchi Universe setting that eschews the existence of magic.

They should, however, know enough about magic in the galaxy to be able to recognize Ranma's curse as such with good scanners, particularly ones made by Washuu. I tend to define magic as things involving energy that break the normal laws of our universe through the actions of spirits on residing at least partially in other dimensions, more direct energy manipulation is something like ki blasts or psychic powers, where spirits aren't involved. Anyone able to access the plane where they dwell should be able to target the spirits maintaining Ranma's curse, the choushin or Neijuu would probably be able to, and probably they could cure it. The trick is to have Ranma wind up with someone like Washuu not realizing Ranma considers it a curse, and instead 'fixing' his 'special ability' while working on him, making Ranma a shapeshifter able to change gender, even if she knows there is something Ranma calls a curse involved, there could be a mistake regarding it and thinking it has to do with only changing with hot and cold water, which depending on how the curse operates, it may appear that the spirits are only locking away Ranma's natural controls of some sort of shape-shifting body/displacement with subspace trick when Ranma switches forms. After the curse is 'fixed' Washuu would then perform the body enhancement on both Ranma's forms. Ranma can now control the curse... theoretically, but unfortunately Ranma still has a subconscious expectation to change with water, and Ranma has yet to figure out the mental trigger which would allow him to change at will or stop changing with water.

Ranma's ability to use his own bio-energy is not too different from what the Jiraians can do with their treeship derived energy, or Ryoko and Washuu do (except when Washuu is goddess mode) or the sort of power behind cabbits. Ranma isn't as powerful as a cabbit, but when Washuu would find out Ranma could manipulate his bio-energy to do interesting tricks and use as a weapon, she'd probably enhance it through various means to a greater level, and make it more efficient, versatile, and controllable.

However, even the combination of controlling his heightened energies and getting the body enhancement, even a special Washuu version, still won't even bring him up to Yosho's level. There are plenty out there in the GXPverse who could theoretically challenge Ranma at this point, particularly anyone with a tree ship bond, and there are other races and entities capable of energy manipulation or shape shifting, Ranma is on a lower scale for that sort of stuff, particularly compared to the Tenchi Muyo main cast.

[Gaming Ikari]

I think I've come up with a way of getting around the problem of Ranma detecting as human, at least for now... The sensors are certainly capable of recognizing that Ranma and a few other people in Tokyo have a unique energy field. However, if Ranma and his father both shared the same unique energy field, wouldn't the obvious conclusion be that the trait is genetic? And if Ranma and his father have a different energy field from the rest of humanity (except for a couple other exceptions in the area) obviously they aren't fully human.

Especially since the field seems largest in his father (Panda), about half as large in Ranma (Girl), and much smaller in the three others within detection range (Pig, Duck, Cat). Yeah, it involves a BIT of handwaving, I admit, but I can probably make it sound alright. Say the energy field is the "mass" of the cursed form, so Genma's is the largest because he's got the largest cursed form. By the time the GP figure the mistake out, it'll be too late. >:3

[Spokavriel]

I haven't read everything in the outline yet. But if you want Kiyone beating Ranma to seem creditable in Hand to Hand you might want to make that a Zero-G fight. If it was a fight with the Ryouko or Amane from GXP I'd have an easier time believing they could defeat Ranma in gravity because they at least show more combat ability than your average beat cop.

Kiyone on the other hand well she shows she strives to be a Desk jockey and Administrator. Those aren't traits that really translate to combat prowess.

Ranma's art may specialize in mid air fighting but he's never fought without gravity.

On the thinking Ranma is not Human why not Trigger the Curse in front of Mihoshi? It's not like Earth is known for having Native Shape Shifters. That way no matter what the genetics show they might not be able to be convinced without going to Jusenkyo and getting someone else cursed that Ranma is anything But Alien.

Edit: About the Body Enhancement why not have it only work on say Girl side or Guy side? ((I'd personally prefer girl side)) maybe because of them not being able to heat up the solution used in the process to work on the guy side or something like that.

Then there would still be an un-enhanced body that could return to earth too.

As to a reason for going after the pirates. How about near the end of the Training with Yosho (Because Ranma cast would have long since shown up.) have some numbnuts like Clay kidnap Nodoka. No one gets away with messing with someones mother if it can be helped.

[LawOhki]

and it's not like Ranma would have any trouble with the regimen Seiryo was running Seina through. 50 laps, 1000 pushups, then 1000 situps? Ranma would chew through those like nothing and probably do so at a rate BETTER than the enhanced GP recruits.

Rewatching the episode, he says that but to do them 5 times.

And check your pm's.

[Gaming Ikari]

Rewatching the episode, he says that but to do them 5 times.

And check your pm's.

So he does. Still, Ranma swam from China to Japan at the beginning of the manga. It's no stretch to assume that even quintupled, the GP training regime would be nothing beside Ranma's own fitness.

For those who care... The first chapter of this idea has reached fruition here. It's not overly long (as none of my chapters are) but it covers the events mentioned in the outline. More chapters will be forthcoming soon.

Well... Twenty four hours (roughly) from conception to execution. Not bad, huh?

[LawOhki]

So he does. Still, Ranma swam from China to Japan at the beginning of the manga. It's no stretch to assume that even quintupled, the GP training regime would be nothing beside Ranma's own fitness.

I can never find where that is mentioned in the manga, only the anime. Page plz?

BTW actually swimming from Japan directly to China is around 500 km. Which is over twice the length of the record ocean swim(without flippers).

[Spokavriel]

Law heads up on the quote nest. They don't allow them here.