Cliches & Tropes of Ranma fanon

[Zwzn]

Uh, just to ask, didn't Genma pick up Ranma's milk after he'd put it down on the floor/a bench/whatever and then he ran off with it? Because, if that's the case, all Genma really has to do is manage to outrun/dodge Ranma with it; technically, he didn't have to take it from Ranma, he just had to evade his attempts to take it back.

It is never shown in the manga how Genma got the milk. All that is shown is that Genma is casually running from Ranma. Then Genma casually stops inside the building, and casually ducks under a flying kick from Ranma, casually raps a towle around Ranma's ankle, and throws Ranma into the table with the doll on it.

My problem with the scene is that Genma is not even trying, but Ranma is taking the fight seriously, and loses badly.

It also doesn't make much sense to me that the doll did not at least also target Genma. Ranma at least tried to fix it, and left it in a cute pose after putting it back together.

[Mark Davis]

Don't know if this one's been mentioned, but it's something I ran across in several fics recently (I only read fan fiction sporadically, so...):

NWC / Nerima Wrecking Crew

As a tag-line for the Ranma 1/2 cast this is more or less accurate, I suppose, and you mostly see it in crossovers, but some authors think it's such a clearly established phrase that they can get away with casually referring to the "NWC" without any explanation in their story of what that even stand for, let alone where the full name comes from.

As with a lot of these fanon tropes, I don't mind them so much if the author bothers to explain their logic behind the idea. If, for example, after learning much of the history of all these martial artists from Nerima someone (in your story) decides to label them "the Nerima Wrecking Crew", well then, that wouldn't bother me as much. Same with other fanon tropes -- if you establish it, I don't mind so much. What bugs me is when these things are presented as facts that any fan of Ranma 1/2 should be aware of. (I'm guilty of doing this a bit too, I'm sure, but still...)

[Cheb]

I,ve compiled a quick visual help.
Feel free to copy it and use on the people who thinks it was Genma's fault that Ranma got Shampoo after him.

[Siden]

I,ve compiled a quick visual help.
Feel free to copy it and use on the people who thinks it was Genma's fault that Ranma got Shampoo after him.

That has to be one of the most common examples of "Didn't do the research" in Ranma fanon.

[Spokavriel]

I still blame Genma anyway. Just because his obvious meal time "training" would have left Ranma too starved to pass up any opportunity where there is enough food to get it away from the elder martial artist.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Ayep. Come to think of it, couldn't Shampoo be deemed the only fiancee whose engagement was Ranma's fault? Genma made the arrangements with Soun Tendo and Mr. Kuonji, but it was Ranma who ate the prize banquet, Ranma who fought Shampoo, and Ranma who defeated Shampoo, thus earning what would have been the Kiss of Marriage if he had changed back before hand after winning. Genma organized the pairings for Akane Tendo and Ukyo Kuonji, but Shan Pu became Ranma's fiancee through his actions alone.

Edit: just to wonder; while Genma stealing Ranma's food when he was little is fact (we're shown this in both versions of the Hell's Cradle story), is there any canon evidence that he excused this as "training"?

[Ezvir]

Edit: just to wonder; while Genma stealing Ranma's food when he was little is fact (we're shown this in both versions of the Hell's Cradle story), is there any canon evidence that he excused this as "training"?

People keep calling it "stealing", but that just seems to be another of these cliches.
As far as I can tell these were situations where they settled the question who would get to eat a particular bit of food by a semi-formal fight. There seems to be little reason to assume that without such a fight the food would automatically have gone to Ranma, or that Ranma in any way had a better claim to it. In fact in the one situation we do know about both had an equally good claim and it seems reasonable to conclude that the other cases were at least broadly similar. Alternatively Genma could have been buying the food specifically so they could fight over it to encourage Ranma to train harder, or he might have offered (a part of ) his own share if Ranma could win. (if think that last bit would be out of character consider that he really seems to consider Ranma's training more important than almost anything else and that the risk of actually losing his food would have been neglible. Ranma might plausibly carry a grunge over being teased in this way even if the food was Genma's by right.)
Thinking about it a bit more it seems likely that this is a translation issue. I'd almost bet that Ranma's "magnanimous" speech was translated as something like ... the rice cake you stole when I was five... and so on. Normally there would be nothing wrong with such a translation, but technically speaking "X o torareta" means "X was taken in a way that caused me to suffer", not strictly "X was stolen from me". Usually the two amount to the same, because if you can legitimately complain about X being taken that almost always means someone other than the person who took X owns X, probably you. In this case, however, it does not work out that way, because evidently the way the food was taken caused Ranma to suffer, no matter who actually owned it.

[Zwzn]

I,ve compiled a quick visual help.
Feel free to copy it and use on the people who thinks it was Genma's fault that Ranma got Shampoo after him.

It is not as cut and dry as you make it seem. Yes, Ranma did eat a two dumplings(maybe three), and a peace of corn. Ranma had thought the prize was a free buffet, and had not eaten in some time. He out right states he is starving while hiking to the village. When Ranma realized things where not as he thought he stopped eating at which point Shampoo destroyed what was likely well more then 90% of her prize. Throughout all this happening Genma just keeps eating, and never tries to work things out. Genma is the adult, and the one incharge. By defualt anything that goes wrong is Genma's to fix, and not Ranma's. So, yes Shampoo is Genma's fualt for not behaving like an adult.

At least in the English translations I can recall Ranma atempted to work things out diplomatically, but phrased things poorly.

Viz Vol.03 Page: 111

Ranma: Then if I defeat you, you've got no problem, right?

The quote looks to me like it is only a challenge if there are not things like the outsider laws. Maybe it is different in Japanese?

Shampoo just cracks her knunkles, then gets knocked off the log, and gives Ranma the kiss of death. Later Ranma breaks her weapon, and is too slow to think to dodge it as it falls to the ground.

It looks to me like Shampoo is engaged to Ranma because of Shampoo.

[Zwzn]

Edit: just to wonder; while Genma stealing Ranma's food when he was little is fact (we're shown this in both versions of the Hell's Cradle story), is there any canon evidence that he excused this as "training"?

People keep calling it "stealing", but that just seems to be another of these cliches.
As far as I can tell these were situations where they settled the question who would get to eat a particular bit of food by a semi-formal fight. There seems to be little reason to assume that without such a fight the food would automatically have gone to Ranma, or that Ranma in any way had a better claim to it. In fact in the one situation we do know about both had an equally good claim and it seems reasonable to conclude that the other cases were at least broadly similar. Alternatively Genma could have been buying the food specifically so they could fight over it to encourage Ranma to train harder, or he might have offered (a part of ) his own share if Ranma could win. (if think that last bit would be out of character consider that he really seems to consider Ranma's training more important than almost anything else and that the risk of actually losing his food would have been neglible. Ranma might plausibly carry a grunge over being teased in this way even if the food was Genma's by right.)
Thinking about it a bit more it seems likely that this is a translation issue. I'd almost bet that Ranma's "magnanimous" speech was translated as something like ... the rice cake you stole when I was five... and so on. Normally there would be nothing wrong with such a translation, but technically speaking "X o torareta" means "X was taken in a way that caused me to suffer", not strictly "X was stolen from me". Usually the two amount to the same, because if you can legitimately complain about X being taken that almost always means someone other than the person who took X owns X, probably you. In this case, however, it does not work out that way, because evidently the way the food was taken caused Ranma to suffer, no matter who actually owned it.

Genma had been "challenging" Ranma since before Ranma could even have a chance of winning, and it is for all the food of the meal. It would be like my martial arts master taking my money, and saying "if I can beat you up your money is mine", and then not giving me a choice. Genma forcing a "semy formally challenge" on Ranma for what is Ranma's when Ranma can't win is theft.

We know Ranma often went hungery lot.

Edit:
We also see Genma just steal food like things from Ranma in trhe vengeful doll arc.

[Ezvir]

I'm not replying to Zwzn since I have not yet recived an appology for the completely unacceptable behaviour the last time we had an argument, but in case someone else here wonders whether one of Zwzn's arguments might be both valid and relevant I'm perfectly willing to explain why it's not.

[Necavit]

I say Im starving after missing lunch, that does not mean I am literally starving.

If your gonna blame Genma, you got to blame Ranma, they both pigged out on food without finding out if they could first. It would have been easy to find out.

Personally I dont really blame Shampoo on either of them. Who could have predicted a marriage? I do blame her rage on both. They stole food.

Also its not like Ranma hasnt done this before. In that arc with the guy who owned the hotsprings, who wants Ranma to step on his head. Ranma clearly steals the guys food.

Also I dont buy the starved kid thing. You can ask for food first, he stole it. It may mitigate circumstances a bit (that its food hes stealing), but he is still a theif.

Also Zwzn I dont know what law system you follow. But Ranma is responsible for his own actions, hes 16 there. Yes Genma gets some blame, but not all the blame.

Just an added thought, Zwzn how do you know how much he ate, you state a corn of cob and some dumpings as if its a fact... you try and make it look like he ate less than Genma, but I see no evidence of that.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

On the specific foods eaten... don't know the manga scene, but I'm pretty sure that in the anime we see Ranma-chan quickly eat two dumplings in succession and then start chewing on a corncob, which she's stil holding in her mouth after Shampoo... eh, interrupts, while Genma strips down a slice of watermelon and then starts ripping into an unidentified haunch of meat, which he, in contrast, keeps chewing blithely. He's also seen eating, I think, another dumpling when the fight starts, as well as a bunch of grapes.

[Necavit]

Ah ok, but my point still stands.

I was just curious where he was getting that.

[Zwzn]

I say Im starving after missing lunch, that does not mean I am literally starving.

We see Ranma and Genma get to the springs. Then Ranma chases Genma, and knocks Ryuga into a spring. Next we see Genma try to cook Ryoga, and Ranma is not there. The next time we see Ranma he is saying he is starving on his way to Shampoo's village. IS there some event I am forgeting that we know happened?

It looks like Ranma might have missed more then one meal, and maybe more then 3.

Maybe I'm reading too much into the look on Ranma's face as he says it?

If your gonna blame Genma, you got to blame Ranma, they both pigged out on food without finding out if they could first. It would have been easy to find out.

Pigged out might be extreme for what Ranma did. He slowed down to watch Shampoo fight, and make comments about her combat abilities.

When the guide started to make a fuss Ranma realized he should not have been eating the food. We really don't know what Genma taught Ranma about food that is set out like that.

Also its not like Ranma hasnt done this before. In that arc with the guy who owned the hotsprings, who wants Ranma to step on his head. Ranma clearly steals the guys food.

Why do you think that happened before Ranma meeting Shampoo? All I remember from that was Ranma was in girl form, genma was nowhere to be seen, and Ranma had no supplies. Did I miss something?

Personally I dont really blame Shampoo on either of them. Who could have predicted a marriage? I do blame her rage on both. They stole food.

I say it is Shampoo's fault because she lost control, and both times did something stupid.

Shampoo knew she might lose the battle on the log, but did not care.

Ranma never actually defeated her when she gave him the kiss of mariage after all. He just kicked her weapon, and broke it, and she was too stupid to get out from under the broken weapon as it fell.

She seems to play it fast and loose with her villages's outsider laws.

Also I dont buy the starved kid thing. You can ask for food first, he stole it. It may mitigate circumstances a bit (that its food hes stealing), but he is still a theif.

I agree, but this is the result of Genma's training.

Also Zwzn I dont know what law system you follow. But Ranma is responsible for his own actions, hes 16 there. Yes Genma gets some blame, but not all the blame.

Maybe I'm missunderstanding something, but I thought you where an adult at 20 years old in Japan.

Where I live(U.S.A. IL) you start being viewed as an adult at age 18, and then get full adult rights at 21.

Just an added thought, Zwzn how do you know how much he ate, you state a corn of cob and some dumpings as if its a fact... you try and make it look like he ate less than Genma, but I see no evidence of that.

It is what we see Ranma eating in the manga, and I can't recall any reason to think Ranma ate more then that. He had a third dumpling in his hand when Shampoo smashes the table, but we don't see what happened to that dumpling.

[Makoto]

Hmmm... I apologize if I'm going off-topic (not sure if I am), but this discussion made me think about the Dragon's Whisker plotline. I don't have my manga immediately handy (and the episodes even less so), but... did that happen before or after Genma, Ranma and their guide visited Shampoo's village?