Ranma1/2 (2024)

Ranma ½ (Japanese: らんま⁠1/2⁠, Hepburn: Ranma Nibun-no-Ichi; pronounced Ranma One-Half in English) is the second anime television series adaptation of the manga series Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi. It is produced by MAPPA, with Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions handling planning and production. The anime series is directed by Kōnosuke Uda and written by Kimiko Ueno. The series premiered on October 6, 2024, on Nippon Television and its NNS affiliates. The series is streamed worldwide on Netflix.

Plot

On a training journey in the Bayankala Mountain Range in the Qinghai Province of China, Ranma Saotome and his father Genma fell into the cursed springs of Jusenkyo (呪泉郷). The cursed spring causes any afflicted to assume the physical form of whatever drowned there hundreds or thousands of years ago whenever they come into contact with cold water, which reverts on contact with hot water but resumes with exposure to cold water. Genma fell into the spring of a drowned panda while Ranma fell into the spring of a drowned girl.

Soun Tendo is a fellow practitioner of Musabetsu Kakutō Ryū (無差別格闘流) or "Anything-Goes School" of martial arts and owner of a dojo in Nerima. Genma and Soun agreed years ago that their children would marry and carry on the Tendo Dojo. Soun has three teenage daughters: the polite and easygoing Kasumi, the greedy and indifferent Nabiki and the short-tempered, martial arts practicing Akane. Akane, who is Ranma's age, is appointed for bridal duty by her sisters with the reasoning that they are the older sisters and can dump the duty on her, and that they all dislike the arranged engagement and think Akane's dislike of men is the right way to express it to the fathers. At the appointed time, the Saotomes arrive in their new forms given by the cursed springs, confusing the Tendos, and ultimately leading to Akane seeing Ranma changing from girl form to boy form in the tub, much to her horror. It takes several more pages for the situation to be explained to Soun Tendo and his daughters. Both Ranma and Akane refuse the engagement initially, having not been consulted on the decision, but the fathers are insistent and they are generally treated as betrothed and end up helping or saving each other on some occasions. They are frequently found in each other's company and are constantly arguing in their trademark awkward love-hate manner that is a franchise focus.

Ranma goes to school with Akane at Furinkan High School (風林館高校, Fūrinkan Kōkō), where he meets his recurring opponent Tatewaki Kuno, the conceited kendo team captain who aggressively pursues Akane, but also falls in love with Ranma's female form without ever discovering his curse (despite most other characters eventually knowing it). Nerima serves as a backdrop for more martial arts mayhem with the introduction of Ranma's regular rivals, such as the eternally lost Ryoga Hibiki who traveled halfway across Japan getting from the front of his house to the back, where Ranma spent three days waiting for him. Ryoga, seeking revenge on Ranma, followed him to Jusenkyo where he ultimately fell into the Spring of the Drowned Piglet. Now when splashed with cold water he takes the form of a little black pig. Not knowing this, Akane takes the piglet as a pet and names it P-chan, but Ranma knows and hates him for keeping this secret and taking advantage of the situation. Another rival is the nearsighted Mousse, who also fell into a cursed spring and becomes a duck when he gets wet, and finally, there is Genma and Soun's impish grand master, Happosai, who spends his time stealing the underwear of schoolgirls.

Ranma's prospective paramours include the martial arts rhythmic gymnastics champion (and Tatewaki's sister) Kodachi Kuno, and his second fiancée and childhood friend Ukyo Kuonji the okonomiyaki vendor, along with the Chinese Amazon Shampoo, supported by her great-grandmother Cologne. As the series progresses, the school becomes more eccentric with the return of the demented, Hawaii-obsessed Principal Kuno and the placement of the power-leeching alternating child/adult Hinako Ninomiya as Ranma's English teacher. Ranma's indecision in choosing his true love causes chaos in his romantic and school life.

Production

A new anime television series adaptation was announced in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in June 2024. The anime is a remake of the original manga and animated by MAPPA, with Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions handling planning and production duties. It is directed by Kōnosuke Uda, with Kimiko Ueno handling series composition, Hiromi Taniguchi designing the characters, and Kaoru Wada composing the music. Most of the original Japanese voice cast for the main characters reprise their roles. In contrast with the original anime series, the remake censors some Chinese communist symbolism. The first season aired from October 6 to December 22, 2024, on Nippon Television and its NNS affiliates, with Netflix licensing it for weekly worldwide streaming immediately following each broadcast. Viz Media and Hot Topic hosted the world premiere of the first episode on August 23 during Anime NYC. Earlier that same month, it was reported that the entire first season was leaked online alongside several other Iyuno localization company works. Netflix responded to the leaks by issuing DMCA takedowns.

A second season was announced immediately following the conclusion of the first season. The staff and cast from the first season reprised their roles. It aired from October 5 to December 21, 2025.

A third season was announced in March 2026, which is set to premiere on October 4 of the same year.

For the first season, the opening theme song is "Iinazukekkyun", performed by Ano, while the ending theme song is "Anta Nante", performed by Riria.

For the second season, the opening theme song is "Wo Ai Ni", performed by Wednesday Campanella, while the ending theme song is "Panda Girl", performed by Nishina.

Series overview

Episodes

Season 1 (2024)

Season 2 (2025)

Reception

At the 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2025, Ranma ½ was nominated for 6 categories, including Best Comedy, Best Romance, and Best Ending Sequence ("Anta Nante" by Riria). The anime's second season was nominated in two categories for Best Comedy and Best Romance at the 10th edition in 2026.

Notes

References

External links

Official website (in Japanese)

Ranma ½ on Netflix