Now, in contrast, I consider him one of my favourite anime protagonists; and certainly my favourite of shounen fighting protagonists. Partially that's due to the fact that so many anime (and especially fighting genre) protagonists are boring cookie-cutter copies of two or three basic types, but it's also on Ranma's own merits. Takahashi has noted that he took a life of his own shortly after beginning the series (the difference between the Ranma in the first couple of issues and the Ranma a few volumes later is pretty noticible, even if its retroactively explainable by the circumstances of his arrival), and the strength of his character lends credence to that. Like Akane, Ranma grows into a pretty complex and interesting character; an arrogant and self-assured jock, very concerned with his manliness but considering his female form a convienent excuse to jettison it to any end from defeating an opponent to getting free icecream, a hero who legitimately tries to do the right thing most of the time who is also shockingly thoughtless and occasionally cruel.

He's a strong character in his own right, not a simple archetype to pin the plot on or a blatant stand-in for the reader. It's too bad that is often ignored by people who have an agenda writing fanfiction... not because authorial agendas are bad per se (though they often are, especially when they direct the plot), but because it's a definite disservice to Ranma when he becomes a shallow author-stand-in, there to elucidate their opinions on which of his love interests is best or object to some other character.

Ranma Pictures

Manga Images

Other Images