Ranma ½ episode 3: Ranma begins to understand Akane's feelings

Modified Oct 20, 2024 08:00 GMT

Ranma ½ episode 3 highlights and more (Image via MAPPA). — Ranma ½ episode 3 highlights and more (Image via MAPPA)

Ranma ½ episode 3 was released on October 20 in Japan and has played a pivotal role in Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo's relationship. This episode was also quite important in establishing Ranma's struggles with his female version, evidenced by how Tatewaki Kuno has a massive crush on the said version, without realizing that they are the same person in the process.

As evidenced by the events recently described, Ranma ½ episode 2 establishes the classic formula that the series is going to maintain, which is focused on comedy and also some serious moments that highlight how much Akane and Ranma care for each other. In that regard, this episode also gives the protagonist a lot more focus on Akane and explains a bit more of the latter's character through her crush on Dr. Tufo.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Ranma ½ episode 3 establishes the classic formula of the series with its humor

Ranma and Akane heading to Furinkan school (Image via MAPPA)

At the beginning of Ranma ½ episode 3 Ranma Saotome has a nightmare about Tatewaki Kuno's feelings for him and the next morning he goes to school with Akane Tendo, leading to another battle with the boys who have a crush on the other. As Nabiki sells photos of her sister and the female version of the protagonist to Kuno, the latter wants to fight once again with Ranma.

It was one of the highlights of the episode as Ranma fights Kuno, which leads to the former winning but getting several wounds in the process. This portion of the episode also serves to show more of the protagonist mocking Akane and bickering because the latter isn't traditionally feminine, all with the typical author Rumiko Takahashi's sense of humor.

Ranma begins to understand Akane

Akane and Ranma in the most recent episode (Image via MAPPA)

The second part of Ranma ½ episode 3 focuses on Ranma going to Dr. Tofu's office to treat his injuries, where it is also revealed that his father, Genma Saotome, is working there as a part-time job. The most important part here is that it further emphasizes that Akane has feelings for the doctor but she knows that the latter only views her as a kid.

It was also revealed that a major reason for Akane's insecurities is that Dr. Tofu has a crush on her sister, Kasumi, making her feel inadequate. Ranma takes time throughout the episode to try to understand Akane and have a better understanding of the situation, which is also coupled by moments such as the latter carrying the former's female version because of injuries.

Eventually, Ranma decides to have a sparring fight with Akane, which goes very similar to the one they had in the first episode. However, the main difference is that the protagonist tells Akane that she looks pretty when she smiles, thus showing the first significant development in their relationship.

Final thoughts

For the most part, Ranma ½ episode 3 works as a key moment in the series since is the first time that the protagonist shows genuine care for Akane. Moreover, this episode also gave a greater context to the coprotagonist's dislike of men and her insecurity issues, which is something that Ranma tries to help her with, in his unique way.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay