Ranma ½ episode 4: Ryoga is introduced and Akane loses it with Ranma

Modified Oct 27, 2024 08:04 GMT

Ranma ½ episode 4 highlights and more (Image via MAPPA)

Ranma ½ episode 4 was released on October 27 in Japan and continues to be a major milestone in the relationship between the protagonist and Akane Tendo. Moreover, this episode was also the introduction of one of the most popular characters in the series, Ryoga Hibiki, and his long-standing rivalry with the protagonist, thus leading to one of the most dynamic fights in this season.

As evidenced by the events recently described, Ranma ½ episode 4 also showed a lot of Ryoga's history with Ranma, and some of the reasons why the former could hate the latter. This is something that has remained a mystery in this episode but is likely to be addressed later, alongside the issues that Akane ended up having with the protagonist because of the events that happened at the end of this episode.

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 4 introduces Ryoga Hibiki and his long-standing rivalry with Ranma

Ryoga Hibiki as seen in this new anime adaptation (Image via MAPPA)

At the beginning of Ranma ½ episode 4, Ryoga Hibiki is introduced as he is walking around a different town and easily defeats a raging bull who is ravaging the place. This shows a degree of Ryoga's fighting prowess and also the fact he is searching for Ranma Saotome, which highlights that he currently has a vendetta against the protagonist.

Switching to Ranma, he is seen being forced to wear girls' clothes in his female version since he doesn't have dry male clothes. In the remainder of the first half of Ranma ½ episode 4 there was a fight between Ranma and Ryoga, with the former struggling to remember who the latter is and being challenged to a fight somewhere else.

It is revealed during a conversation at the Tendo household that Ranma remembers who Ryoga is. It turns out that they went to school together and the protagonist used to steal Ryoga's food, which leads to him assuming that this is the reason why he hates him.

Akane gets tired of Ranma

Female Ranma's reaction after being slapped by Akane Tendo (Image via MAPPA)

The second part of Ranma ½ episode 4 focuses mostly on the arranged battle between Ranma Saotome and Ryoga Hibiki. This is Ryoga's time to shine as he displays several of his unique fighting skills and Akane Tendo is quick to notice this, which is why he tries to alert her fiance about it. The new character also reveals that the food thing at school has nothing to do with his reasons for hating Ranma.

As the battle progresses in Ranma ½ episode 4, Ranma ends up covered in cold water and turns into a girl, with Akane running to aid her. However, while the protagonist is ashamed of his new form, Ryoga doesn't care and continues to fight, although Akane, yet again, helps him.

This leads to a fight between the two characters and Akane slaps the protagonist because she is tired of not being appreciated for helping. Then, as they are arguing, one of Ryoga's weapons cuts the girl's hair by accident, ending the episode with one of the most iconic moments of author Rumiko Takahashi's story.

Final thoughts

Ranma ½ episode 4 was a pivotal moment since it introduces the character of Ryoga Hibiki and was also when Akane's hair got cut. This would prove to be a key element moving forward in the coming episodes regarding Ranma and her relationship.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay