Ranma ½ episode 5: Akane and Ranma share a tender moment and Ryoga's curse is revealed

Ranma ½ episode 5 was released on November 3 in Japan and was perhaps the most pivotal episode of the series thus far, since it showcases Akane Tendo dealing with several of her personal issues. This includes her insecurities regarding her femininity and also the fact that she has a hard time opening up to Ranma, with the latter showing that he does care about her.

Moreover, Ranma ½ episode 5 featured a lot of Ryoga Hibiki and his running quest for revenge against Ranma Saotome. It is through their second battle at the Tendo dojo that the protagonist discovers that Ryoga was also cursed on the Chinese springs because of him, and this episode reveals his pig form, which is mostly used for comedic purposes.

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 5 shows Akane and Ranma progressing with their relationship

Akane making up with Ranma in the most recent episode (Image via MAPPA)

At the beginning of Ranma ½ episode 5, the story continued where it left off before, with Akane Tendo in sheer shock as her hair was cut by accident because of the fight between Ranma Saotome and Ryoga Hibiki. They both ask her to slap them as a way to make up, and she does, before walking away without showing any kind of emotion.

Ranma tries to follow her and discovers that she is hurt because of this event, to the point she is trying to put on a brave face to her family. When she decides to visit Dr. Tofu to check on her bruised ankle, the audience gets a flashback of her as a kid being treated by him and how she wanted to grow her hair longer like her sister Kasumi so the doctor could fall in love with her.

She ends up crying in Tofu's arms as the latter tells her she is cute, with Ranma and his father, Genma, listening in the background. Eventually, the protagonist and Akane make up as the former says she looks better with shorter hair, showing he does care about her, which is a pivotal moment in their relationship.

---

Ryoga comes back for a second round

The second part of Ranma ½ episode 5 focuses mostly on the ongoing rivalry between Ranma Saotome and Ryoga Hibiki. It is shown that Ryoga is still thinking about going after the protagonist, which he does by sneaking into the Tendo dojo late at night and deciding to attack Ranma while the latter is sleeping, resulting in a battle outside in the rain.

As Ranma turns into a woman by accident, Ryoga reveals that he had followed him and his father, Genma, to China, and was accidentally cursed by the springs, which is why he wants revenge. Ryoga eventually gets covered by the rain and runs away so Ranma doesn't see him transformed, with the latter eventually thinking he is the dog he found on the street.

In reality, he turns into a black-haired pig that Akane found, and the latter forces Ranma to bathe with said pig, turning into a revelation as Ryoga returns to his human form.

He realizes that it was female Ranma who pushed him to the springs and Panda Genma who tried to cook him as a pig, with Ranma ½ episode 5 ending with the protagonist being jealous because of the love Akane gives to pig Ryoga without knowing who he truly is.

---

Final thoughts

Ranma ½ episode 5 was a major moment in the series since it shows Akane moving on from her crush on Dr. Tofu and coming to terms with her own identity. This episode was also key in developing her relationship with Ranma and establishing the pig transformation Ryoga has to deal with.

---

Related articles:

• Ranma ½ anime complete release schedule: All episodes and when they arrive
• Ranma ½ episode 4: Ryoga is introduced and Akane loses it with Ranma
• Ranma ½ episode 4: Release date and time, where to watch, and more
• Ranma ½ episode 5: Release date and time, where to watch, and more