Trivia / Ranma ½

• The Abridged Series: Many on YouTube, two of which are listed on this wiki:
  • Ranma ½ Abridged is the more recent series of the two, with 10-to-12-minute episodes, made by the three members of Mythros Media (Mythros, Sithis Bear and Aymehx).
  • Ranma ½: The Abridged Chronicles, with shorter episodes of around five minutes, each condensing one to two episodes of the real anime. It is made by EliteslayerX and ZomgRuler under the joint title of Zomg-Elite Productions.
• Amateur Cast: The English dub was probably the first example of an uncut anime dub with union voice actors, partly because Viz Media outsourced the voice acting to the Vancouver based Ocean Studios. Most of the original cast didn't do much before hand, at least in terms of dubbing. That didn't mean most of them didn't do much afterwards. In fact, several cast members still get roles to this day.
• Breakthrough Hit: For Viz Media as an anime distributor, being one of their first big hits.
• Cancellation: The first anime was cancelled by Fuji TV due to low rating after airing 18 of 20 produced episodes. It was then Uncancelled one month later as a new series, which lasted 143 episodes (including two leftover from the first series).
• Colbert Bump: Early VHS tapes of Pokémon: The Original Series included the trailer for the first movie, "Big Trouble in Nekonron China", in the ending commercial showcases; introducing the franchise to many budding Anime fans.
• Cross-Dressing Voices: Ironically considering the main gimmick of Ranma's character and his Berserk Button over having his masculinity challenged, in the dub, male Ranma was initially voiced by actress Sarah Strange for the first three seasons of the TV series, the OAVs and both movies. She did a surprisingly good male voice, such that you likely wouldn't realize unless you paid attention to the credits and wondered why his actor was called "Sarah"; in fact her take on male Ranma had an even deeper voice than Richard Ian Cox, who replaced her from Season 4 onwards.
• Dawson Casting: The English dub is a rare aversion, especially for the time. Most of the teenage characters were voiced by actors that were still in their teens themselves at the beginning of the dub's run, including 19-year-old Sarah Strange (Boy-type Ranma), 18-year-old Myriam Sirois (Akane), 17-year-old Angela Costain (Nabiki), 16-year-old Willow Johnson (Kasumi), 18-year-old Brad Swaile (Mousse), and 17-year-old Kelly Sheridan (Ukyo).
• Distanced from Current Events: The "Martial Figure Skating" arc, which included a girl who stole things and "kidnapped" people/animals out of Cuteness Proximity, was delayed because of several kidnappings which had taken place in Japan around the time the three episodes were set for broadcast. They would only be shown months later after the series had been Un-Cancelled and an episode depicting flashbacks to said episodes had been broadcast as part of the initial run. The episodes were restored to their original placement for both the Japanese and North American Blu-ray releases.
• God Never Said That:
  • Several of the most common fanons, most notably the purpose behind the trip to Shampoo's village and doubt that the Nanniichuan can cure the Nyanniichuan (or that anything can cure a Jusenkyō curse), are often falsely attributed to Rumiko Takahashi.
  • Despite the availability of official English translations that run all the way through the end of the manga, fans still refer to online pirate scanlations which have infamously altered dialogue, jokes, and even important characterization, leading to many instances where the fan-created scanlated version has supplanted the version written by Takahashi, helping the issue of Fanon not one bit.
• Making Use of the Twin: Elaina Wotten-Costain's season six substitution for her sister Angela Costain as the voice of Nabiki in the North American dub. Her performance was perfectly indistinguishable from her sister's — many fans didn't notice the actress had changed.
• No Export for You:
  • Viz has yet to bring the "Secret Spring" OVA to the US, and if and when they do Genma will unfortunately have to be recast. They'd no doubt have to recast a few more roles since Akane and Nabiki's actresses are no longer in the business and Soun's actor moved to L.A. and refused to reprise his role as Sesshomaru in Takahashi's other work, Inuyasha for its final season.
  • Ranma ½ is probably the most well-known anime to have been officially available for streaming online in the US, but never in Canada.
• The Other Darrin: Several, especially in the English dub – not surprising since that dub took eight years to complete.
  • Between seasons three and four (episodes 64 and 65), the English dub voice for boy-type Ranma abruptly changed from Sarah Strange, a woman playing a boy's voice, to Richard Ian Cox – a man playing a boy's voice – after the former wanted to move on with her career. This caused a Broken Base over which voice was more (or less) fitting. Many fans, tired of arguments, simply rationalized it as the character growing up.
  • The original English voice for girl-type Ranma was Brigitta Dau, but she only voiced the character for the first six TV episodes and first two OVAs before she moved to the US and was abruptly replaced by Venus Terzo.^note Who she had previously replaced as Patch in My Little Pony Tales. In this case, however, the change was less noticeable — it happened so early in the series and their voices were similar anyway — and much better received.
  • When Angela Costain, the English voice of Nabiki Tendō , attended flight school, her sister Elaina Wotten-Costain filled in the character for the later half of Season 5 and all of Season 6. Unlike many vocal Darrins, the difference between the two performances was virtually nil (though Elaina's voice is a tad deeper than her sister's) — many viewers never noticed the change. Angela returned for Season 7.
  • Kodachi Kunō was hit hard and went through this twice! She was voiced by Teryl Rothery for the first four seasons before she got too busy with her live action work and the character was recast with Erin Fitzgerald for Season 5. Kodachi was recast AGAIN for Seasons 6-7 with Sylvia Zaradic taking over the role following Erin's move to the US. Sylvia ironically sounded much closer to Teryl than Erin.
  • Both the Jusenkyō Guide and Dr. Tōfū were recast beginning in Season 6 with new voice actors (Michael Donovan and Kirby Morrow respectively) when their original voice actor, Ian James Corlett, left the show following a salary dispute with Ocean Studios.
  • Cologne was usually voiced by Elan Ross Gibson, but Kathleen Barr voiced her first in the first couple movies/OVAs, which were among the first things dubbed. Bizarrely, Barr in the show itself got to voice the younger Cologne in flashbacks.
  • Narrowly averted with Akane. According to the director, her voice actress, Myriam Sirois, moved to Toronto when the final season was still being recorded. The director and engineer were able to bring Sirois in at the last minute and record the last batch of episodes in one long session before Sirois left for good.
  • Tsubasa was voiced by Saffron Henderson for the TV series but his cameo in the first movie was done by Kathleen Barr.
  • Sentaro's grandmother is voiced by Pauline Newstone in the series but her appearance in the OVA Christmas Episode was voiced by Patti Allan. Also Satsuki's grandmother was voiced by Elan Ross Gibson in her Season 6 appearance but was changed to Sam Vincent for Season 7.
  • Ranma's school friends, Hiroshi and Daisuke, were usually voiced by Terry Klassen and David Kaye respectively, but in the first OVA Michael Donovan and Robert O. Smith voiced them (Klassen even did a voice double for Daisuke in a scene for the same OVA). Smith ironically doubled for Kaye in one episode of Season 5 for Daisuke as well. Paul Dobson replaced Klassen for a different episode in the same season.
  • In addition, Yuka and Sayuri were usually voiced by Cathy Weseluck and Willow Johnson respectively. However, their actors were reversed in OVA 4 and Sayuri was voiced by Kathleen Barr in the first OVA episode. Yuka also was briefly voiced by Angela Costain for the first three episodes of Season 2.
  • On the Japanese side of things, Kouji Tsujitani filled in for Hirotaka Suzuoki as Kunō for a few episodes in Season 4. Tsujitani took over fully in the 2008 OVA after Suzuoki ultimately passed away from cancer two years earlier.^note Tsujitani himself later passed away over a decade after the 2008 OVA's release. Principal Kunō also had to be recast after his original voice actor Tatsuyuki Jinnai passed in 2000. He was filled in by Hōchū Ōtsuka (who had previously voiced Gindo in the show's fourth season).
  • Maomolin's original actor, You Yoshimura, passed away in 1991, leaving him to be replaced by Masahiro Anzai in the show's final season.
• Out of Order: Anime example: In the manga, Shampoo's introduction immediately follows the Golden Pair Figure Skating arc without a break. In the television series, Shampoo's storyline was released first, in a final attempt by the production staff to boost the show's ratings. It didn't work, and her arc ended being the last one before the show was cancelled. When the show was Un-Cancelled, the figure skating episodes were eventually aired as part of the Nettohen run. The Blu-Ray releases correct for this by putting the arcs in the intended order.
• Reclusive Artist: Some of the dub voice actors have never done interviews or visited conventions and lack a social media presence. Myriam Sirois, (Akane) retired from acting in 2008 and became a flight attendant. Angela Costain and her sister Elaina Wotten-Costain (Nabiki) both vanished off the face of the earth after the series ended. Although Michael Donovan (Ryoga) and Sarah Strange, (Male Ranma 1) are still active as a voice actor and an on-camera television actress respectively.
• Shrug of God: Takahashi's famous reply to being asked what would happen if Ranma got pregnant in female form and then returned to male form: "I don't think about such things, and neither should you".
  • In fan circles, a "pregnant Ranma" is something that is better left unanswered. The Other Wiki once had an article on the phrase, but it's no longer up.
  • Doesn't stop a multitude of fanfics about it, of course. And even more about her getting a period.
  • Given the usual method by which a woman becomes pregnant, the "dodging Moral Guardians and Shippers" reason comes into play as well.
• Star-Making Role: Ranma Saotome for Kappei Yamaguchi and Megumi Hayashibara. Amusingly, in her manga-style memoir Ashita ga Aru sa, Hayashibara notes how she would have been excited to play Akane, but when she was told she would audition for Ranma instead, she worked so hard and performed so well in that role that she was chosen for it even though they hadn't really decided on anyone's parts yet.
• What Could Have Been:
  • Before deciding on water for initiating Ranma's changes, Rumiko Takahashi considered having him change gender every time he was punched. She would revisit this plot device much later in the Rumic World oneshot "Excuse Me For Being A Dog!" wherein the main character does, indeed, change into a shiba-inu whenever his nose bleeds, and he just so happens to be a boxer.
  • At one point in the 1990's, the franchise was optioned for a Hollywood film. Nothing ever came of it, though.

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