Last name/adoption, Japanese style

[three headed dog]

Alternatively screw legalities (Ranma does break laws such as trespassing, theft, fraud, attempted blackmail, etc.) and bribe, blackmail, or threaten the right people (face it Ranma is generally a moral person but those are all tactics that he would and has used to some degree). Money and connections makes the world go round and Japan has had a lot of political and police scandals. There are a lot of books about it such as Richard H. Mitchell, Political Bribery in Japan and a lot of news articles.

[frice2000]

Well I think you could easily make the case that Nabiki foreseeing problems down the line with her slightly unstable father (the Chardin incident sticks out in my mind of Nabiki plausibly taking steps to ensure against future issues) conned him into signing documents over to Kasumi (as Nabiki herself would have to wait longer and lots of the problems have been cropping up very quickly) making her clan-head once she reached 20 or whatever age is the legal definition of 'adult'. Also you could ignore some of the pure Japanese last male heir problems (using Ranma fanfiction fast and loose logic here) by Kasumi being a friend of someone who either works in the clerks office or the spouse of one who does. She could use her influence then to push through the adoption.

[Crescent Pulsar R]

Frice & Dog:

Those ideas do hold potential. Maybe it's not as impossible as I first thought. Thanks for pointing those things out.

In that case just have another deity poof records into existences. Problem solved.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Poofing is very convenient. *Nods sagely*

[WG_Writer]

The problem would be that Soun would lose massive face if his daughter was clan head, he would lose a little if someone married in and took the Tendo name and became the Heir as Japan still focuses on the male legacy rather then equality. So if he were on the city council he might lose his seat for that reason alone. as stupid as it is apearance is EVERYTHING in their society but while everyone is raised and programmed to follow tradition and procedures and the like many look at anyone who stands out and either wants to be like them but fears being an outcast, or sees them as nails to be hammered down.

I never lived in Japan personally and only go on my research and what I am told. However there would be assumptions made and reprocussions.

For example: Even assuming they kept the fact that Soun is not clan head a secret from everyone, then why would he adopt a girl from another clan? Yes its the humane thing to do in certain situations, but if she was kicked out of her clan then the Tendos would lose face for both dishonoring the other clan and for bringing in someone who brought in disharmony into their own home and got kicked out.

I assume its less so now then before WWII when western culture really got its claws into it.

Another possibility is if they invented a Ranko Tendo identity somehow then there would actually be no need for actual adoption to occur beyond who is the legal guardian, its not unusual from what I heard for an extended family to live under one roof, so while they could have a legal "Ranko Tendo" they could still call her Ranma and if anyone asks that shouldn't know just say its a nickname...

The phrase "Deus Ex" does exist for a reason, so like someone said, comp out, a goddess did it.