How would Akane fall out of favor with Ranma?

[LadyRelena]

So, what I need are two really good, reasonable, non out of character, original, ideas/reasons for Akane to fall out of favor with Ranma for both fics. I need a defining moment/action where Akane says or does something to completely change Ranma's love, respect, or view of her and their relationship. I know that this is a pretty tall order Im asking for but any suggestions would be great.

The problem is, what ultimately would hold Ranma to Akane is not love, but honor. That's the weak point that repeatedly gets Ranma to go where he is led, not love. His feelings are unimportant in his eventual marriage, the honor of the Saotome family, and the family School of Martial Arts are the things that binds him. Break those, and it doesn't matter whether he loves Akane or not, he must go where honor lies.

Actually, I already have a plan to ripe Genma and Soun's agreement to shreds. So, the only thing left to deal with is Ranma and Akane's actual relationship with each other.

To: SpaceKnight of Chaos

I see what you're saying. Basically, because Ranma and Akane are getting along so well at the end of the manga, If they were to start fighting again (especially if it was someone who had a chance of getting Ranma) it would be detrimentally worst then before. That actually could work but could that really be enough to make her snap into fighting either Shampoo or my OC. In the manga she seems more likely to (perhaps)fight for him but in the anime (referring to the "Red thread of Dread) She's more likely to just say "to hell with him" and "Let him score with whatever women he wants". Akane almost went the whole episode not caring what Ranma did with Shampoo.

[Spokavriel]

The Love Hina character is Keitaro Urashima. If it wasn't for the post cards that Nodoka seems to have received during the training trip I would have suggested she had Genma declared dead. I just don't know how the whole head of clan situation works out and would Genma or Nodoka have to be the true clan head? She does carry the Honor blade.

I wasn't trying to call Ranma Dumb it is obvious he's a genius but I do propose that he be ignorant and that is the reason Akane could have more of the general knowledge to pass the exams where Ranma fails.

[three headed dog]

We're talking about slapstick here; when Akane smacks Ranma with a mallet or what have you, we are meant to laugh rather than boo and hiss over how abusive she is.

Akane rarely uses mallets. Ranma and Kodachi both have used them more than she has.

Physical attacks meant to be funny -i.e. the slapstick really were not what I think about when people say she is abusive. The things I think about as abusive is things like using a cat to get him to do something (she has used his fear of cats to threaten him into doing things like in volume 10 threatens him to lose to Mousse using Shampoo's cursed form), splashing Shampoo near him, insults she has used like telling him to stay a girl for the rest of his life and marry a guy -paraphrased from volume 5, and the hitting him without reason (like in the valentines arc she hit him to get him to not over hear). Hits that are caused by Jealousy and over the top (where a response maybe warranted but not to the extent) I just count as slapstick.

[LadyRelena]

She can't do that. She is a female in a sexist country and is not head of the clan. Genma is the only one we know of who can do anything about the engagements. She can convince Genma to do something about it or divorce Genma. Other than that she can't really do much.

But you forget that Genma is extremely afraid of Nadoka and does pretty much everything she tells him to do. If Nadoka wanted to nullify Ranma and Akane's engagement she would almost defiantly have her way. That isn't to say that Soun and Genma wouldn't still try to get the two together behind her back.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

To LadyRelena: I have to ask; does Akane have to confront your OC or Shampoo in a battle? It might actually be better for that not to happen- Akane getting a beat down (she is, canonically, a worse fighter than Shampoo, who can crush her easily if she seriously wants to) might actually engender sympathy in Ranma for her- the whole protective instincts thing is what caused the whole Mariko Kuonji mess.

Come to think of it, the fact that she has never once, in either canon, actually tried to fight for him (the only times she has ever gone toe-to-toe with another fiancee was with Shampoo; challenging her for trying to cook P-chan and attempting to fight her after eating the Super Soba in retaliation for being humiliated in public and possibly the fact she had just saved Ranma from crashing headfirst into the ground) could actually be a motivating factor for Ranma to leave in this scenario.

The fact that she will, after blowing up at him initially, simply leave him be and sulk until her ego prompts her to interfere (see Red Thread of Dread), whereas he will always stick his neck out for her sake (and is actively expected to do so)...


Just to comment on other points raised, Nodoka has met the other fiancees, but whether or not she actually knows about their engagement to her son is unknown- I believe the scene where they were shown has Kodachi attempt to start breaking the ice on that subject, but they get caught up in havoc and destroy the Saotome house before they get anywhere. And also, yes, canonically Akane has insecurities about Ranma's faithfullness and her figure, but overconfidence in her skills, even those ones where she's been proven time and time again to be inferior.

Hmm... makes me wonder if Akane's non-confrontational nature was deliberately invoked so that it wouldn't require so much suspension of disbelief as to her continued lack of trying to challenge her rivals in martial arts matches. Because, with her ego and lack of skill, she otherwise would logically have called them out and promptly gotten a mudhole stomped into her butt for her troubles. They can't challenge her for fear of Ranma, and she won't challenge them, so the whole thing grinds along its closed circle.

[LadyRelena]

To LadyRelena: I have to ask; does Akane have to confront your OC or Shampoo in a battle? It might actually be better for that not to happen- Akane getting a beat down (she is, canonically, a worse fighter than Shampoo, who can crush her easily if she seriously wants to) might actually engender sympathy in Ranma for her- the whole protective instincts thing is what caused the whole Mariko Kuonji mess.

I suppose I don't have to make her confront my OC however, I think it would be extremely anticlimactic if she didn't. Also, even though Akane didn't fight Shampoo for Ranma per say, I still have the feeling that Akane saw Shampoo as an actual threat to taking Ranma, at least in the beginning.

On another note, if I remember correctly, in the manga, didn't Akane fight Kuno for Ranma in the chapter where that cheerleader girl came in? It's been forever since I read that chapter so I'm not really sure.

[Spokavriel]

She fought because I think the entire Sesiun Kendo team had been incapacitated by toxic cookies. If she hadn't fought Kuno would have won by default and Ranma couldn't have had his fight against Mariko

[LadyRelena]

If you're going to stick with the core cast, remember that they are better suited towards silliness. If such is the case, I would suggest the break up hinging on something blatantly ridiculous. It would also probably have to not be part of the typical Ranma/Akane bickering, something unusual.

Do you have an idea for something ridiculous and unusual for Ranma and Akane to break up about?

She fought because I think the entire Sesiun Kendo team had been incapacitated by toxic cookies. If she hadn't fought Kuno would have won by default and Ranma couldn't have had his fight against Mariko

Yeah... that's true, however, Akane did look pretty happy to be fighting for him when Ranma took off the Kendo helmet. (Don't know what it's called)

[Spokavriel]

I heard it called a face guard. I can't remember if there is a more technical or other name for it.

I wonder could you use Akane's Theatrical aspirations as a reason to break them up?
Ranma is clearly no thespian perhaps he could still be getting into fights with people and mess up multiple practices and dress rehearsals to the point where Akane has to chose between Ranma being around her or her being part of the troupe.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Didn't she look so happy because Ranma had just been telling "him" that 'she' loved him? Or was that only in the anime's version? I'm positive I remember her immediately asking, upon being unmasked, if Ranma had really meant her/his declarations of love...

As for what sort of things Akane might break up with Ranma over, the best example of a ridiculous cause is in the Nabiki, Ranma's New Fiancee storyline; she breaks up with him because he saves Nabiki from falling instead of Akane herself, despite the fact she had just been worried about Nabiki because Nabiki has no martial arts training and was thus liable to hurt herself.

[Drawde]

It's a normal day at Furinkan (remember, fights don't happen every day), and part of one of the classes involves discussing their plans for the future. Ranma, who goes before Akane, gives his plans, at which point Akane inturrupts him, stating exactly what she plans for him to do with his life. During the resulting, and public, argument, it comes out that Akane honestly believes that Ranma's supposed to do everything she says, without question. That's why she's constantly hitting him, for disobeying her.

Ranma spends the rest of the day thinking about it. The next morning, after breakfast, Ranma announces that he can't see anything good coming out of marrying Akane, and gives his reasoning. The resulting fight is stopped short by an outburst from a crying Soun, saying that Akane's just like her mother. It turns out that the reason Soun's so spineless, is that that's the exact relationship he had with his wife. She made all the decisions in his life, possibly even sending Soun to study with one of the strongest martial arts senseis out there (Happosai). After her death, he had no idea HOW to run his life. Their daughters were raised to expect to be in complete control of any relationships.

While Genma's not too keen on that happening to Ranma, it's Nodoka that raises the biggest fuss. She expects Ranma to be the one in charge, and definentally doesn't consider the Tendo's expectations "manly".

This can lead to a complete break between the families (with the resulting ill will), or just have Ranma go on a training trip to figure things out. In fact, he can have the trip before the discussion between the families, and meet people during it.

Just a rough explanation, but that rediculous and unusual enough?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Because otherwise there would have been no way that she could have remained the fated match for Ranma. It would have been just too unbelievable for Ranma to fall in love with Akane if their relationship consisted primarily of the stick.

Definately an unusual idea Drawde, and it does make a lot of sense/use of canon elements (remember, Nodoka is still hooked on that ridiculous contract after she & Ranma are reunited- she was ready to use it on Ranma when he seemed depressed after leaving the dojo).