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Character Name: Ryoga Hibiki
Character Series: Ranma 1/2
Character Age: 16
Background:
Wikipedia Ryoga's life has never been a good one. A lot of it's due to the condition passed down through his family blood, and a lot of it is just plain bad luck. While not a lot is known about his childhood life, it's during his teenage years that most of his strife is put into perspective. Ryoga attended an all-boys school in Japan, and due to his non-existant sense of direction, he would never be able to get to lunch early enough to beat everyone to bread rolls. Enter Ranma Saotome. While Ranma was late to the lunchroom too, he would always beat Ryoga to the punch as far as getting the last roll of bread-- literally. Eventually, Ryoga became fed up with it and challenged Ranma to a duel at a vacant lot near his house.
Unfortunately, once again Ryoga's inability to actually locate a certain area would come into play. On the day of the match, Ranma showed up to the assigned lot. However, Ryoga would end up leaving his house and going in the opposite direction. In fact, he'd end up traveling all over Japan just to find this place. Ranma's patience would be tested, and in the end, he would wait three days until leaving. Coincidentally, Ryoga would end up finally finding the lot on the fourth day-- only to find it completely empty. Word would eventually reach Ryoga that Ranma had left on a training journey with his father to China. Persisting on finishing their fight, Ryoga would make a trip to China, despite not even knowing where to look for the pigtailed menace. His search for Ranma would end up taking him to Jusenkyo, the training ground surrounded by cursed springs. As he pondered where to go from there, a pigtailed girl and a panda would wind up right behind him, fighting. While the panda was able to jump over him, the girl would end up accidentally knocking him into one of the springs. To be specific, the Spring of Drowned Black Piglet. Due to this, anytime Ryoga gets splashed with cold water, he takes the form of a black piglet.
Despite not knowing the identity of the girl or the panda, he pinned the blame for his problems onto Ranma Saotome's shoulders. Once again, word would reach him that Ranma had enrolled into Furinkan High School and had been staying at the Tendo Dojo. This time without fail, he would get his revenge upon the pigtailed boy. Unfortunately, it would be a while before he would even find his way to Tokyo, let alone Furinkan High. In the end though, he would wind up finding his way there and would engage Ranma in battle. Despite Ryoga attacking him, Ranma would spend a moment to try remembering him and upon remembering, would even greet him with a "How've you been?" Ryoga would keep on the attack before Ranma and Akane left for school, the fanged boy leaving to train a bit more and take his revenge later after sending a challenge to him at the Tendo Dojo. The letter would reach Ranma a day later than the actual date of the challenge, but Ryoga wouldn't end up finding his way back until a week later, starting their fight.
It would be during this fight that they'd accidentally crack a water fountain. While Ryoga used his trademark umbrella to shield himself, Ranma would get splashed and wind up as a girl exposing his own curse. Finding it irritating that Ranma would declare something like that to be a curse, he'd continue to fight back, using the assortment of bandannas and his own belt which could form into a sharp rod against her while she argued with her fiancee, Akane. As the two continued to argue, Ryoga would fight against Ranma before the boy-turned-girl kicked the steel rod out of his hand, which would in turn, chop off Akane's hair. Feeling bad about it, he along with Ranma, allowed Akane to hit them if it would make her feel better. Which she did, of course.
Not to allow this setback to get to him, Ryoga would search overnight for the Tendo Dojo, catching Ranma while he was sleeping. The two would find themselves thrown outside by Ranma's father, into the pouring rain. It would be then that he'd reveal that he had gone to Jusenkyo as well, while not revealing what it was that he transforms into. Keeping up the attack, he would be hit in the back of the head by a dumbbell thrown by Akane herself, thinking that it was a burglar. With his umbrella knocked over and his back against the rain, he would leap out of the dojo and run away. Terrible sense of direction still apparent, he would end up finding himself in Akane's room, just hiding. When she came back, he launched himself at her almost out of instinct but would be smacked down by the semi-frightened girl. Keeping his distance from her, he would try to be cautious as she approached him and picked him up. Deciding to take care of him, she'd hold him close to her-- specifically, her chest. Not knowing what to do in that situation, he would wind up blushing before he was sent off to take a bath-- with Ranma of all people. With the hot water in the tub, he was tossed in and would come back out human. Explaining what had happened, Ranma would attempt saying that the blame shouldn't fall on him, but on the girl and panda that had caused him to fall.
Almost on cue, Ranma's father who had himself fallen into a cursed spring, would enter. Unfortunately for Ranma, he would enter IN his cursed form... as a panda. Putting two and two together, Ryoga would declare that the girl was Ranma and go after her again, continuing even after being splashed by water. Their fight would spill out of the bathroom for Akane to see, and as Ranma got the upper hand on the pig, Akane would come to his aid, stopping her in her tracks. Not knowing that the pig is Ryoga, she'd hold him again and even kiss his snout. Ranma wouldn't tell his secret to her, but would instead get jealous irritated at the boy for being that close and eventually, accompanying her to bed. Thus, Akane adopted the piglet and even gave him a name; "P-Chan". Despite the one glaring similarity between the two, Akane would never figure that Ryoga and P-Chan are one in the same. With Akane being able to take care of him like that, Ryoga fell for her and fell hard.
With Akane now on his mind, he found himself fighting Ranma for a whole nother reason. While he kept revenge on his mind, the only other reason he could think of fighting Ranma for was for the sake of confessing to and taking Akane away from him. While the two would continue to fight with Ranma always coming out on top, Ryoga would continue to press on and on. At one point, he would find himself under the tutelege of Cologne, an ancient Amazon and the grandmother of another one of Ranma's fiancees, Shampoo. Undergoing training to learn a new technique known as the "Bakusai Tenketsu" (or Breaking Point), he would find his body able to withstand more punishment due to the unique methods that Cologne used. Which of course was mainly devoted to him smashing into a boulder in an attempt to find it's breaking point. Despite this new development, Ranma would eke out another victory against his fanged rival.
With all of his fighting to win Akane's heart, he would occasionally gain help from both Ranma's fiancees and rivals. In a few instances he would team up with Mousse to beat him, as well as get advice from and plan schemes with Shampoo and Ukyo Kuonji, all in an attempt to get someone else to date Akane and effectively free up Ranma. In fact in one instance thanks to waterproof soap that had fallen into his hands, he would even end up taking Akane out on a date. Shampoo and Ranma would interfere, and while they both wanted the soap, Shampoo would use it as a way to pair Ryoga and Akane together. Akane would even see it as such and proceed to continue the date with Ryoga. In the end however, she wound up being afraid of Ryoga's overbearing power, as demonstrated when he went to hug her and wound up crushing a log and even shown when she attempted smashing things over his head to slow him down, him just continuing to go as planned. Eventually, Ranma would disguise himself as Akane and take the bullet for her, almost being attacked before the soap washed off on it's own, turning him back into P-Chan.
A few more battles and mishaps would take place before Ryoga would learn another new devestating attack. While traveling in the mountains, he would come across a path that wasn't clearable, even with his Bakusai Tenketsu technique. A wandering construction worker would pass along a scroll for a new more powerful technique. Feeling confident enough to challenge him once again, Ryoga would fight Ranma and finish him off with a ki-projecting techinque, known as the Shishi Hokodan (or Lion's Roar Attack). With this new attack, he would wind up finally defeating Ranma in battle. Despite winning, he would reveal to Ranma that the attack wasn't at full strength yet. With Ranma mulling over the attack and wondering how to go about learning it, Ryoga would continue to use it against him whenever he was bothered. Eventually, Ranma would learn that the attack could only work when someone is depressed-- a feat all too easy for Ryoga to attain. The only thing left for the fanged boy to do would be to figure out how to perfect the Shishi Hokodan, which he would achieve while pushing a rubber duck down into the bath. Figuring out that his ki has to be driven downward for it to pop back up, he searches for Akane to allow his depression to reach it's limit-- by having her tell him that she hates him. Running away, Ryoga would use that to complete the Shishi Hokodan, creating a pillar of ki where he stands. With that, he's left in a crater with tears in his eyes, ready to fight.
As they do battle, Ryoga battles with the Shishi Hokodan, while Ranma uses his own creation, the Moko Takabisha (or Fierce Tiger Blast) to counter. As the Moko Takabisha is made from his self-esteem, Ryoga grows even more depressed to combat the attack. Ryoga stays on him before unleashing the Perfected Shishi Hokodan upon him, effectively fizzling out Ranma's self-esteem. With Ryoga fighting with such a powerful weapon, Akane realizes that her words were what drove him to this length. After realizing this, she runs over to tell Ryoga that she doesn't hate him and that she wants to be his friend forever. Finding himself both happy and depressed, he claims that he'll "take Ranma to hell with him", in an attempt to finish him off. As the battle continues, Ranma figures out why the perfect Shishi Hokodan is hitting him and not Ryoga. Watching Ryoga's expressions, he finds that right after he pulls it off, he relaxes, becoming emotionally hollow and letting the blast pass right over him. The next time he pulls it off, Ranma distracts him by telling him that he can see her panties, breaking Ryoga's concentration and causing him to be effected by the blast as well. Next, Ranma would tell Ryoga that Akane lets him kiss her. This drives Ryoga to be more depressed than he's ever been, unleashing a maximum powered Shishi Hokodan. Riding the blast itself, Ranma would reveal that he's lying, causing Ryoga to not only be effected by the blast, but also the force of Ranma's punch. With that, Ryoga was once again defeated by Ranma.
The next major event to take place would occur when a dangerous group appear in Nerima. Ryoga was waiting for Akane, watching as a large tiger-striped boy appeared, talking to Akane and attempting to touch her. Ryoga would go on the attack immediately, but would be bested by the boy. Ranma would find both Ryoga, and both boys would find Mousse defeated as well. Mousse had heard the names of the assailants, the boy who had defeated Ryoga being named Lime. The three would go to the Cat Cafe, finding Cologne and a cloaked figure there speaking. Eventually, the two boys would show up, the cloaked figure named Herb commanding Lime to throw Akane away. Ranma would catch her and attack the cloaked figure, being beaten almost easily. Ranma gets one kick in, ripping Herb's shirt and revealing her very visible breasts. Blasting Ranma away, she would splash him with a strange pail known as the Pail of Preservation and leave. The pail would be revealed to keep someone who had fallen into Jusenkyo's spring to stay in their form forever. Finding out that there was only one way to return Ranma to his original state, and that's with the Water Pot of Liberation. With this, Ranma, Mousse, and Ryoga would go on a journey to pay back the two boys and for Ranma to get the Water Pot. After traveling, losing their luggage, another battle with Herb, and more mishaps, Mousse and Ryoga would knock out Ranma and go after the boys themselves. Ryoga would find himself once again in battle with Lime, holding his own and even realizing that he's faster because of his spars with Ranma. While he would get the upper hand on Lime, an unconcious Mint would hit him in the back, distracting him long enough for Lime to knock Ryoga out with a few heavy punches before lifting him up with one arm, choking the life out of him. Unable to struggle, he calls out to Akane with his last breath, which even though not being anywhere near the battlefield, Akane believes she can hear.
However, he would realize something. As he would die, Ranma would not only end up with Akane, but he'd die without confessing to her. Finding the thought unbearable, heavy ki would flow through his body, causing Lime to lower him to the ground. With his ki built up, he would pull off the full-powered Shishi Hokodan, causing both Ranma and Herb to look on in awe. Having defeated Lime and Mint, Ryoga and Mousse would take the Pail of Preservation, splashing themselves with it without realizing that doing so wouldn't have them remain as humans, but remain in their cursed forms forever. So, with all of them looking for the Water Pot, they would watch as Ranma engaged Herb one more time before they raced towards the Water Pot. The two manage to escape from the revived pair, taking the treasure and running. They eventually fall into a spring, coming back out human. Not wasting any time, they rush to help Ranma. Unfortunately for them, a stray blast from Herb would end up causing the ground to split, taking the water pot with it. Ryoga decides to help Ranma, heading into the canyon to retrieve the pot, even using Lime to hold the walls apart while Ryoga dives deep. The ground would end up closing, seemingly crushing the fanged boy. But Ryoga would pull through, using the Bakusai Tenketsu to cause a geyser, allowing Ranma to jump in and become a guy again and even use the resulting water and Herb's energy to finish him off once and for all. The three would return home, weakened from the resulting battle.
Ryoga would then wind up on another journey, trying hard to make it back to Tokyo but soon finding himself trapped under rocks. Lamenting his situation, he would soon see Akane walking around with another boy, holding his hand. Demanding answers, he finds Ranma, who then splashes him and tosses him away. Flying through the air, he would end up finding his way to Akane and the boy, Shinnosuke. While there, he just sits and watches the two eat and ultimately, watch Shinnosuke confess to Akane. Akane would decide to be supportive due to his apparent short lifeline, so she just says that she likes him very much. Ryoga is crushed by the news, and goes to find Ranma to yell at and hit him. Deciding to ask Shinnosuke if he loves her more than life itself, he gets splashed again and just runs to Akane and Shinnosuke. While there, he sees Ranma show up and start a fight with Shinnosuke, resulting with Akane slapping Ranma to stop him. Eventually, it would come to light that Shinnosuke was ill and that the only way to cure it was to use moss on a eight headed monster's head. The monster, known as the Orochi, was only drawn to young beautiful women. With Akane volunteering to get the moss herself, all of the boys and Shinnosuke's grandfather would help out as well, crossdressing. Ryoga would assist them to the best of his ability as Ranma and Akane fought hard to get the moss and distract the dragon, effectively healing Shinnosuke. Ranma and Akane decide to go home together, with the trouble finally over. Ryoga wouldn't accept it that easily however, and would go to beat Ranma up, leaving him behind to go on another journey.
This is as far as I'm taking Ryoga, which covers the span of Manga volumes 1-26.
Personality: First things first, and obviously the most prominent part of Ryoga's personality is his lack of a sense of direction. It's utterly and totally terrible; not even in a small joking sense. If you tell Ryoga that something is to the south, he will go to the east. He has a tendency to get lost in buildings easily, and at one point, goes the wrong way during the start of a race. The obvious question here would be, why doesn't he draw a map? Well, his maps are usually unintelligble and no one, himself included, can read them. It usually doesn't matter where he is in the world, if he's just visiting for the first time or if he's been there a million times before. He'll NEVER remember how to get where he's going.
This causes a large amount of strife in Ryoga's life. Outside of the obvious irritance that the non existent sense of direction causes, it makes him unable to stay in one place at one time and because of it, he spends a large amount of time alone. Even when he's at home, his parents are never there as they're usually lost themselves. With this loneliness, he spends a large amount of time depressed. Despite seeming unapproachable in the beginning, he later shows that he's quite emotional, lamenting many times over his situation with Akane and being unable to defeat Ranma. When someone shows compassion towards him, he shrugs it off initially. But of course, he's lonely so when having to actually interact with someone, he's generally shy and polite, especially as far as females go. In fact, he's even a bit prudish, blushing furiously and telling girls that somehow end up with a lack of clothes (RANMA) to put them back on, if he hasn't passed out from a nosebleed before then. That said, he will get angry at people who attack him first and foremost, or someone who just shows up and irritates him.
That emotional state by the way? That's how he goes about things. He lets his heart lead his decisions, often thinking about Akane when he makes them. With that in mind, Akane can be his downfall numerous times. When he thinks about it a lot and the thought of facing Akane after something embarrassing comes up, he winds up emotionally broken. He could break into immediate anger, or wind up incredibly depressed. The thought of spending time alone with Akane is enough to drive him to tears of happiness at times. Anyone who threatens her or her happiness will find themselves on the recieving end of his fury, and so on. Most of the times as this shows, he follows his heart rather than his head.
With that said, Ryoga's a bit naive as well. Numerous times, Ranma disguises himself as a female to make sure that Ryoga doesn't get too close to Akane. Whether it be Ryoga's fiancee (which he doesn't have), and or even as Ryoga's sister (which he doesn't have either), Ryoga will always fall for it. He's easily fooled by these types of disguises, no matter how transparent it might be. Even then, if he hears that Ranma or anyone else has been doing something to Akane or another girl, or if someone is messing with someone else and he hears of it, he will immediately take that person's word as truth. It could be personal bias or anything else, but that's usually how he is. He'll also fall for ways to strengthen himself up, or even things to make Akane fall in love with him. He's easy to fool, and definitely not proud of it. Despite this, he will on occasion, attempt using strategy when fighting or trying to find his way.
Abilities: Ryoga is incredibly strong for a martial artist his age. He can smash a boulder with his fist without hurting himself, and he can wield an incredibly heavy umbrella with one hand. As I said before, he also has two techniques that he knows. The Bakusai Tenketsu, also known as the Breaking Point attack, was used for construction purposes. By finding the breaking point on a boulder or any earthly substance, Ryoga can shatter it by pressing his finger against it. The Shishi Hokodan, or Lion's Roar Blast, is a ki attack that's used only through cases of extreme depression, especially in the case of the full powered version.
One of Ryoga's abilities that give him the most strife is his curse. Thanks to falling into the spring at Jusenkyo, when he's splashed with cold water, he'll turn into a pig. When he's splashed with warm/hot water, he'll return back to being human. Obviously as a pig he won't be as able to fight as he is as a human, but he can still scratch you. Also, pigs can't talk.
HOW AM I?
Does Ryoga angst too much? Does he not angst enough? Should he be stuck at the bottom of a well while trying to find the supermarket? ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE ON MY MIND MOST OF THE TIME. Therefore, if you have anything to say as far as my playing Ryoga goes, please leave me a comment here. Be it compliments, criticism, you name it.
Also, if you want to involve Ryoga in a plot or have him do something that you never would have expected out of him, post here to ask.
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