Ranma 1/2 and Ki Mastery

Just what is ki/chi? It is similar to the Force: it surrounds us, it binds the universe together. Everything has ki around it, like an energy field. Remove it completely, and... well... you're pretty dead. But not just anyone can use it at their will.

I have divided the levels of ki-mastery into five partitions:

1. Nonexistant. 'Nuff said. Normal people like you and me are here.
2. Sensation. The detection of battle aura and danger sense. Basically, a sixth sense.
3. Channeling. Ki manifests in a focused area by the user. Ex., a swordsman's sword, a painter's brush.
4. Projection. Ki can be thrown, such as fireballs, whirlwinds, and lightning, without a foci.
5. Manipulation. Ki can be shaped and molded as the user pleases. A complete mastery of ki.

Note, however, that ki-use discludes things such as magic use and 'pulling objects out of thin air,' or 'subspace.' This includes, but is not limited to, hammers, microphones, megaphones, and doodling pens.

Sounds simple enough? Now, let's look at each level pertaining to the Ranma 1/2 characters. Entries for specific characters identify them with at least that level of mastery, and gives an example of that mastery in action. High-level masters can use abilities of lower level as well.

Nonexistant

"I'm just your average, mild-mannered citizen."-- Clark Kent Anyone who hasn't had any decent martial arts training is here, including Hiroshi, Daisuke, Yuka, Sayuri, the Bakeneko (ghost cat), Tsubasa, Nabiki, Kasumi, Gosunkugi, the Gambling King, Nodoka, Akari, Furinkan Principal Kuno, Rouge, the Jusenkyo Guide, etc.. This is the category of the normal, everyday person.

Characters (particularly in the anime and movies) who use magical items/weapons may display ki-like attacks, but magic does not a master make. This includes Prince Toma and his thugs, most of the Seven Lucky Gods martial artists (excepting Kirin and Bishamonten, the only ones with any REAL skill), Copycat Ken, Pink and Rink, and Rouge.

Sasuke. Since this anime-character has never demonstrated any fighting ability at all, one can assume he HAS NONE (he's obviously worse than Akane in terms of ability).

Principal Kuno. Sure, he fights with giant shears and scissors, but does that make him a fighter? Gimme a break, he cuts hair for a living, and he's really BAD at it, too.

Asuka the White Lily. Her combat ability is never made really clear, but, being Kodachi's biggest rival, she must have enough skill to hold her own.

Saffron. I know I might get complaints about this, but his attacks are more magic-based. Saffron can regenerate like ADND trolls, but on a dime :) With the Kotei Kaen Yoku ('Emporor's Blazeing Wings') he pulls off his wings, and throws them at Ranma like a huge shuriken, and they're surrounded in flames as well. Finally, there is the Houou-kin Ouzoku Kyukyoku Ougi ('Phoenix Mountain Royalty Ultimate Special Secret'): Tenka Shunmetsu Kokyudan ('Entire Empire Instant Annihilation Emperor Ball Missile'): a hot sphere of energy surrounds Saffron, who has his arms crossed in front of him, with the the right one holding the Kinjakan (magical artifact from the Phoenix Faucet that is an instrument of fire); the blast simply annihilates whoever is unfortunate to get hit.... The fire-based attacks of his makes him the perfect sucker for the Hiryu Shoten Ha attacks, especially when Ranma's weilding an artifact of ice.... Can we say, 'bye-bye, Saffron?'

Sensation

"My Spider Sense is tingling!"-- Spiderman Most martial artists are on this level, as well as a number of 'normal' people as well. Characters in this level can detect others' battle aura or sense danger, whenever applicable. As stated, this is your basic sixth sense, which isn't limited to the abilities I described.

Characters existing on this level include Mariko (maybe, once I get a good look at her story), Shampoo, Mousse, Soun, Ling-ling and Lung-lung, the Golden Pair, the Dojo Destroyer, and most other guest martial artists.

Shampoo. (Manga only; in the anime, it was Kaori) The only remotely ki-based attack she used may have been the 'delivery box blowout.' Then again, since this is the single, only example of Shampoo's aptitude, one can attribute this to knowledge of the structure of the delivery box.

Mousse. While his attacks are all visually-stunning, none of them are ki-based. All his weapons are kept on his person, not pulled from 'subspace.' (as if pulling objects out of subspace was ki-based anyway....)

Pantyhose Taro. The extent of his ki-mastery is unknown, as he refuses to learn/use such 'cheap tricks.' Considering his skill and power, he doesn't need ki attacks, either.

Channeling

"Shoryuken!"-- Ken Masters Quite a few upper-level martial artists reside here, as well as a rare-few 'normal' people. On this level the user can focus his chi into a given foci, be that a sword, fist, leg, or okonomiyaki. The results are often (but not always) a violent ki-reaction with the foci and the intended target, typically an explosion. In Martial Arts Tea Ceremony, simple, ordinary spoons can become deadly dart projectiles!

Ranma. As stated above, Ranma has done this a few times, particularly when he 'invents' a new technique. A good example is Ranma's Shooting Star Kick, used against Pantyhose Taro's monster form to momentarily paralyze the monster. He has also masked his presence using one of the Umisenken techniques as well by controlling his aura (it stopped working when Ryu Kumon made Ranma angry, thus making him radiate hot ki and rendering him visible).

Ryoga. The Bakusai Tenketsu, or 'blasting point hole,' disrupts the natural nature of ki in inanimate objects, thus the resultant explosion.

Akane. She has continually-demonstrated that she can break cement blocks, meaning she can focus some ki into her hand to disrupt the nature of the block. Her punches and kicks are usually enough to defeat an opponent in one hit (but first she's got to hit them). Pulling out hammers out of nowhere is NOT a ki attack, as she's never used it as such, and she's not the only one who hits people with hammers.

Konatsu. The extent of his mastery is unknown. Several kunoichi techniques may involve ki-use. (I've got to get a better look at his entrance story first). He has a 'multiple body' technique.

Kuno. Tatewaki has been known to break cement with his bokken. Practice with the sword for many years gives him an edge in combat, for he places complete faith in his swordsmanship. Also, he has demonstrated the ability to slice a watermelon in mid-air cleanly in half.

Kodachi. She has, on several occasions, snagged heavy objects with her ribbon, actions that, under normal circumstances, would've destroyed the ribbon. Like her brother, Kodachi channels her ki into her weapon of choice to perform unusual feats.

Ukyo. While she does resort to chemical warfare (mixing foodstuffs with 'other' chemicals), her okonomiyaki is terribly dangerous. Despite using chemically-enhanced foodstuffs, their real strength lies in their creator-- thus, the stronger Ukyo is, the more powerful her attacks become. After all, it's the artists' hands that give their work life. (True talent channels ki, after all. Cooking is as much an art as martial arts.) Her giant combat spatula can often take more hits than it looks.
In the Anime episode where Ukyo got into a battle with a rival chef (one of the better original episodes, IMHO), the measure of her power was directly proportional to the amount of devotion to her art. She also displayed a special attack at that point, but I don't know the name.

Kurumi. Lashes from her ribbon make her opponents feel as if they've just been stung by fire. The ribbon radiates a constant stream of hot ki in battle; this is the reason why Ranma could create the horizontal spiral variant of the Hiryu Shoten Ha against the sisters.

Prince Kirin. Among his techniques is one that throws ki-empowered rice grains as needle-like bullets at his opponents. The difference between this and the projection level is that Kirin physically throws the rice grains with his chopsticks.

Dr. Tofu. Knowledge of pressure points does not a ki master make; by his admission, pressure points deal more with medicinal arts than martial art. In his entrance story he managed to hide his ki such that Ranma couldn't detect him. Masking ki is a sort of channeling, as one is concentrating on keeping their aura hidden from view.

Projection

"Hadoken!"-- Ryu from SF Ki-projection is your typical fireball-throwing stud. Yes, if you're here, on this level of mastery, you can throw fireballs like Ryu and Ken as if there were no tommorow!

Ranma. By projecting his pride, Ranma can use the Moko Takabisha, or 'dominating fierce tiger.' He can project his depression ki as the Shishi Hokodan, or 'lion roar shot,' but it doesn't suit his personality, and is thus weak. Finally, there's the Hiryu Shoten Ha ('flying dragon ascension wave'), the ultimate desperation attack, and its variants (hiryu korin dan, or 'flying dragon descending bomb,' Hiryu Gyoten Ha 'flying dragon looking at the sky blast,' and Hiryu Hyotoppa 'flying ice dragon break-through'), using hot ki of the opponent and the cold ki in himself to create a powerful blast-- it is Ranma's most versatile and most powerful attack. He has also demonstrated ability in Genma's Umisenken arts (the way of the quiet thief) as well (among them is the ki-based invisibility technique).

Ryoga. The Eternally Lost Boy is the undisputed master of the Shishi Hokodan, the ki bolt of depression. When he reaches a sufficient level of depression (also known as 'heavy ki') Ryoga can project the final attack: the perfect Shishi Hokodan, a column of ki that annihilates everything around Ryoga.

Ryu Kumon. Using secret Saotome techniques of Yamasenken (the noisy thief techniques), Ryu can throw vacuum-air blades at his enemies. Genma devised this technique as a means to break open doors forcefully.

Genma. Since he did create the Saotome techniques, the Yamasenken and Umisenken, its natural to assume he mastered each and every technique. After devising them, he sealed them away, since he believed they were too dangerous to use. He also helped Ranma learn the Moko Takabisha.

Hinako. With her unique metabolism, and with tutage from Happosai, the childlike English teacher can suck ki from her opponents using the Happo Goen Satsu ('Happosai's five-yen death') and any round object, typically a coin. She can also return ki-bolts after she sucked up enough energy. Draining ki causes Hinako to increase in size to a normal woman. Since this is the extent of her power, she is just short of complete manipulation of ki. If she absorbs too much ki, Hinako acts like her child form while in adult form. In her intro story, Ranma implied that sucking-out all ki from a drained individual (in this case, Ukyo) could cause a great deal of harm, if not kills outright (Hinako intended to suck-out Ukyo's bad ki to it's roots).

Natsume. She can and will throw whirlwinds by spinning her belt pole around. Along with her sister, Kurumi, she can use the Hiryu Carimbou ('flying dragon ??') death spiral to wipe out her opponents. The energy bolt Natsume creates is cold ki, and, since its surrounded by tons of hot ki (produced by Kurumi's ribbon), the death spiral causes a great deal of damage. The principle of the attacks are similar to its cousin, the Hiryu Shoten Ha.

Manipulation

"There can be only one."-- Sean Connery Only the mightiest could ever hope to achieve this level-- one can shape and sculpt ki as if it were clay! At this level the ki-user has a sort of psionic mastery; one can create ki-swords, levitate, or even fly.

Herb. The single greatest master of ki in the world, Herb is nothing to be sneezed at. Part of his mastery may be due to his half-dragon lineage, as dragons themselves are masters of ki. By force of will, he can use his 'dragon spirit flight' to fly in the air, and, at the same time, attack with near-invisible ki bolts trailing behind his path. He can create ki blasts that snake around obstacles as well. When Ranma used the Hiryu Shoten Ha against Herb, Herb (who recognized the Amazon technique), on a dime, managed to change his hot ki to cold ki, thus protecting himself from the attack and weakening the whirlwind signifigantly.

Cologne. Since she taught Ranma the Hiryu Shoten Ha, and has used it, Cologne exists here. The extent of her mastery is unknown, however. Complete manipulation may not be unheard of, but hasn't been demonstrated.

Happosai. The only reason Happosai may still be alive today is because he's using his ki to sustain him. Also, he HAS swelled in size (Godzilla-like size!) to battle Pantyhose Taro once-- proving mastery. The Happodaikarin is NOT ki-based. Since he taught Hinako the Happo Goen Satsu, it's natural to assume he can use it as well.

Ki and the Future

Can one increase their level of ki-mastery? Certainly! But, not without proper training or potential.

Ranma himself can almost manipulate ki itself, and, with proper training, probably can. The versatility of the Hiryu Shoten Ha proves this.
The Many Faces of the Flying Dragon Attack:

1. Hiryu Shoten Ha (flying dragon ascension wave): Perhaps the most powerful and most versatile technique of all, this secret Amazon technique gives Ranma the edge he needs to defeat the toughest opponents: Happosai, Herb, Saffron, and others. It has been shown that the opponent need not radiate hot ki; Ranma can and will gather excess hot ki in the area (such as from Saffron's heat attacks) to create the whirlwind. A great deal of cold ki can lessen, or even nullify, the effects of the whirlwind.
2. Hiryu Shoten Ha (horizontal spiral variant, Anime only): The unique situation offered by Natsume and Kurumi's Hiryu Carimbou attack made this possible. The spiral created from Kurumi's ribbon radiates hot ki; Ranma need only gather the hot ki from the ribbon to create the whirlwind. Since none of the combatants were radiating hot ki, Ranma used the whirlwind to push Akane into her opponents, the flying kick of doom. The side effect was the nullification of Natsume's own ki bolt, being cold ki itself, it would weaken the whirlwind, but, since the hot ki in the spiral is overwhelming, the effects were negligible. (This, btw, is the best rationalization I can make from this perverted, anime-only attack)
3. Hiryu Korin Dan (flying dragon descending bomb): Ranma discovered that the Hiryu Shoten Ha is ineffective against Herb, who knows of the attack (and thus managed to change his ki aura in time to lessen the effects of the whirlwind). But, Ranma noticed that excess hot ki gathered up in the sky. He created another whirlwind, allowing Herb to throw him into the whirlwind. While in the air, Ranma gathered the hot ki and, with his own cold ki, fires himself downward, straight into Herb, for the final attack. It appears quite like a downward Moko Takabisha, but much more deadly, backed by gravity and ki together.
4. Hiryu Hyotoppa (flying ice dragon break-through): This is Ranma's final attack against Saffron in Volume 38, completed with the aid of an artifact of ice. Ranma plans on throwing a whirlwind though a channel of cold air surrounded on both sides by the hot air from Saffron's blasts, and that in the swirl in the middle the whirlwind will become extra fine, and highly concentrated. Ranma points his frozen right arm into the channel, he starts off his move, and the ice on his arm shatters. Go, ice dragon!
5. Hiryu Gyoten Ha (flying dragon looking at the sky blast): Because Akane is dying, and only the water from the Dragon Faucet can save her, Ranma, falling from the sky, has no time to get Akane to the water. Instead, he channels all his energies into the whirlwind. The whirlwind is forced downward, then curves as it reaches the Dragon Faucet. It breaks the Faucet, causing the dragon head (the head of the faucet) to spew the waters into the sky. In this way Ranma saves Akane's life.

Ryoga obviously shows enough aptitude to project ki, but that may be all in store for him. However, since he was good enough to use/devise (the scroll only had an arrow as directions!) the perfect Shishi Hokodan, using only a simple arrow as a guide, there may be hope yet; he practically invented the perfect shot himself.

Ukyo has potential. And, unlike the others, she was born with natural talent-- she is a brilliant chef, an artist. Of course, being like any other artist, and having no interest in ki itself, she'll probably remain at her current level.

Akane, with proper training, can become a formidable martial artist indeed, as the potential-enhancing magic suit has demonstrated (it's a late volume story, btw). Of course, considering where she is now, and her general lack of training, she might not get that far.

Cologne may already be at the manipulation level. She's old, strong, and still-kicking, after all.

The information provided in this page draws from the manga and anime called Ranma 1/2. Several logical conclusions have been drawn concerning the 'hiryu' attacks, and have been included as well. Please do not plagerize this information without asking permission first.

The measure of ki an artist puts in his work is determined on how much the artist is devoted to his work. This is just plain common sense.

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