Chinese Amazons
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chinese Amazons is the popular English-language name for the Joketsuzoku ("tribe of women heroes"), a subculture that features prominently in the story and mythology of Rumiko Takahashi's manga and anime series Ranma ½. While it is always referred to by its Japanese name, the name of the tribe in Mandarin would be Nǚjiézú.
They are a matriarchal society centered around martial arts prowess that has little contact with the outside world. Little is know about them but the Chinese Amazons are stated to be several thousand years old by Cologne. Despite the name of the tribe, it appears both sexes are trained to fight, as Mousse is trained in hidden weapons techniques.
The laws within the village are rather strange. The selection of marriage partners revolves around combat -- a woman who is defeated by an outsider who is male must marry him. It is never made clear if this applies equally to males from the village, if a female has a choice assuming she is undefeated, or what happens if the woman is defeated multiple times. If a female outsider defeats a member of the tribe, the defeated party gives them the "kiss of death" and pledges to hunt them to the ends of the Earth, until the target is destroyed. Failure in this mission is a deep disgrace that requires the offender to complete their martial arts training all over again.
Shampoo, Mousse, Cologne and several minor characters belong to the Joketsuku. Cologne is assumed to be the elder of the tribe, although what type of ruling body the tribe has is never stated. The proximity between the Joketsuku village and the infamous Jusenkyo training grounds has given the tribe innumerable problems.
Due to the very nature of their tribe, the Chinese Amazons have developed a vast variety of special martials arts techniques, displayed throughout the anime and manga series. The techniques are as follows:
- Hissatsu Shiatsuken (必殺指圧拳 Xi Fa Xiang Gao): combines the manipulation of head pressure points coupled with the application of special herbal extracts to selectively erase and/or modify memories. To an observer, it looks like the attacker is giving their victim a shampoo.
- Hohoemisannengoroshi (微笑み三年殺し Three Year Smile of Death): (Manga Only) a technique that takes three years to complete and keeps the target in a state of constant pain and fear. The technique is normally used by married Chinese Amazons as a way of retaliating against their partner; the attacker constantly and subtly causes painful "accidents", which eventually drives the victim into a nervous wreck.
- Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken (火中天津甘栗拳 Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire): enables the user to deliver rapid-fire attacks, named after the method by which it is taught.
- Bakusai Tenketsu (爆砕点穴 Breaking Point): enables the user to destroy inanimate material with a touch, as well as increasing their resistance to impact damage.
- Splitting Cat Hairs: (Anime Only) the user forms a spiral of multiple images spinning around the target.
- Hiryū Shoten Ha (飛竜昇天破 Heavenly Dragon Blast): a ki-projection based attack that requires meeting an opponent's "hot" ki with the user's own "cold" ki. Coupled with a spiralling motion, this enables the user to create whirlwinds.
- Dance of the Fire Dragon: (Anime Only) the user deploys a model dragon, which contains a built-in flamethrower and a cassette player that produces hypnotic music that forces those who hear it to dance. A similar technique is the Great Dance of the Super-Phoenix. Both techniques are deployed by the minor anime-only characters Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung. Both are considered legitimate martial arts techniques by the village... just not very effective ones.
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Ranma ½ Characters
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| Saotome Family | |
|---|---|
| Ranma Saotome | Genma Saotome | Nodoka Saotome | |
| Tendo Family | |
| Soun Tendo | Kasumi Tendo | Nabiki Tendo | Akane Tendo | Mrs. Tendo | |
| Chinese | |
| Shampoo | Mousse | Cologne | Jusenkyo Guide | Pantyhose Taro | |
| Kuno Family | |
| Tatewaki Kuno | Kodachi Kuno | Principal Kuno | Sasuke Sarugakure | |
| Notable Furinkan Residents | |
| Ukyo Kuonji | Hikaru Gosunkugi | Dr. Tofu Ono | Hinako Ninomiya | Konatsu | |
| Major Adversaries | |
| Ryoga Hibiki | Happosai | Mariko Konjo | Herb | Ryu Kumon | Saffron | |
| Recurring / Other Characters | |
| Akari Unryu | Tsubasa Kurenai | Shinnosuke | Ranma ½ minor characters | |
| Other Articles | |
| Locations in Ranma ½ | Anything Goes Martial Arts | Chinese Amazons | |
