Kasumi Tendo
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| Kasumi Tendo 天道 かすみ |
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|---|---|
 Kasumi Tendo |
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| Alias: | Sis, by Akane and Nabiki |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 19 |
| Family: | Soun Tendo, father Unnamed mother, deceased Nabiki Tendo, sister Akane Tendo, sister |
| Loved By: | Dr. Tofu Ono Yasukichi |
| Occupation: | Homemaker |
| Residence: | Tendo Dojo, Furinkan |
| Seiyū: | Kikuko Inoue |
| Voice Actor: | Willow Johnson |
| 1st Appearance (Manga): |
Volume 1 |
| 1st Appearance (Anime): |
TV Series, Season 1 |
Kasumi Tendo (天道 かすみ Tendō Kasumi) is a fictional, important supporting character in Rumiko Takahashi's anime and manga series Ranma ½.
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[edit] History
Kasumi is the eldest daughter of the Tendo family. Although she is 19 and out of high school, she took over as the family matriarch after the death of her mother. She cooks the meals and cleans the house, and thus leads the life of a stereotypical Japanese housewife. Also unbeknownst to her is the fact that Dr. Tofu Ono, the local physician, has a crush on her and goes haywire when she comes by, or even talks to her on the phone.
Kasumi is not a fighter, but she can use a variation of her father's yokai head when she's very upset; examples of this are: when Soun lost the Dojo in a bet and when she discovered her father had sold her into a marriage to the Chardin family.
Because of Kasumi's lack of fighting skill, her role in the series is usually peripheral, though Dr. Tofu's crush on her has been a running joke. Occasionally, perhaps due to her wallflower nature, she has figured largely in some episodes, such as the story "Evil and the Bean" in English volume 27, in which she is possessed by an oni which temporarily turns her evil. She is also sometimes used as a one-shot gag, cheerfully handing Akane a large heavy object and telling her to use it on Ranma if he gets out of hand or for other purposes, like when she handed her a dumbbell to get rid of a "burglar" that was actually Ryoga who came to fight Ranma.
[edit] Personality
Kasumi is one of the only calm characters in a cast of rather frenetic people. Her temperament is such that once, by giving Ranma a light tap on the forehead — a common form of discipline given to Japanese children — she thought she was overreacting. Although in one episode of the anime, she had a large battle aura around her because Happosai was trying to steal her underwear.
She is constantly cheery and pleasant, and never seems fazed by the wild events following Ranma and Akane around. It is unclear whether Kasumi is truly oblivious, as many fans of the series might believe, or just tries to keep a cool head as an example for the rest of the family to follow. Her name, however, actually translates as "mist", which may imply that she is actually in a bit of a fog. Another possible explanation would be her keeping the cool as a defense mechanism.
Though Kasumi may seem oblivious to her surroundings, she actually appears to be quite intelligent. This is evidenced by her request that Akane return a book on human pressure points that she had borrowed from Dr. Tofu early in the series. For somebody outside of the medical profession, it is an incredibly advanced topic, which suggests her IQ is very high. Kasumi also knows French, since she translated a piece of a French book once. Her role in the household, however, would prevent her from using her additional knowledge much as she is frequently absorbed in her housework.
During the time Kasumi was possessed by the demon ogre (oni), the only evil things she really did were some random non-lethal pranks such as knitting "Cross Dresser" on Ranma's clothing, ironing Genma's fur in panda form and scratching Soun's back with oversized and sharp nails. This shows that even while possessed she doesn't really have any evil desires.
[edit] Trivia
- Kasumi means "haze" or "mist", which can be taken to mean that she's in a bit of a fog, and might always see things in a positive light when she shouldn't. Tendo means "the laws of heaven and nature."
- Despite the fact that it's never revealed if Kasumi posses any true romantic feelings for Dr. Tofu, she does consider her friendship with him very meaningful. By the end of the anime, she appears set to be paired up with him. But in the manga, Dr. Tofu disappears entirely after volume 12.
- Kasumi and Belldandy, from Kosuke Fujishima's Oh My Goddess! are voiced by the same seiyuu, Kikuko Inoue.
- In both the manga and the anime, Kasumi has never been drawn with a comical face. This is abnormal considering the fact that Ranma ½ is a comedy series.
[edit] References
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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 | |
