Saffron (Ranma ½)

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Saffron
Saffron
Alias:	Lord Saffron Phoenix Emperor
Gender:	Male
Age:	Before: 8 years Now: 3 days
Species:	Human/Phoenix hybrid
Family:	Kima (Babysitter) Jeeves (Personal servant)
Rivals:	Ranma Saotome Ryoga Hibiki Mousse Akane Tendo Shampoo
Occupation:	Former: Ruler of the Phoenix people Now: Newborn baby
Attacks:	Blazing Emperor's Wing Fireball Kinjakan
1st Appearance (Manga):	Volume 35

Saffron is an important minor character in Rumiko Takahashi's manga series Ranma ½.

[edit] History

He is Ranma's most powerful adversary and one of the cruelest characters ever created in Ranma ½. He will destroy anything as long as it gets him what he wants, even killing Akane. Saffron wasn't raised very well, which caused him to become a spoiled brat.

[edit] Plot

Saffron's desire was to bathe in the the magical spring of rebirth created from the magical water of Jusenkyo so he could gain his adult form and become an Immortal Phoenix so he could give light and energy to his people. When he activated the bath, he was engulfed in a strange frozen material that put him in an egglike state until he finished his rebirth. But this caused the Jusenkyo cursed springs to evaporate, which also meant that Ranma and the others had lost their cure.

After they found out about Saffron's spring, they quickly went looking for it. When they found the hidden spring of rebirth, the Jusenkyo Guide informed Akane that the only way to restore the cursed springs was to release the water from the Dragon Statue connected to Jusenkyo and to close the valve of the Phoenix Statue, which provided the rebirthing water to Saffron's bath. After Ranma interrupted Saffron's rebirthing process. This caused Saffron's transformation to be incomplete, making him unable to control how much of his power he used. Because of this, Saffron would run the risk of burning himself out if he did not complete the transformation. Afterwards Akane had tried to shut off the valve, which was actually the Kinjakan, the heat of the valve evaporated all of the water in Akane's body causing her to become a small doll.

As Akane shriveled into a doll, the Jusenkyo Guide informed them that the only way to restore Akane to normal was to give her the water from the Dragon Statue. Ranma, Ryoga, and Mousse went back to Mt. Phoenix to challenge Saffron and cure Akane. In the resulting battle, the the Akane doll threw herself through the hot air created by Saffron's attacks. Though it cost Akane her life, her move created a small channel of cold air and allowed Ranma to fire a whirlwind through it, squeezing the cold spiral into a razor's edge. The resulting attack drilled straight through Saffron's chest, killing him.

Ranma then used another modification of the Hiryu Shoten Ha to break the dragon tap, destroying a chance to remove his curse while soaking Akane's body and changing her back to normal. Much to Ranma's distress, she remained lifeless, causing him to burst into tears and confess his love for her. As his tears fell on her face, she miraculosly came back to life and she said she had heard him call her. Ranma suddenly seems to forget what he said while he thought Akane died, and denies admitting his feelings.

However, Saffron wasn't dead. Being an immortal phoenix, he revived as an egg, and hatched into a small child. Before Ranma and the others left, Ranma warned Saffron's caretaker Kiima to make sure he didn't grow up into a spoiled brat this time. Miraculously, The fight between Saffron and Ranma seemed to have opened up new waterways in Phoenix Mountain, saving their people. Ranma parts ways with the Phoenix people on surprisingly good terms.

It is a common misconception that Saffron is a god (or a demi-god.) This is completely false. He is a phoenix, and is thus immortal, but he never makes any claims of being a god, nor does anyone else ever call him a god.

[edit] Kinjakan & Gekkaja

The Kinjakan and the Gekkaja are the two most powerful ancient weapons belonging to the Phoenix people. The Kinjakan is Saffron's main weapon. Its circular tip can be separated from the staff and used as a very powerful boomerang capable of cutting through anything. The halbeard also radiates an immense amount of heat, even able to dehydrate a human being. The Gekkaja, used by Ranma to survive against Saffron, is its sister weapon. It is capable of cutting through even the intense heat of the Kinjakan. The Gekkaja can also release a freezing blast when the tip is bent, and is capable of freezing anything stabbed by it in an instant.

Ranma ½ Characters v • d • e
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