Shinnosuke (Ranma ½)
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| Shinnosuke 真之介 |
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|---|---|
 Shinnosuke |
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| Alias: | Forgetful idiot Monster killer Nice guy Chivalrous |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 16 |
| Curse: | Formerly: Near death Now: Constant memory loss |
| Family: | His grandfather |
| Love Interest: | Akane Tendo |
| Loved By: | No one |
| Rivals: | Orochi Giant Platypus |
| Occupation: | Forest guardian |
| Residence: | Ryugenzawa |
| Fighting Style: | Self-taught |
| Attacks: | Broom Flip Broom Knock-out Brute Strength |
| Seiyū: | Takeshi Kusao |
| Voice Actor: | Jason Gray-Stanford |
| 1st Appearance (Manga): |
Volume 25 |
| 1st Appearance (Anime): |
OAV: An Akane to remember |
Shinnosuke (真之介 Shinnosuke) is an important minor character in Rumiko Takahashi's anime and manga series Ranma ½.
Contents |
[edit] Background
Shinnosuke and his Grandfather both live in the forest of Ryugenzawa. Here they protect the local villagers from the giant animals that they once kept as pets. Many years ago, Shinnosuke's Grandfather was in charge of a small petting zoo in Ryugenzawa, and when the animals escaped they grew to monsterous sizes due to the Water of Life found in the forest, now Shinnosuke and his grandfather have taken on the task of keeping the huge animals away from civilization, while at the same time caring for them.
[edit] Meeting Akane
As a little boy, Shinnosuke had saved a young Akane from one of the giant monsters in the forest, during a time when the Tendos vacationed there. Although he was greviously wounded in the attempt (his back was scarred by the scratch of the large monster), he had given young Akane a whistle, which, when blown, would keep the monsters away from her. Akane was able to escape, and using the whistle, is able to get back to her family, whom she had lost track of during the time.
[edit] Present
Years later, in the present, Akane once again hears about the forest of Ryugenzawa in an television advertisement asking for help in combattig the increasing numbers of monsters and remembers Shinnosuke saving her. In an attempt to help out and possibly pay back Shinnosuke, Akane travels to Ryugenzawa to find him. In the process, Akane is attacked by a giant creature, and is saved, just like when she was young, by Shinnosuke, who still bears the marks on his back. Although he is now very forgetful, Shinnosuke invites Akane to stay with him and his grandfather.
Later on, it is found that the spring containing the Water of Life in the forest has been drying up. This spring has been what was ultimately responsible not only for the large animals in the forest, but also for saving and maintaining Shinnosuke's life after he was badly wounded saving Akane. Now in the present, Shinnosuke's life is in danger because the Water of Life is gone, and Akane resolves to stay and help Shinnosuke, despite Ranma's protests (he had come after her in seach of her). Unable to tell Ranma of Shinnosuke's situation because she is fearful that Shinnosuke might overhear, she can only stay silent as Ranma demands to know why she seems so close to Shinnosuke (it is clear at this point that Shinnosuke has fallen for Akane, and has even told her as such).
A short duel ensues between Ranma and Shinnosuke, but Shinnosuke, in his weakened, dying state, collapses, causing a hurt Akane to angrily berate Ranma, who feels very depressed because he thinks Akane broke up with him. It is at this point that Shinnosuke's grandfather tells Akane of the only hope for a cure for Shinnosuke, and also the only way to restore the Water of Life to the Spring. This cure involves not only defeating a monster called the Orochi, which is blocking up the spring's water, but also of getting the moss that grows on it, which can cure Shinnosuke permanently.
Akane sets out to recover the moss, assisted by the weakened Shinnosuke and shadowed by not only Ranma, but also Ryouga who had happened by and who was also devastated over the apparent turn of Akane. A long fight ensues between the eight-headed Orochi monster and Akane and company, but in the end, Akane manages to pick off the moss and apply it to Shinnosuke just as he has another almost fatal relapse of his condition. Shinnosuke is cured, the Orochi is defeated, and though Shinnosuke knows Akane truly loves Ranma, he wishes he had told her how he felt about her - forgetting that he already did.
[edit] Condition
Shinnosuke's major flaw is that he has no short-term or long-term memory. He often forgets names and people altogether. In fact one of the few things he is able to remember on a regular basis is Akane's name, which is a testament to his deep feelings for her, some believe that his memory lapses may have been caused by the giant platypus that attacked him, of course this is just speculation.
Due to the mortal wound that was caused by the platypus, Shinnosuke is constantly on the verge of death and the only way to stay alive is to drink at least an ounce of the water of life a day.
[edit] Personality
Shinnosuke is a kind-hearted, caring and somewhat chivalrous young man - however, he does seem to have a blunt streak to him which can make him somehow come off as cold and unfeeling. Still this is not true. He is capable of kindness and generosity, as in with his behvaior around Akane, and has a desire to protect those weaker than he is. Unaware of his situation with his wounds, Shinnosuke is very forgetful and is unable to remember even the simplest of things at times. He also has a very delicate and caring heart and will even gladly give up Akane if it will make her happy. Another sign of his compassion is that he refuses to mortally harm any of the animals that constantly attack him, and he also seems to be a vegetarian. He and Ryoga share similar traits such as having a very fragile heart and an emotional nature. Both are lost in their own way: Ryoga in the world, and Shinnosuke in his memory. Additionally, both are self-taught fighters that reside in the wilderness.
[edit] Trivia
- Shinnosuke has some very interesting ways of translating his name. "Shi" means "death" which refers to the fact that he is near death, but "shin" means "devotion or deep affection," which he obviously has for Akane. The "suke" part of his name can mean "assistance" wich shows his desire to assist others.
- He only had one appearance in the series, but aside from Saffron, Shinnosuke was one of the most important one-time characters to appear in the series. This is mainly because of the fact that after Ranma and Akane encountered Shinnosuke their relationship managed to progress to a higher level and the series focused on it more after that event.
- He is also one of the very few sentimental and emotional characters created in the series and was one of the other few who truly cared about Akane and Ranna's feelings towards each other. Unlike the other characters he can be very serious and caring, and the only comical trait he posseses is his memory lapses. These factors make him one of the more human characters in the 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 | |
