Tatewaki Kuno
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| Tatewaki Kuno 九能 帯刀 | |
|---|---|
| Image:Kuno2.jpg Tatewaki Kuno | |
| Alias: | Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, by himself Upperclassman Kuno (Kuno-senpai), by fellow students Kuno, by Ranma and Akane Kuno Baby (Kuno-chan), by Nabiki Tachi, by his father |
| Gender: | Male |
| Age: | 17 |
| Family: | Kodachi Kuno, sister Principal Kuno, father Sasuke Sarugakure, servant Armadillo, his dog |
| Love Interest: | Pigtailed Girl Akane Tendo |
| Loved By: | Mariko Konjo |
| Rivals: | Ranma Saotome Ryoga Hibiki Principal Kuno Kodachi Kuno Hikaru Gosunkugi |
| Occupation: | Student |
| Residence: | The Kuno Mansion, Furinkan |
| Fighting Style: | Kendo |
| Attacks: | Bokken One Hundred Strikes Watermelon Splitter |
| Seiyū: | the late Hirotaka Suzuoki |
| Voice Actor: | Ted Cole |
| 1st Appearance (Manga): | Volume 1 |
| 1st Appearance (Anime): | TV Series, Season 1 |
Tatewaki Kuno (九能 帯刀 Kunō Tatewaki) is a fictional character in Rumiko Takahashi's anime and manga series Ranma ½.
Contents |
[edit] History
A master of kendo, Kuno is a senior at Furinkan High School and a classmate of Nabiki Tendo. He is also the older brother of Kodachi Kuno, who attends St. Hebereke School for Girls (in the manga called St. Bacchus) instead of Furinkan High.
He had long been interested in Akane Tendo, and had made a speech — given as his entry for a school speech contest — stating he would punish anyone who tried to date her without first defeating her in combat. When he learned of her engagement to Ranma Saotome, he immediately assumed that Ranma was hounding Akane and challenged the pigtailed newcomer. It ended when both landed in a swimming pool and Ranma changed into his girl form. After being defeated, Kuno fell in love with her as well. However, he continued to lust after Akane. As the story progress, he attempts to make Ranma his girlfriend more than he does with Akane. Since Ranma is actually a man, he of course has no feelings for Kuno at all. Blown up photographs of Akane and the Pigtailed Girl, courtesy of Nabiki Tendo, adorn the walls of his bedroom.
The only girl who actually falls in love with Kuno—and most likely remains in love with him—on her own free will during the series is Mariko Konjo, captain of the Seisyun High School Martial Arts Cheerleading team.
[edit] Personality
Kuno comes from wealthy samurai stock, and speaks in flowery poetic text. No matter how many times Ranma defeats him, he continues to be supremely confident in his abilities. He has a huge ego, which led Kuno to nickname himself "The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High," a moniker used by no one else.
He is totally clueless when it comes to Ranma's dual nature, making him the only guy at school who is unaware of it. He refuses to acknowledge the possibility even when Ranma transforms right in front of him, so he might actually just be in denial. In fact, Kuno believes Ranma wants to steal the "pigtailed girl" from him. Also, Nabiki frequently manipulates Kuno to obtain money by offering him favors or assistance.
A running gag all through the series is Tatewaki's strong sibling rivalry with Kodachi. He often angers her by destroying her pictures of male Ranma and she retailates by poisoning and throwing him to her pet alligator, Midorigame (Mr. Turtle or Mr. Green Turtle in the English anime), or spreading nasty rumors about Kuno and the pigtailed girl. He also has a small dog named Armadillo, who acts as a taster for any food his sister cooks.
Another common gag is his willingness to share everything he writes in his diary with female Ranma or any other girl he is interested in, usually Akane. He claims this helps to build trust in a relationship.
[edit] Special Techniques
As captain of the kendo team at Furinkan High School, Kuno was the most powerful warrior at the school before Ranma's arrival. Afterwards, he became something of a running joke at the school, since his abilities often paled in comparison to those of Ranma and the host of powerful new fighters that soon followed.
On a few occasions, Kuno has demonstrated his potential to match Ranma in battle, such as the time when he lost his memory while learning to slice watermelons. In the anime, he has even gained the use of magical swords or techniques that gave him an advantage, such as Musashi Miyamoto's wooden sword and the Sempu-Ken technique. Ultimately however, Kuno's arrogance and self-denial have hindered his progress, as have his obsessive love for Akane and the "pigtailed girl." However, it has been shown many times that Kuno is completely defenseless without his bokken, which is why he always carries several with him.
Despite his limited skill compared to other characters, Kuno does have a few attacks that can cause decent damage to the opponent.
- Blue Thunder Attack: Kuno's basic attack, he jabs his bokken at a target at speeds slightly slower then Ranma's Chestnut Fist, while yelling "Atatatatatatatatatata!" This attack sends shockwaves powerful enough to cut through solid rock.
- Note: Kuno has a different name for this move almost every time he uses it.
- Senpū-Ken (Whirlwind Sword): In this anime-only attack, Kuno spins his sword at his target in small circles, creating a small whirlwind. Only usable when he thinks he is under the effects of Happosai's speed of light elixir.
- Watermelon Splitter: Not a fighting technique, but a conditioned reaction. Whenever Kuno sees a watermelon, he spins rapidly, creating large amounts of wind and easily slicing all watermelons (and anything else) in sight. Though it's not an actual attack, it is a fairly powerful move that has no apparent weakness. Kuno later revealed it was training for a watermelon slicing contest which he intended to win to impress the "pigtailed girl."
[edit] Trivia
- The notion that Nabiki and Kuno could be a couple was probably born thanks to the anime episode Extra, Extra Read All About IT! Kuno and Nabiki! where Kuno was told by a famous but incompetent fortune teller named Gendo that Nabiki was the woman of his life. Kuno started trying to forget about Akane and the pigtailed girl. When the fortune teller explained his mistake, Kuno stopped trying to force himself to love Nabiki. The other thing that fans may have interpeted as a sign of love was in the second movie where Kuno attempted to save Nabiki but ended up needing her help, and in the OAV this was seen more often. Takahashi spoofed this notion in the manga during the magic umbrella story, showing that the only way they could be together would be under the influence of magic.
- While Kuno often says he would do anything for Ranma's female side, it apparently only applies as long as it involves kissing or touching her. For example, in the Principal's return story arc, he explicitly told her that he would not shave his head despite her proclamation of loving the way that particular hairstyle would look on him.
- Kuno was once possesed by The Demon Sakura Tree that has been in his family estate since the feudal era.
- According to the anime only episode "Dear Daddy...Love, Kodachi" Kuno always comes to Kodachi's school for Parents' Day. So one could assume he considers himself to be her guardian.
[edit] References
| 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 | |
