Ranma ½ Season 2

Not too long after its grand return in October 2024, Ranma ½ is back for its second season, with MAPPA returning to animate. For the most part, I loved the first season of Ranma ½, a welcome callback to that classic, 1980s manga art style, with a healthy dose of slapstick humour to go with it. Ranma ½ was never a groundbreaking series from a plot perspective, being an episodic comedy series above all else. However, I was drawn into this world from the very first episode, and quickly found myself loving the main cast, as well as the quirky side characters they’d run into from episode to episode.

However, while this second season keeps some of the fun intact, the charm of Ranma ½‘s first season seems to be dwindling, as this season’s 12-episode run left a much smaller impact on me than the series’ debut this time last year. Today, we’re reviewing Ranma ½ Season 2, and while there’s not much to this series that could be spoiled, I do want to put a spoiler warning here! If you want a completely blind experience, check out our review after you’ve caught up! With that being said, let’s get into this Ranma ½ Season 2 review!

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Ranma ½ Season 2 Review

Image by MAPPA

For those of you completely unfamiliar with Ranma ½, let’s cover the basics. This is a largely episodic comedy series, in the vein of shows like Mr. Osomatsu and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., where there is certainly a plot going on, but it progresses extremely slowly, as most episodes rely on small, one-shot stories filled with slapstick humour and memorable characters. In this show, the plot revolves around Ranma Saotome, a young martial artist, who’s gender is switched each time he comes into contact with water. A simple premise, but one that presents endless opportunities for small comedic storylines, especially considering how distinct Ranma’s female form feels from his male form. Ranma ½‘s first season capitalised on this premise to an almost impeccable degree, but this second season feels a lot more misguided in terms of…well, almost everything that made Ranma ½ work as well as it did.

Before we dive in deep to this second season, it’s important to understand what Ranma ½ actually is. This is a story by Rumiko Takahashi, the author behind other similar series such as Urusei Yatsura and Maison Ikkoku. Ranma ½ is also based on a manga series from 1987, which leads to a series that bursts with retro charm, but also struggles to keep up with its audience’s more modern sense of humour. There are certainly some jokes in Ranma ½ Season 2 that have aged like milk, and we’ll get into that later in the review, but I think in general, Season 2’s comedy feels a lot more outdated than the first season’s did, despite both seasons adapting the same manga, from the same period of time. Ultimately, Ranma ½ is a product of an era where slapstick was king, crude humour was essential, and certain topics that wouldn’t be poked fun at today were treated with brazen disregard. I list all of this to say, Ranma ½ is not for everybody, but the first season worked really well for me. This second season wasn’t bad, not even close, but it certainly didn’t flow nearly as well as Ranma ½‘s initial outing – so, let’s talk about why.

First, let’s talk about the heart of Ranma ½ – its characters. Without the charming and hilarious cast that Ranma ½ has accumulated thus far, this show wouldn’t work nearly as well as it does. Not only does this series follow the comedy anime rule of making sure everyone has at least one over-the-top trait that can be employed for slapstick purposes, but a majority of the characters in Ranma ½ are quite likeable. When it comes to Ranma ½ Season 2, the core cast of characters remain as likeable as before, and Ranma himself actually improves in this regard. Akane Tendo continues to be an effective foil to the main character, and though I’m sure some will find her personality grating or generic, I really like what she adds to the show. I adore Ryoga Hibiki, and though Shampoo’s storyline gets a little stale this season, I still really enjoy seeing her in the episodes where she shows up, if nothing else, for the burst of colour and personality she brings to Ranma ½.

Image by MAPPA

When it comes to Ranma ½ Season 2’s original side characters though, well, that’s where things get a little rough. The first season of Ranma ½ had the advantage of introducing the series’ most beloved and central characters, while also interpolating some really engaging and fun side characters. Kodachi Kuno was a very fun character, while the ice-skating duo of Azusa and Mikado were engaging and fun, if a little creepy at times. Shampoo is introduced late in Ranma ½‘s first season, and feels like such a breath of fresh air. This season, I feel like the side characters really struggled to make a mark, as they lacked one trait that is so essential to the success of any Ranma ½ character – charm. This season introduces characters like Mousse and Ukyo Kuonji, and while these characters aren’t unenjoyable, they pale in comparison to the side characters from the first season.

Ranma ½ Season 2 also neglects some of its main characters, and with the side characters that it does focus on lacking the same appeal, Ranma ½ Season 2 ends up feeling pretty empty, and a bit of a downer compared to how explosively fun the first season was. The biggest victim of this neglect is certainly Ryoga, a character who I love, and who is criminally sidelined in Ranma ½ Season 2. I will say, the scenes that Ryoga does get in this season actually do wonders for his characterisation, as he becomes a lot more sympathetic and fleshed-out than before. I would’ve loved to see the softer side of him explored a little more, but alas, a lot of Ranma ½ Season 2’s attention is directed to characters that simply don’t land, at least for me.

Unfortunately, at the risk of isolating myself from some of the fanservice fans out there, I do need to talk about the creep factor this season, and how it soured my Ranma ½ experience a little. Let’s be very clear, Ranma ½ has always made use of the ‘ecchi’ genre, which is a Japanese term for humour that makes use of suggestive and sexual elements, but stops short of being explicit. I think that across both seasons of Ranma ½, someone has been naked at least once in every episode. However, whereas the humour was suggestive and naughty before, Ranma ½ Season 2 crosses a line somewhat, and barges headfirst into uncomfortable territory. Episode 6 of Ranma ½ Season 2 is heinous, and by the time I had gotten halfway through the episode, and Happosai was still a central character, I debated skipping out on watching the rest of that week’s instalment. Ranma ½ has been skipping some of the manga chapters, leaving out certain panels, and jumping around the series’ volumes, plucking stories from different locations. Could we really not have left the contents of Episode 6 out?

Image by MAPPA

Personally, for me, Ranma ½ is a heavily female-centric anime. Akane is one of the show’s main leads, while Ranma’s female form is often the centre of the action is often as his male form is. The Tendo family in general is also mostly female, and while Shampoo and Cologne’s antic can sometimes border on irritating, they’re both very fun characters to watch for the most part. The show certainly doesn’t have the same macho vibe as some of its contemporaries. With the importance of women to Ranma ½ in mind, it’s a shame to see Season 2 make some of the jokes that it does, especially pertaining to Happosai. Takahashi is also a woman herself, so it’s almost mind-blowing that she wrote in these jokes. The nature of these jokes could be excused, barely, if they were at least funny. In Gintama, Sarutobi and Kondou’s perverted antics are portrayed so comedically, and ultimately harmlessly, that the jokes work, and doesn’t make the viewer’s skin crawl. Ranma ½ Season 2 does not boast the same mastery of this humour, and ends up darkening an experience that is otherwise so light-hearted.

I will say though, Episode 6 is the only episode of Ranma ½ Season 2 that I actively disliked. Sure, the charm has worn off a little, and the jokes tended to land a lot less than the first season, but overall, the fun is still there. I had a lot of fun with Episode 4, an episode that blended Ranma ½‘s traditional, cheeky sense of humour, with genuinely well-animated action. Leave it to MAPPA to deliver in the animation department. On that topic, I’m really impressed with how MAPPA have been adapting Ranma ½ so far. This series is quite different from what MAPPA have come to be known for, the likes of Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, and yet, the soul is all there. It feels like a classic anime, refined and filled with a new sensibility in the context of being produced in 2025, but retaining all of the magic and nostalgia from the old days.

I’ve already talked at length about Ranma ½ Season 2’s shortcomings in the comedic department, but I do want to reiterate that a lot of the same jokes as the first season are present here. So, while some of the humour was a little tasteless this time around, if you loved the first season of Ranma ½, I can see you liking this season. The writing is getting a little repetitive at this point, especially as more and more characters seem to take a romantic liking to Ranma and Akane, but this repetitiveness was present even in the first season, which only had 12 episodes to its name. This is to say that the issues with Ranma ½ Season 2’s repetitive storytelling and comedy are nothing new, and so this second season doesn’t deserve a lambasting for these flaws, even if Season 2 doesn’t do much to course-correct in this regard.

Image by MAPPA

In many ways, Ranma ½ Season 2 feels like a suitable follow-up to the first season, but in almost all of the show’s major elements, it takes a small, but notable, step-down. There’s lot and lots of fun to be had here, and with the show in general, but Ranma ½ is far from the peak of anime comedy, and ultimately pales in comparison to the far more effective and intelligently-written efforts of genre headliners like Gintama and Saiki K. There’s nothing wrong with the mindless fun that Ranma ½ brings to the table, but as the show goes on, it’s becoming clear that the initial charm of the series can only last so long, with time revealing more and more flaws in the show’s writing, flaws that are highlighted by increasingly ineffective supporting characters, and woefully misdirected humour.

From a plot perspective, we don’t make much progress between the start and finish of Ranma ½ Season 2, unless you consider some miniscule developments in the relationship between Ranma and Akane as progressive. There’s no real conclusion, or pay-off, at the end of this season, which brings me to my final point about this show. I think this would work a lot better as a weekly anime. The seasonal format simply doesn’t work, when any story developments move at a snail’s pace, and the series relies on hooking you in to leave a lasting impression. Knowing MAPPA’s structure, a weekly Ranma ½ will never come to be, so this is nothing more than a dream. Still though, I can’t help but imagine how much more ingrained in anime culture Ranma ½ would be if people were able to dive into it weekly, like a Saturday-morning cartoon. I’m excited for Ranma ½ Season 3, but I can’t say that I’ll be hopeless in its absence, especially considering the fact that this season may have been an indicator of a dwindling standard and quality.

So, what did you think of Ranma ½ Season 2? I still had a good time with this show, but there were some seriously unignorable flaws this time around, leading to a far more bumpy ride than the show’s first season. Do you agree? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thank you for reading!

See also: SANDA Review

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Where to Watch Ranma ½ Season 2?

Image by MAPPA

You can stream all episodes of Ranma ½ Season 2, as well as the entire first season, right now on Netflix. A third season hasn’t been formally announced yet, but is expected to air in late 2026/early 2027.

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