Name: Akane Tendo (or Tendou)
Age: 16
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Bluish-black
First Appearance (Anime): Ranma 1/2 TV series, Vol. 1
First Appearance (Manga): Vol. 1
Love Interest: Ranma
Loved by: Ryoga, Ranma, Kuno, Gosunkugi
Rivals/Opponents: Ukyo, Shampoo, Kodachi, Kuno
Profile: Akane Tendo is the youngest daughter of Soun Tendo. She is also one of the heirs to the Anything-Goes school of Martial Arts, albeit unwillingly (at first).
When Akane was very young, the Tendos suffered a huge personal loss when Akane's mother died. Thus Akane was never really taught the things that a woman usually knows how to do (the most important of these being how to cook). Akane grew up getting into fights, acting tough, and perfecting her martial arts to the best of her ability; she was, in effect, a tomboy. Most kids her age at the time thought that she was so much like a boy (from her short haircut to her demeanor) that she was once cast by her schoolmates to be Romeo in their school's production of Romeo and Juliet.
However, despite what she projected on the outside, Akane was indeed a girl, with the feelings of a girl. She got a crush on her doctor, Dr. Tofu, who patched her up many a time when she got into fights. In an attempt to get his attention away from her older sister, Kasumi, Akane even grew out her hair so it would be longer than Kasumi's. On the outside however, she despised all men for their repeated attempts to go after her. This was especially evident at her high school, where it was declared by her main "suitor", Tatewaki Kuno, that whoever defeated Akane in battle would be allowed to date her. This meant that every day at high school, Akane was attacked by at least 50 or so guys who wanted to beat her to date her. A very annoying situation, indeed.
When Akane turned 16, her life took a new turn. She was engaged (unwillingly) to her father's friend's son, Ranma Saotome in order that the Tendo dojo and Anything-Goes Martial arts was insured a future. Akane's sisters obviously thought that this match was perfect, since Akane hated boys, and here was a boy (Ranma) who could change into a girl. Akane, of course, was furious at having been engaged to someone like Ranma, who she thought was a complete pervert and a jerk. However, from the first day, Ranma seemed to help her. For example, Ranma finally was able to discourage all of her suitors when he defeated Kuno in a fight. Akane was secretly greatful for that.
But when another fight between Ranma and his arch-rival Ryoga Hibiki cost her the hair she had worked so hard to grow out for Dr. Tofu, she was furious. So in a way, Ranma brought his share of good and bad things for Akane.
Akane has since gotten over her feelings for Dr. Tofu and cut her hair short again. It's true that a lot of guys have gone after her (or love her in secret, like Ryoga). Akane still fights to get rid of some of them, and though she won't admit it, she does have developing feelings for Ranma. It is the hope of the other members of the Tendo and Saotome families that she and Ranma will finally get together for real. For now, she's content to hide her feelings and to hit him at the slightest insult to her.
Personality: Akane is a very strong-minded, and sometimes violent, girl. She can become angry and jealous, and is apt to hit Ranma a lot whenever this happens. But even though she does get angry, she does have a feminine side to her. She, having been raised in a family without a mother figure, has a hard time trying to sort out her feelings for Ranma. There is many a time when Akane is on the verge of telling Ranma what she really thinks. But it's almost always interrupted with something different every time. The rest of the time, she firmly denies any feelings for Ranma. In her own way, Akane could be seen as having male and female sides to herself (mentally), as Ranma does (physically).
⌐ 1997 by Frank Sanchez