Name: Nodoka Saotome
Age: Approx. 20-30
Eyes: Maroon
Hair: Reddish-brown
First Appearance (Anime): "Like Water For Ranma"
First Appearance (Manga): Vol. 34
Love Interest: Genma (?)
Loved by: Genma
Rivals/Opponents: None
Profile: Nodoka Saotome is the wife of Genma Saotome and the mother of Ranma Saotome. When Genma told his wife that he was taking 6-year old Ranma away on a decade long training trip to improve his martial arts skills, he promised that he would return to her with a son that was a "man among men". Genma was so confident (and foolishly so) that he would fulfill this that he said to her that if he hadn't raised his son to be a true man by the time she saw them again, Genma and Ranma would commit seppuku, or Japanese ritual suicide. Unfortunately for Genma, and especially Ranma, the Jusenkyo curses that they acquired while on this training trip have made them deathly afraid of Nodoka and her potential reaction to being cursed into becoming half-men. When Nodoka actually happened to show up at the Tendo dojo, Genma and Ranma, knowing full well that staying uncursed would be an impossibility, create alternate identities for their cursed forms. Genma becomes the lovable ordinary household pet "Mr. Panda", and Ranma becomes "Ranko", the Tendo girls' country cousin. In this way Nodoka was, for a short time, unaware that her husband and son were right before her eyes, completely oblivious to the fear of dying by their own hand which they possessed.
Personality: A strong-willed, self-motivated woman whose gentle tone and kind words shield her fiery determination. Always carrying a katana concealed by a length of cloth, Nodoka becomes a frequent visitor to the Tendo dojo in the later part of the series. There is no doubt that Nodoka wishes for the engagement of Ranma and Akane to go as planned by Soun and Genma, as she has shown kindness and affection to all of the Tendo household, especially to Akane. However, she seems determined to hold Genma to his promise if she ever sees him or Ranma again.
⌐ 1997 by Frank Sanchez