Akane Tendo

Akane Tendo is a central character from Rumiko Takahashi's martial-arts romantic comedy Ranma ½, published in English by Viz. The youngest Tendo daughter, she is a skilled martial artist who becomes engaged to Ranma Saotome through an arrangement between their fathers.

Akane Tendo made her English-language catalog debut in 1992 through Newsweet: The Interested Boys Magazine, a Copper/Modern Age entry into the beloved world of Ranma ½, where she would go on to appear across multiple Viz series through the early 2000s. She shares her pages with a wonderfully chaotic ensemble — Ranma Saotome, Ryoga Hibiki, Nabiki Tendo, Soun Tendo, and Genma Saotome among them — the kind of colorful, personality-packed company that made Ranma ½ a cornerstone of Western manga publishing. With 25 catalog appearances spanning Ranma ½ and Ranma ½ Part Six, Akane is a familiar face to anyone who grew up discovering manga through Viz's early releases, and she remains a touchstone of that era's infectious enthusiasm for bringing Japanese comics to English-speaking fans.