Ranma ½

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday from September 1987 to March 1996, with the chapters collected into 38 tankobon volumes by Shogakukan. The story revolves around a teenage boy named Ranma Saotome who has trained in martial arts since early childhood. As a result of an accident during a training journey, he is cursed to become a girl when splashed with cold water, while hot water changes him back into a boy. Throughout the series Ranma seeks out a way to rid himself of his curse, while his friends, enemies and many fiancées constantly hinder and interfere.