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What Ranma 1/2 films and OVAs are there?

Three theatrical films from the TV era, twelve OVA episodes in the 1990s, and a 2008 anniversary episode; all are anime staff creations, not Takahashi adaptations of specific arcs.

The theatrical run came first. Ranma 1/2: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China opened in 1991, followed by Nihao My Concubine in 1992 and the short feature Super Indiscriminate Decisive Battle! Team Ranma vs. the Legendary Phoenix in 1994. The films are original stories by the anime staff, built at feature scale around travel plots and new opponents, with Takahashi's characters and designs as their base.

The OVA series ran from 1993 to 1996, after the TV series ended, and it is where the anime caught up with the manga's later material. Episodes adapted specific Takahashi arcs that TV never reached, including the Shampoo and Ukyo storylines fans had waited for, in higher budget, laser disc and video era productions aimed at committed fans.

A final OVA, Nightmare! Incense of Spring Sleep, arrived in 2008 as part of the Rumic World anniversary project celebrating Takahashi's career, alongside new Urusei Yatsura and Inuyasha episodes. It adapts a short later manga story and reunited much of the original voice cast, functioning as an official reunion.

Home video history is part of the guide's value. The OVAs were premium products in Japan's video market, sold at prices that reflected the era's collector economics, and the North American releases by Viz Video made the OVA episodes many Western fans' first uncut Ranma. Later Blu ray sets in Japan collected TV, films and OVAs into unified boxes.

For watch order, the practical route is simple: TV series first, films anywhere after the first season, OVAs after the TV run, and the 2008 episode last as a coda. None of the screen material replaces the manga's ending, which no adaptation has ever animated.

ON THE SHELF

Ranma 1/2 movies and OVAs: the complete guide
Film one
Big Trouble in Nekonron, China, 1991.
Film two
Nihao My Concubine, 1992.
The OVAs
Twelve episodes, 1993 to 1996, adapting later manga arcs.
The reunion
Nightmare! Incense of Spring Sleep, 2008 anniversary episode.
Who made the 1989 Ranma anime? Studios, directors and designers → More from the Library →
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