Shinnosuke (Ranma ½)

Infobox animanga character
color = blue
name = Shinnosuke
series = Ranma ½


caption = Shinnosuke in the manga.
first = Volume 25
last =
creator = Rumiko Takahashi
voiced by = Takeshi Kusao (Japanese)
Jason Gray-Stanford (English)
alias = Forgetful idiot
age = 16
born =
occupation = Forest guardian
Monster fighter
relatives = His grandfather
divider = yes
aux1 name = Curse
aux1 = Constant memory loss
Formerly: Constantly near death and dependent on the Water of Life
aux2 name = Fighting style
aux2 = Unknown

nihongo|Shinnosuke|真之介|Shinnosuke is a fictional character in Rumiko Takahashi's anime and manga series "Ranma ½".Shinnosuke has some very interesting ways of translating his name. "Shi" means "death" which refers to the fact that he is near death, but "shin" means "devotion or deep affection," which he obviously has for Akane. The "suke" part of his name can mean "assistance" which shows his desire to assist others. He bears a strong resemblance to Miroku off InuYasha.

Background

Shinnosuke and his Grandfather both live in the forest of Ryugenzawa. Here they protect the local villagers from the giant animals that they once kept as pets. Many years ago, Shinnosuke's Grandfather was in charge of a small petting zoo in Ryugenzawa, and when the animals escaped they grew to monsterous sizes due to the Water of Life found in the forest, now Shinnosuke and his grandfather have taken on the task of keeping the huge animals away from civilization, while at the same time caring for them.

Meeting Akane

Years ago when Akane was vacationing with her family in Ryugenzawa, she got lost in the forest and was attacked by a giant platypus. However she was saved by a Shinnosuke, who prevented the platypus from attacking her but was greviously wounded in the attempt, suffering deep cuts to his back. After Akane took him home, he gave her the horn whistle which he had just received from his grandfather that same day, with the instructions to Akane to use it to keep the monsters (giant mammals) away. Akane was able to leave the forest and be reunited with her family. Shinnosuke was later found by his grandfather, who found him near death, and was barely able to keep him alive on his own. In desperation, he took some of the Water of Life and fed it to Shinnosuke. Shinnosuke survived, but developed a dependency on the Water of Life to stay alive.

Present

Years later, in the present, Akane once again hears about the forest of Ryugenzawa in a television advertisement asking for help in combating the increasing numbers of monsters and remembers Shinnosuke saving her. In an attempt to help out and possibly pay back Shinnosuke, Akane travels to Ryugenzawa to find him. In the process, Akane is attacked by a giant creature, and is saved, just like when she was young, by Shinnosuke, who still bears the marks on his back. Although he is now very forgetful, Shinnosuke invites Akane to stay with him and his grandfather.

Later on, it is found that the spring containing the Water of Life in the forest has been drying up. This spring has been what was ultimately responsible not only for the large animals in the forest, but also for saving and maintaining Shinnosuke's life after he was badly wounded saving Akane. Now in the present, Shinnosuke's life is in danger because the Water of Life is gone, and Akane resolves to stay and help Shinnosuke, despite Ranma's protests (he had come after her in search of her). Unable to tell Ranma of Shinnosuke's situation because she is fearful that Shinnosuke might overhear, she can only stay silent as Ranma demands to know why she seems so close to Shinnosuke (it is clear at this point that Shinnosuke has fallen for Akane, and has even told her as such).

A short duel ensues between Ranma and Shinnosuke, but Shinnosuke, in his weakened, dying state, collapses, causing a hurt Akane to slap Ranma and he is stunned. Dejected, Ranma walks away in shock feeling very depressed because he thinks Akane broke up with him. It is at this point that Shinnosuke's grandfather tells Akane of the only hope for a cure for Shinnosuke, and also the only way to restore the Water of Life to the Spring. This cure involves not only defeating a monster called the Orochi, which is blocking up the spring's water, but also of getting the moss that grows on it, which can cure Shinnosuke permanently.

Elsewhere Ranma packs his things deciding he will return to Tokyo and then leave on a training trip never to see Akane again. Just then he sees a giant eight-headed dragon emerge over the tree tops and spit out Grandpa. The monster begins to give chase and they encounter Akane who is sitting quietly crying to herself over what she has done to Ranma.

Akane sets out to recover the moss, assisted by the weakened Shinnosuke and shadowed by not only Ranma, but also Ryouga who had happened by and who was also devastated over the apparent turn of Akane. A long fight ensues between the eight-headed Orochi monster and Akane and company, but in the end, Akane manages to pick off the moss and apply it to Shinnosuke just as he has another almost fatal relapse of his condition. Shinnosuke is cured, the Orochi is defeated, and though Shinnosuke knows Akane truly loves Ranma, he wishes he had told her how he felt about her - forgetting that he already did.

Shinnosuke only had one appearance in the series, but aside from Saffron, Shinnosuke was one of the most important one-time characters to appear in the series. This is mainly because after Ranma and Akane encountered Shinnosuke their relationship managed to progress to a higher level and the series focused on it more after that event.

Condition

Shinnosuke's major flaw is that he has no short-term or long-term memory. He often forgets names and people altogether. This is also hazardous to him, as he often triggers the monster traps that he set himself throughout Ryugenzawa when he is in it. One of the few things he is able to remember on a regular basis is Akane's name, which is a testament to his deep feelings for her.

Due to the mortal wounds that were caused by the giant platypus, Shinnosuke is constantly on the verge of death and the only way to stay alive is to drink at least an ounce of the Water of Life a day. When the Water of Life is withdrawn, he suffers unpredictable nausea and fainting spells as his body succumbs to his old injuries.

Personality

Shinnosuke's nearly all-encompassing forgetfulness, to the point of being unaware of the situation with his wounds or even who his grandfather is, and relatively brief appearance can make it hard to notice his other characteristics. However he has shown a chivalrous and self-sacrificing side when protecting young Akane, compassion, as well as responsibility and restraint by not actively causing mortal damage to the gigantic animals that constantly attack him, and by helping his grandfather to care for them. However, he does seem to have a blunt streak to him which can make him falsely come across as cold and unfeeling. He also displayed a crush on Akane, forgetting that he had already confessed to her, but seemed willing to give her up for Ranma since it would make her happy. He also turned very embarrassed when accidentally walking in on Akane while she was taking a bath. He generally seems quite serious, but it is usually overshadowed by his comical memory lapses.

External links

* [http://www.animeinfo.org/featured/ranma/ranmapeople/shinnosuke.html Shinnosuke at AnimeInfo]
* [http://www.furinkan.com/ranma/characters/shinnosuke.html Shinnosuke at Furinkan.com]