Ryoga, Ukyo and the Suitor Chaos

Ranma's eternally lost rival Ryoga Hibiki, cursed to become the piglet P-chan, and the cross dressing okonomiyaki chef Ukyo Kuonji, a childhood fiancee, join the tangled web of grudges and romance surrounding Ranma and Akane.

As the series matures, two more major characters cement the chaotic ensemble. Ryoga Hibiki is Ranma's sworn rival, a strong but hopelessly directionless fighter who blames Ranma for a missed duel and for his Jusenkyo curse, which turns him into a small black piglet. As P-chan he becomes Akane's beloved pet, creating an ongoing tension since Ryoga secretly loves Akane and Ranma knows his true identity but stays mostly silent. Ukyo Kuonji is another childhood fiancee, an okonomiyaki cook abandoned by Genma years earlier who dressed and lived as a boy out of resentment. She reconnects with Ranma as both a friend and a determined suitor who believes she has a real chance given his constant fighting with Akane. The lecherous old grandmaster Happosai, founder of Anything Goes Martial Arts and a menace who steals women's underwear, also enters during this stretch, tormenting Genma and Soun who were once his students. These chapters layer rivalries, curses and romantic claims into the series' signature controlled mayhem, while quietly advancing the central romance.