# Ranma ½: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China (らんま1/2 中国寝崑崙大決戦! 掟やぶりの激闘篇!!)
**Ranma ½: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China** (*[Ranma ½](https://www.edgepedia.org/ranma-1-2): Chūgoku Nekonron Daikessen! Okite Yaburi no Gekitō-hen!!*, らんま1/2 中国寝崑崙大決戦! 掟やぶりの激闘篇!!) is a 1991 Japanese theatrical anime film, the first cinema feature adapted from [Rumiko Takahashi](https://www.edgepedia.org/rumiko-takahashi)'s martial arts comedy manga *Ranma ½*. Directed by Shuji Iuchi, it premiered in Japan on 2 November 1991 with a runtime of 75 minutes and was distributed by Argosy Project (アルゴプロジェクト).[1](https://eiga.com/movie/41181/) The English title comes from Viz, the North American licensor.[2](https://tapanime.furinkan.com/ranma/anime/movie1.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Japanese premiere | 2 November 1991, 75 minutes, distributed by Argosy Project[1](https://eiga.com/movie/41181/) |
| Position in franchise | First theatrical film of the *Ranma ½* franchise, made while the TV series was running[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531) |
| Director and screenplay | Directed by Shuji Iuchi; screenplay by Shigeru Yanagawa, Shuji Iuchi, and Ryota Yamaguchi; original work by Rumiko Takahashi[1](https://eiga.com/movie/41181/) |
| Central plot device | A magic scroll that marks its holder as the bride of Prince Kirin of the Seven Lucky Gods Martial Artists[4](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=394) |
| Main voice cast | Kappei Yamaguchi (male Ranma), Megumi Hayashibara (female Ranma), Noriko Hidaka (Akane), Kaneto Shiozawa (Kirin)[5](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/103077/) • [3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531) |
| Music | Score by RABBIT; theme song "IT'S LOVE"[5](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/103077/) |
| Follow-up | *Ranma ½: The Battle of Togenkyo! Rescue the Bride!!* (1992), the second theatrical film[6](https://eiga.com/movie/41182/) |
## Spoilers
### Story
The plot begins with a chase: Ranma spots Happosai, the elderly perverted master of the Anything-Goes school who targets the Tendo sisters' underwear, and pursues him through town. Another pursuer appears, the elephant-driving girl Lychee, who confronts Happosai with the demand "give me back my youth."[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531)
The dispute centers on a scroll. According to the THEM Anime synopsis, the scroll signifies that its owner is to be the bride of Kirin, a Chinese prince. Through a mix-up, Akane ends up holding the scroll just as Kirin arrives in his floating airship, and Kirin and his warriors, the Seven Lucky Gods Martial Artists, kidnap her and carry her off to China. Ranma and the rest of the cast journey to Nekonron, China, to face Kirin and his minions and bring Akane back.[4](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=394) The Anime Hack synopsis adds that the women of Lychee's family had waited three generations for the prince's arrival, and that the prince appears the moment the scroll is given up.[9](https://aniorder.com/anime/ranma-movie-nekonron/)
The film's structure is a series of battles between Ranma's group and the [Seven Lucky Gods](https://www.edgepedia.org/seven-lucky-gods) warriors, ending in a showdown between Ranma and Kirin.[4](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=394)
## Background
The film adapts Rumiko Takahashi's slapstick martial arts manga *Ranma ½*, which follows Ranma Saotome, a martial artist cursed during training at the Jusenkyo springs in China: cold water turns him into a girl, and hot water restores him, while his father Genma turns into a panda. Ranma is engaged to Akane Tendo, the youngest daughter of the Tendo dojo master, and the two quarrel constantly despite their mutual attraction.[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531) • [7](https://ranma-pr.com/intro/)
The allcinema database notes that the film was the first theatrical work of the franchise and that Atsuko Nakajima handled character design and animation direction, as in the TV series.[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531) The anime database Anime Hack lists [Studio Deen](https://www.edgepedia.org/studio-deen) as the production company,[5](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/103077/) while the CiNii library record describes the film as a Kitty Film production.[8](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA35167163?l=ja) Production credits name Hidenori Taga as producer, Chiaki Ochiai as planner, and Yoko Matsushita as producer.[1](https://eiga.com/movie/41181/)
## Cast and music
The Japanese cast pairs [Kappei Yamaguchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/kappei-yamaguchi) as male Ranma with [Megumi Hayashibara](https://www.edgepedia.org/megumi-hayashibara) as female Ranma, with Noriko Hidaka as Akane Tendo, Minami Takayama as Nabiki, Kikuko Inoue as Kasumi, Ryunosuke Ohbayashi as Soun Tendo, Kenichi Ogata as Genma, Kaneto Shiozawa as Kirin, and Ichiro Nagai as Happosai.[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531) • [5](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/103077/) The score is by RABBIT, and the theme song is "IT'S LOVE."[5](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/103077/)
## Release and reception
The film opened in Japanese theaters on 2 November 1991.[1](https://eiga.com/movie/41181/) A VHS edition was released in 1995 (copyright 1991) by Five Ace, sold by [Pony Canyon](https://www.edgepedia.org/pony-canyon).[8](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA35167163?l=ja) A second theatrical film, *Ranma ½: The Battle of Togenkyo! Rescue the Bride!!*, followed on 8 August 1992.[6](https://eiga.com/movie/41182/)
English-language releases run slightly shorter than the Japanese listings: [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) and Rotten Tomatoes list a 74-minute runtime with a PG rating, and the film is available for rent or purchase on Apple TV Store and Fandango.[10](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ranma-1-2-the-movie-the-battle-of-nekonron-the-fight-to-break-the-rules) • [11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ranma_12_the_movie_1_big_trouble_in_nekonron_china_1991) On the audience side, Rotten Tomatoes records an 86% Popcornmeter score from more than 1,000 ratings with no critic reviews counted,[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ranma_12_the_movie_1_big_trouble_in_nekonron_china_1991) and IMDb lists a 7.0 user rating.[12](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/ranma-1-2-the-movie-big-trouble-in-nekonron-china/)
Critical takes have been modest but positive. The THEM Anime review called it a rescue-the-damsel story saved from cliché by the characters, praising the dialogue and animation while finding the sequence of battles somewhat repetitive and the final showdown over the top.[4](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=394) An Anime UK News review described it as "an old-fashioned kind of anime film with slapstick comedy and an engaging cast making up for what could be the most over-used plot around," noting that it gives the series' cast screen time for established fans while remaining entertaining for newcomers.[13](https://animeuknews.net/2005/07/review-ranma-movie-1/)
## Title variants
Japanese sources print the subtitle inconsistently: eiga.com and the Jorudan database use 決闘篇 ("duel chapter"),[1](https://eiga.com/movie/41181/) • [14](https://movie.jorudan.co.jp/film/29578/) while allcinema, Anime Hack, and the CiNii record use 激闘篇 ("fierce battle chapter").[3](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531) • [5](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/103077/) • [8](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA35167163?l=ja) The reading given by Jorudan, "Chūgoku Nekonron Daikessen! Okite Yaburi no Kettō-hen," matches the 決闘篇 form.[14](https://movie.jorudan.co.jp/film/29578/)
## References
1. [らんま1/2 中国寝崑崙大決戦!掟やぶりの決闘篇!! : 作品情報・キャスト・あらすじ, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/41181/)
2. [Ranma 1/2 Perfect Edition – Movie 1: The Battle of Nekonron, China!, tapanime.furinkan.com](https://tapanime.furinkan.com/ranma/anime/movie1.html)
3. [らんま１／２ 中国寝崑崙大決戦！掟やぶりの激闘篇！！, allcinema](https://www.allcinema.net/cinema/pdf/151531)
4. [THEM Anime Reviews 4.0 – Ranma 1/2 the Movie: Big Trouble in Nekonron China](https://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=394)
5. [らんま1/2 中国崑崙大決戦!掟やぶりの激闘篇!! : 作品情報, アニメハック](https://anime.eiga.com/movie/103077/)
6. [らんま1/2 決戦桃幻郷!花嫁を奪りもどせ!! : 作品情報, 映画.com](https://eiga.com/movie/41182/)
7. [イントロダクション | TVアニメ「らんま1/2」公式サイト](https://ranma-pr.com/intro/)
8. [らんま1/2 : 中国寝崑崙大決戦!掟やぶりの激闘編!!, CiNii 図書](https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA35167163?l=ja)
9. [らんま1/2 中国寝崑崙大決戦! 掟やぶりの激闘篇!! ｜ アニオーダー](https://aniorder.com/anime/ranma-movie-nekonron/)
10. [Ranma 1/2 the Movie: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ranma-1-2-the-movie-the-battle-of-nekonron-the-fight-to-break-the-rules)
11. [Ranma 1/2 the Movie: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China (1991), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ranma_12_the_movie_1_big_trouble_in_nekonron_china_1991)
12. [Ranma 1/2 the Movie: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China (1991): Plot & Cast, Pulse of Cinema](https://pulseofcinema.com/en/film/ranma-1-2-the-movie-big-trouble-in-nekonron-china/)
13. [Review: Ranma Movie #1, Anime UK News](https://animeuknews.net/2005/07/review-ranma-movie-1/)
14. [らんま１／２ 中国寝崑崙大決戦！掟やぶりの決闘篇！！の上映スケジュール・映画情報, 映画の時間](https://movie.jorudan.co.jp/film/29578/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Japanese anime features › Released 1932 to 1998*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license