Now for all you people out there who either havn't seen Ranma 1/2 or just don't even no what the hell it is, heres a brief synopsis for you...
Ranma 1/2 is about a guy called Ranma Saotome and his father Genma. His father takes him on a decade long training mission at a young age to china, they go to a cursed training ground Jusekyo where falling into one of its many hot-springs turns you into what ever drowned there last... Ranma is turned into a, female, and even worse Genma is turned into a panda. They visit Genma's friend Saon Tendo in Japan and live there in the Tendo family Anything goes training Dogo, in the Tendo family there are three children and Soan there father, Akane is the youngest of the three and her father and Ranma's have orgonised that Ranma and Akaney get married, neither show they want to(but they secretley do) and they often get into arguments, Nabiki is the second youngest, she is... well she likes to make money out of the cast by helping them get what they want, Kasumi is the oldest and does all the cooking for the Tendos and the Saotomes, Akane likes to cook, but when she does everyone turns sick, and finnaly Soan Tendo is the father of the three Tendo girls and is best friends with Genma.
Other Characters
There are many other characters living around Japan near the Tendos, there are Shampoo, who is a purple haired Amizon who loves Ranma and is preppared to do anything for him, her granmother(she doesn't have a name) is an old and shrivled, yet wise old lady who is continuesly trying to get Shampoo and Ranma together, Hopplesyi(one of my favourite characters is a little pervert who everyone thinks is sick. Mousse is in love with Shampoo but Shampoo only loves Ranma. Ryoga is a guy who loves Akane and thinks ranma is unworthy of here, he also gets lost where ever he goes. Kuno, he is a nempo expert and is in love with Akane and the pig tailed girl(this is what he calls ranma when he is a girl). Ukkyo, she is like Shampoo, as in she loves Ranma and only Ranma, she tries to get Shampoo and anyone esle who likes Ranma out of the way to have him for herself.
These are the main characters a lot of them also transform into other animals when splashed with cold warter, i don't want to spoil it though so watch it and find out for your self, in some of the OAV's there are characters who are just in that episode(eg : Soan's supposed long lost Daughters in the second OAV episodes 3 & 4)
Heres a picture of the bunch.