Template:Infobox Ranma Character
Soun Tendo (天道 早雲 Tendō Sōun) is a fictional character in Rumiko Takahashi's anime and manga series Ranma ½.
Soun is the father of Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane. He has raised them alone since the death of his wife many years ago.
History
Soun Tendo is the master of the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts Dojo and the father of Kasumi, Nabiki, and Akane. With the untimely death of his wife, Soun was left with the responsibility of raising his three daughters and the duty of keeping his dojo afloat all by himself.
In the old tradition of carrying on a dojo, there has to be a man to run it after him. So Soun struck a marriage arrangement with his long time friend, Genma Saotome. Genma's only son, Ranma, would marry one of Soun's daughters, and thus the future of the dojo would be preserved.
It was then decided that Akane would be engaged to Ranma. Neither Ranma nor Akane found this acceptable, however, and they immediately protested the engagement, but both Soun and Genma remain confident that they will grow to love one another as an engaged couple should.
Character
Soun is prone to displays of emotion, whether it be a tragic, happy, or angry occasion. He cries at times, and has also been known to get very angry when the engagement of Akane and Ranma is in any way threatened.
Like Genma, Soun upholds a sense of honor, but is known to be inclined to bend the rules once in a while. His sometime cowardice in confronting situations also mirrors that of Genma. However, like Genma, Soun turns out to be a good person for the most part, and is looking forward to the day when Ranma and Akane might marry. While a little bit old-fashioned, the man honestly cares for his girls' well-being.
Soun's trait that gets on Ranma's and Akane's nerves the most is his willingness to openly talk about Ranma and Akane's feelings. Although the two deny it up and down, Soun has no problem expressing the couple's feelings for each other.
Special Techniques
When angry, Soun apparently changes shape to an apparition-like yokai, with dark clouds and long tongue, scaring everyone around him (except for his daughters). This technique is commonly referred to in fan fiction as "Soun's Demon Head", and is usually believed to be a deriative of Happosai's paralysing battle aura attack, used in his first appearance.
He doesn't use this as an attack, rather as for people to have an incentive to listen to him since it looks like he will eat them or attack. This commonly shows when Akane is in danger or is upset.
Fan Fiction
Some fan fictions also state that Kasumi can counter Soun's yokai attack by bursting it with an oversized pin.
Trivia
- Latin American Spanish Voice Actors: Bardo Miranda, Jesse Conde.