Movie
Description
Prince Kirin is the ruler of Nekonron, a secluded martial-arts kingdom in China, and the leader of the Seven Lucky Gods, a group of powerful martial artists who serve as his retainers and guardians. He is also the head of the Seven Lucky Gods school of martial arts, the fighting tradition practiced in his homeland.
Kirin's actions in the story are driven by an old prophecy connected to the Scroll of Luck. He carries one half of this scroll, and the custom of his people holds that the two halves must be reunited through marriage, meaning the person who possesses the other half is destined to become his bride. When the other half surfaces in Japan, he travels from Nekonron to Furinkan with his followers to claim his intended wife. The claim is based on a misunderstanding. A young woman named Lychee had been traveling to Nekonron to marry him, but during the confusion at the Tendo household, Akane Tendo accidentally came into possession of the bride's token. Kirin's party mistakes Akane for the destined bride, abducts her, and carries her off to Nekonron to make her his wife, which forces Ranma and his friends to journey to China to rescue her.
In personality, Kirin is composed, self-assured, and formal in a manner befitting his princely status. He treats the marriage arrangement as a settled matter of fate and tradition rather than a personal choice, and while he is dignified and not openly cruel, he shows no hesitation about taking Akane against her will, since he regards the prophecy as binding. He carries himself with quiet confidence and a slightly smug air, especially when he succeeds in seizing his prize, and he remains devoted to the customs of Nekonron throughout.
As the antagonist of the film, Kirin serves as the central obstacle the protagonists must overcome. He commands the Seven Lucky Gods, who engage the rescue party in a series of battles as they make their way through Nekonron, and he ultimately faces Ranma in the climactic confrontation, where he is defeated and his plan is undone. When the confusion over the scroll is corrected, his marriage to Akane is prevented, and Lychee, who had always been his designated bride, reclaims her place as the woman he was meant to marry.
Kirin's notable abilities are tied to objects he is almost never seen without: a bowl of rice and pickled vegetables and a long pair of chopsticks. He uses the chopsticks to block and deflect incoming attacks, and he can flick grains of rice from his bowl as fast, painful projectiles. As the head of the Seven Lucky Gods school, he is a highly skilled martial artist in his own right, and as their prince, he directs the Seven Lucky Gods, each of whom brings his own techniques to battle. He also travels on a large flying barge, which he uses to return to Nekonron with his bride-to-be.
Kirin appears only within this movie and changes little over its course; he begins and ends as the same dutiful, self-assured prince governed by the prophecy. The story does not give him a personal transformation, and the resolution instead hinges on exposing the mistaken identity behind his claim. Once the error is revealed and he is defeated in combat, his intended marriage to Akane is abandoned, and his original connection to Lychee, the bride he was always supposed to claim, is restored.
Kirin's actions in the story are driven by an old prophecy connected to the Scroll of Luck. He carries one half of this scroll, and the custom of his people holds that the two halves must be reunited through marriage, meaning the person who possesses the other half is destined to become his bride. When the other half surfaces in Japan, he travels from Nekonron to Furinkan with his followers to claim his intended wife. The claim is based on a misunderstanding. A young woman named Lychee had been traveling to Nekonron to marry him, but during the confusion at the Tendo household, Akane Tendo accidentally came into possession of the bride's token. Kirin's party mistakes Akane for the destined bride, abducts her, and carries her off to Nekonron to make her his wife, which forces Ranma and his friends to journey to China to rescue her.
In personality, Kirin is composed, self-assured, and formal in a manner befitting his princely status. He treats the marriage arrangement as a settled matter of fate and tradition rather than a personal choice, and while he is dignified and not openly cruel, he shows no hesitation about taking Akane against her will, since he regards the prophecy as binding. He carries himself with quiet confidence and a slightly smug air, especially when he succeeds in seizing his prize, and he remains devoted to the customs of Nekonron throughout.
As the antagonist of the film, Kirin serves as the central obstacle the protagonists must overcome. He commands the Seven Lucky Gods, who engage the rescue party in a series of battles as they make their way through Nekonron, and he ultimately faces Ranma in the climactic confrontation, where he is defeated and his plan is undone. When the confusion over the scroll is corrected, his marriage to Akane is prevented, and Lychee, who had always been his designated bride, reclaims her place as the woman he was meant to marry.
Kirin's notable abilities are tied to objects he is almost never seen without: a bowl of rice and pickled vegetables and a long pair of chopsticks. He uses the chopsticks to block and deflect incoming attacks, and he can flick grains of rice from his bowl as fast, painful projectiles. As the head of the Seven Lucky Gods school, he is a highly skilled martial artist in his own right, and as their prince, he directs the Seven Lucky Gods, each of whom brings his own techniques to battle. He also travels on a large flying barge, which he uses to return to Nekonron with his bride-to-be.
Kirin appears only within this movie and changes little over its course; he begins and ends as the same dutiful, self-assured prince governed by the prophecy. The story does not give him a personal transformation, and the resolution instead hinges on exposing the mistaken identity behind his claim. Once the error is revealed and he is defeated in combat, his intended marriage to Akane is abandoned, and his original connection to Lychee, the bride he was always supposed to claim, is restored.