The Saotome family treasure was a martial arts medal that an ancestor had won in competition. It has more sentimental than monetary value, as Nodoka estimated that it was only worth about 2,000 yen.[1] Genma’s attempts to steal the treasure and sell it eventually led to the unlikely reunion of Ranma and his mother.
Manga History[]
The treasure was kept at the grave of the Saotome family ancestors, which is in a cemetery near the seaside away from Furinkan. It was inside a drawer below the tombstone which Nodoka has the key to. When they visited, Genma had Ranma perform a "Saotome-style grave visit" by attacking the grave to demonstrate his strength. However the tomb was booby trapped against such an eventuality, and Genma let slip that the grave would be harder to raid than expected, rousing Ranma's suspicions. Nodoka happened to visit the grave at the same time and when the two attempted to flee, fell into a well and were seen by her. After they helped fix the grave and paid their respects, Nodoka pulled out a key and unlocked the drawer containing the treasure, taking out a wooden box. She told the Tendos that she planned to give it to Ranma, provoking Genma's numerous attempts to steal it.
Nodoka looks forward to reuniting with Ranma due to his purported desire for the treasure.
He made his first attempt back at the Waves & Winds Inn, Nodoka and the Tendos were staying at by picking the lock of the safe holding the treasure. When Ranma caught him and kicked a thermos out of his paws, the thermos hit her and Genma dropped the treasure. However Nodoka then happened into the room and Ranma fled with the treasure. Genma tried to recover it but while they were fighting Nodoka heard their voices. When the two tried to jump into a fish pond, it turned out to be empty and Nodoka saw her husband for the first time in years. Genma was able to nab the treasure when someone threw a bucket that hit Ranma on the head and knocked her out, but was stopped when she recovered and hit him with a pitched boulder. Nodoka took the treasure back and although Genma claimed that Ranma would come that night for it, she was more excited at the prospect of seeing him again, revealing that the treasure had more sentimental than actual value. Nonetheless Genma was excited at the prospect of a free 2,000 yen and tried to stop Ranma from revealing himself to Nodoka. Although beaten, he made a silly attempt to pose as Ranma and ask for it, but the effort was so flimsy that Nodoka was not fooled. Genma then resorted to using the Saotome School-Father Fu technique to flip a table onto Ranko and make off with the treasure. Ranma vowed to Nodoka that she would get the treasure back and set off in pursuit. Despite Genma's use of several hot water bottles and tetsubin, Ranma was able to recover the treasure when Genma kicked him away to hide him from Nodoka. He thought about using it to reunite with his mother in a manly and honourable fashion and nearly succeeded after stopping Genma, but fell into a well. When she sneaked out with Akane Tendo's help, the treasure was left behind and recovered by Nodoka.
Genma gets his comeuppance with the discovery that a prior Saotome had already pawned the treasure.
The following day Genma lured Nodoka to the family grave to steal the treasure again and fled with her when Ranma came after him with a tetsubin. During the pursuit Genma ran into a tree when Nodoka turned his head around on hearing Ranma' voice. She was pitched off a cliff and dropped the treasure, but was saved by Ranma. After Nodoka then discovered that he and Ranko were the same person, Genma did not stick around to see this as he made a break for the nearest pawnshop with the treasure in hand. However poetic justice occurred when the pawn shop owner opened the box and found a pawn shop receipt, revealing that the treasure had already been pawned by a prior Saotome.