Spoilers for the series ahead:

I remember binging the whole series when I was a teenager, and the second movie (Nihao My Concubine) was the first and only time where Akane actually told Ranma she loved him. But only because they were in a nasty predicament and expected to die moments later. She reneged on that confession as soon as they were safe.

I remember being so mad that I had watched the entire series and that retracted confession was the closest they ever got to actually being honest about their feelings toward each other. They didn’t actually get married, or even go on dates together. They obviously cared for each other, but they could never openly say it, choosing to fight with each other instead. It was a very toxic relationship, and it’s hard for me to re-read watch the series now, even though I absolutely loved it in my youth.