Nodoka is Ranma's devoted mother. She hasn't seen him and Genma for over ten years, ever since they embarked on their training journey. Believing that a doting mother would impede Ranma's training, Genma made an agreement with her to raise Ranma as a "man among men." If he failed, both he and Ranma were to commit seppuku. However, due to Ranma's curse that transforms him into a woman half the time, they mostly avoided Nodoka by disguising themselves as Ranko Tendo and her pet, Mr. Panda. Nodoka's heart ached with the desire to see her son again.
Eventually, in the manga, she did meet Ranma and Genma and uncovered their curses. Surprisingly, she was more understanding than they anticipated. This was partly because she began to suspect that Ranma and Ranko were actually the same person.
