Interviewer: After the battle, Ranma returns to Japan without being able to return to his original body, but at the wedding of the two at the end, he receives water from the Spring of Drowned Man that would allow him to return to his original body. However, the fact that Happosai drinks it all up gives me a sense of Takahashi-sensei's gag aesthetic.
Rumiko Takahashi: The beauty of a gag (laughs). It's not that big of a deal, but as the author, I was a little sad at the thought of seeing female Ranma disappear. Ranma turning back into a normal boy in the final chapter is probably a good way to end a manga, but even after I put down my pen, I still see Ranma changing between a man and a woman. I wanted the two versions of Ranma to argue and be friendly with Akane forever.