The sixth episode of the martial arts comedy anime remake Ranma 1/2 on Netflix marks the show’s debut of one Kodachi Kuno. She is an evil gymnast who wants to destroy Akane but is also in love with male Ranma, challenging the duo in a gymnastic fighting contest where the fighters can only defeat each other with gymnastic tools & weapons.

She is also one of the many pioneers of one of the most infamous anime tropes of all time: the ojou laugh, or “noblewoman’s laugh” in English.

In a nutshell, the ojou laugh is a stereotypical laugh used by women from aristocratic families. It’s a high-pitched “o-hohoho” sound that is all shades of arrogance, used to put down their enemies and humiliate them. Those who do the laugh usually pose holding a straightened palm vertically to the side or below their mouth, or holding a fan over their mouths.

In short, the ojou laugh is usually the mark of a bitch, regardless of whether they’re antagonists, protagonists, or in-between. Usually the shrill sound from this type of laughter is found in comedic moments of an anime, intentional or otherwise.

This is Kodachi Kuno’s noblewoman’s laugh in the late 80s Ranma series and in the 2024 version (via a comparison video we did).

Annoying? Yes. Memorable? Try “infamous”. It’s a trope as timeless as many others, and it has made a return in the Ranma 1/2 remake whether you like it or not.

Where & When Did It Come From?

Anime history regarding the ojou laugh is spotty at best. Some say its origin is from the 1972 manga The Rose of Versailles (see above). Then there’s the Vampire Hunter D OVA in 1985 from Countess Lamika Lee.

From my personal experience as an anime connoisseur, the 1989 Ranma 1/2 adaptation did it first in anime form and in mainstream form via Kodachi Kuno. Most people who watched all sorts of anime from the late 80s to 2000 can probably say that the bitch laugh came from Kodachi. Any show that features a female character with this infamous laugh were most likely influenced by Rumiko Takahashi’s zany creation and the anime version.

The bitch laugh then made even more mainstream appearances in 1992’s anime adaptation of Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon. A major antagonist named Green Esmeraude does the ojou-sama laugh a lot, to the point where even her colleagues tell her she’s being too loud.

In 1994 & 1995, the fantasy comedy show Slayers had a movie detailing main character Lina Inverse’s early life as a powerful sorceress. She has a rival named Naga and she definitely is known for her bitch laugh. It’s so obnoxious and loud that it’s been weaponized a dozen of times in Slayers canon.

In 1997, the Pokémon animated series, children had an earful of the ojou-sama laugh from Team Rocket’s Jessie, usually performed when she’s getting away with theft. And from there on out, loads of other anime have used the infamous laugh on various characters in shows like Cardcaptor Sakura and Shimoneta! (thanks, Ohohojousama YouTube channel)

And there you have it: a brief history lesson of anime’s shrill and obnoxious contribution to the medium. Apart from the harem concept and tsunderes. Long live the noblewoman’s laugh, for good or ill.

Ranma 1/2 (2024) is available to watch now on Netflix; 6 episodes are out right now. Check out our review to find out more about the show. Or you could watch our latest sub VS dub video on the latest episode (thanks Netflix Asia!).