For purposes of visualization, consider the Japanese train system. Start out in Kobe and you could end up in any number of places, depending on how the switches were set.
There were several factors impacting Mihoshi's granting of the wish that limited the number of tracks Ranma's life could take. First was her understanding of what "Joe Average" was, particularly for a human teenage male. Her understanding of "normal" was not one shared by the majority of the human population. Second was Mihoshi's well-meaning but often fumble-fingered application of her abilities. Third was the wish itself, which was to remove Ranma from his current set of nasties by giving him a relatively normal upbringing.
Finally, there were the factors of this being an anime universe and having sets of rules that were in play.
So instead of a martial arts prodigy with no other skills to speak of, this was a Ranma who was a good martial artist but had neither the overwhelming focus on his Art nor the overweening pride that went with it. Instead of mastering the physical side and ignoring the philosophical, this Ranma had a fair grounding in both.
Just as the other Earth hume that Mihoshi was familiar with (Tenchi), Ranma would have some problems associated with him. Including, alas, that there were a number of females who looked upon the fairly studly student as a potential lifemate.
The recast Ranma was honest, honorable, kind, and in pretty darn good shape even if the old Ranma could have tied him up in knots and left him by the side of the road in a one-on-one martial arts fight. Ranma was still a "wild stallion" in some respects, but one who was capable of fitting into Japanese society within the parameters they found acceptable.
As he was no longer the son of Genma Saotome, he was a practitioner of a different Art. Ranma's martial art was:
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(Posted Sun, 18 Apr 2004 10:42)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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