History Fanfic / ReflectionsLostOnADarkRoad

* Thanagarian Chief Technical Rector Shandra Mal was able to take of a Apokalipian Parademon all by herself with nothing more then basic self defense training
** Lets not forget [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Kasumi staring down Jinx]]

** Starfire and the X-COM universe. The reason the X-Com side is so big on humanity uber alles, in DCland, aliens range from evil to good, while in X-Comland, every alien species is malevolent. How the only way for humanity to survive predation is to band together, as there's no convenient superheroes about to save the world. Being a powerless experimental subjects for thousands of years has done terrible things to the collective subconscious of humanity. It might not end up being too different from what normal people feel in the DC universe. If nothing else then Starfire can relate to what it feels like to be a powerless experimental subject. Probably the avenue by which she eventually comes around.
*** This is the main reason Starfire is seen as UnintentionallyUnsympathetic as well as creating one of the more CrowningMomentOfAwesome scenes in the story where she admitted her hypocrisy in her fight with Ukyo.

* AdrenalineJunkie: Nabiki has shown signs of being this from time to time. For example when tasked with watching Raven after she had managed to panic X-Mousse and push X-Ryouga and X-Kuno in a battle. She was thrilled at the thought that she could fly off the handle and go on a rampage, with a certain Tendo sister in immediate proximity.

** in all of Lathis’ fics the overall lesson that T-Ryoga learns is that comparatively his problems aren’t that bad and to stop [[Wangst wangsting]] and [[NeverMyFault blaming others for all of his problems]]. Yet all he needs is a lil push to turn him back into TheEeyore
--> '''daxo:''' while yes ryoga has been a good boy and has controlled his needs to kill ppl i dont think his hope is really high right now, and we have seen time after time that it only needs a lil push to make him go berserker

--> '''Starfire''': Was that really necessary, Jinx? You are most fortuitous that I have excellent reflexes.

* PsychosomaticSuperpowerOutage: Starfire's MindRape. In Dark Titans, Starfire exhibits [[PowerCreepPowerSeep far greater levels of power than Reflections]]. Though upon her entry to the X-COM-verse, she is able to singlehandedly stop a dozens-of-stories high clocktower from collapsing, she quickly has to face three {{Sociopathic Soldier}}s with DragonBall-level powers while she is still in ThouShaltNotKill mode, who recognize her hesitation to kill and take full advantage of it to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat her into a short-term coma]]. After X-COM's initial MindProbe only produces "[[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids obviously false]]" "superhero" memories, they subject her to TwoPlusTortureMakesFive to get the "real" memories... but instead succeed in [[InterrogatedForNothing proving the "false" memories true.]] The point? Tamaranians in general and Starfire in particular have PersonalityPowers; To fly she must feel "unbridled joy", to throw starbolts she must feel "righteous fury", and to utilize her superhuman strength she must feel "boundless confidence". She now has enough "righteous fury" that her starbolts are able not only to incapacitate the ArrogantKungFuGuy who gave her to [[MindRape Mind Rapists]] with ease but ''initiate a nuclear explosion through sheer force of will'', blowing Saffron(an immortal capable of vaporizing a mountain) away in a single HeroicRROD. However, despite her ability to fly FTL in the animated show, the comics and in Dark Titans, she has been dropped to sub relativistic speeds in regards to Reflections as she lacks the "unbridled joy" to go FTL or the "boundless confidence" to pick up a skyscraper while she's forced to ''work'' for said Mind Rapists. In short, as X-COM's slave, she's something of a GlassCannon.

** Victoria Christianson a New York city cop and [[OneOfUs a bit of a scifi geek]] was the first to realize that the person they were searching for was a Cyborg.

* OneOfUs: Victoria Christianson was a bit of a scifi geek.

* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: X-Com operates on WH40K rules - if you can use psionics without assistance, it's a sensory input that drives you mad.

* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Starfire's can survive in space and even fly around a bit, but the [[TeenTitans series]] also shows she is quite afraid of drowning. WordOfGod [[{{Fanon}} states that Tamaranians can survive in space only as long as their lungs remain a closed system, recycling oxygen with soda-lime like structures.]] If her lungs fill with liquid: blood, water, mucus, etc, then she will 'drown' just like a normal person.

* DifferentlyPoweredIndividual: Rogue psychics. X-COM-style psionics that, like the aliens, can use their abilities without [[AmplifierArtifact psi-amps]]. That the aliens created but can't replicate in [[BossInMookClothing Ethereals]]. And let wander around freely until X-COM [[MutantDraftBoard hunts them down.]] They're the justification for [[LetsYouAndHimFight attacking the Titans on sight]]. Most are repeat abductees. Enhanced Martial artists have only recently fallen into this category as well, as the aliens turn their attention on this much smaller study population.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Although it is uncertain how much of this was unintentional and simply inherent undertones in the original X-COM chronology, there are lots of RuleOfSymbolism aspects packed into RLOADR, very FamilyUnfriendlyAesop style or otherwise, including Saffron now being an EldritchAbomination [[SuicideAttack suicide bomber]]. The opposition are written as some kind of odd UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} + [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul Internet Addiction]] + [[PoliticalIdeologies Socialism]] + SpoiledBrat + PsychopathicManchild + [[UsefulNotes/{{Islam}} Islam Fundamentalist]] + EldritchAbomination extreme TakeThat AccentuateTheNegative distortion/inaccurate associations overlap, which comes across as UnfortunateImplications, considering that the first two to four groups are generally completely harmless in real world terms, if possibly helpless in certain areas, while [[SociopathicSoldier some of the types]] [[MadDoctor of people]] set as {{Designated Hero}}es against them are very much not.

* RapeAsRedemption: Since Jinx’s HeelFaceTurn was mainly due to her love for Ryoga the revelation that she was manipulated into loving him as well gives the disturbing implication of this.

* TheShrink: Psychiatrists are repeatedly mentioned throughout the story, and apparently all of X-COM regularly sees them. We even get to meet one in the form of [[DoctorPhil Dr. Phillips]].

* MegaCrossover: This is a crossover between ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'', and ''{{X-COM}}: UFO Defense''.

** While Juliet and India are very good marksmen they aren’t exceptional. Almost all of them are in the top one third on-base, but there are many XCOM veterans who can still give them a good thumping, most notably Hotel Squad, Seiran's elite Powered Armored team.

* BeliefMakesYouStupid: Ryu believes this at least and sadly there is a lot of evidence to prove it. There are madmen within the Sirius Conspiracy who all but worship the aliens XCOM fight. The Thanagarians in the Space Hulk dimension had worshipped the 'old gods' ect.

--> '''Lathis''': Granted, we don't get to see too much of this, since by their very nature, X-Com opponents are impossible to take alive (for long). But one of the reasons we went with Titans into Xcom as opposed to Xcom into Titans is the fact that, after the first fight, all of the X-Com teams would likely be on the run from the Justice League after they mass scattered their first villain with hot plasma

--> '''Capn’n Chryssalid''': Starfire was assumed to be under alien control. XCOM was called in because the PRC had just had a historic building destroyed (the clocktower), people were in a panic, and their own attempt to handle things had blown up in their face (the ambush). They know about Trenchards. They know that the Sirius Group not only had chemical weapons, but that they were willing to use them in terrorist attacks. ALL the Intel indicated that Starfire was an alien terror unit... except that she hadn't actually killed anyone. When Romeo Squad finally caught up to her, Herb could tell this. He still thought she was either an alien or a manufactured Trenchard ("one of Cologne's experiments"), but he could tell that she had no murderous or "killing" intention. He comments on this to her. But she is still an alien and she still needed to be subdued and interrogated. This is what XCOM does and so they subdued her and, when she spun a yarn that contradicted reality as they understood it, they mind probed her to get the real truth.

*** One of his most repeated usage of this trope that he has used since DarkTitans is passive aggressive combat. Ryoga would repeatedly insult Ranma to make himself feel better. The Titan’s never took it seriously until [[WhatTheHellHero they found out that Terra did]]. In the XComverse every time something bad happened to him he would deliver a backhand insult to his either his counterpart or the others.

** Rage possesses the strongest ties to Father of all of Raven’s emotions. She was always filled with his hatred, filled to bursting with his fury. However once she entered the XComverse she was stripped of that fury and had to sustain herself only on the 'rage' of Raven herself who is not terribly prone to bouts of excessive emotion.

* FantasticRacism: While it may not seem like it at first this is ultimately averted in the XComverse as their hatred of the Mind stems from the fact that AliensAreBastards. Despite their initial drama X-Com holds no ill will towards Starfire. Unfortunately her unique situation makes it appear this way to her.

** The Trillarians, The Gordanians?, The Citadel?, The Psions? were all races that met their end by the Tamerean's for doing to them exactly what the Visitor's are doing to the humans in the XCOM Universe.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: While the Titan’s like to think of themselves as morally superior to the heroes in the XComverse they narrative is more this trope then the WhiteAndGreyMorality or even the BlackAndWhiteMorality they like to perceive it as.

** Cyborg was the only one of the Titan’s to realize that he didn’t have the right to expect HeroInsurance when he came to the XComverse and his actions after the cops discovered him hacking into the satellite network was inexcusable leading to his surrender.

*** What makes this worse is that XComverse characters never trusted Ukyo while she wore the ring and made plans in the likely case she would betray them.
** Then there are the Titans themselves they repeatedly see the XCom characters as heartless due to the dark nature of the universe especially after Starfire’s mind rape. Yet they see nothing wrong with allowing to Ryoga and Jinx to stay mentally compelled to love each other. They also show increasing apathy for the suffering of that universe.

** Starfire telling one of the XCOM Doctor’s that his latest invention was considered a toy on her world.

* InsaneTrollLogic: The Titan’s seem to thrive on this while in the XComverse especially Ryoga as literally every argument he gives in the story utilizes this trope. For example comparing Raven being DrunkOnTheDarkSide with X-ryoga fulfilling Akari’s final request. He also see’s Ukyo being brainwashed by Tresspasser the same as Cyborg actively choicing to work for him.

** Yankee squad see XCOM as heartless and amoral not only do they get increasingly hypocritical and apathetic they constantly antagonize them (especially Jinx and Ryoga). XCOM on the other hand are shown to be far more understanding. While it’s obvious they do not like the Titan’s they are willing to put with far more of the Titan’s actions then the Titan’s are of theres.

* ItsAllMyFault: Raven blames herself for the Titan’s ending up in the XCOM universe as it was a combination of her powers and the Griffin’s that sent them there.

** This is pretty much a given due to the Titans refusal to except that they are in a decidedly grey universe instead of the black and white universe they are familiar with. The biggest example is Akari. They were repeatedly warned that re-connecting her with the Alien Hive Mind was a bad idea. Even Akari herself stated that she did not want this to happen. Yet they just brushed it off and did it anyway seeing XCOM as heartless monsters for not doing it.

** This is probably more of a case of SmallNameBigEgo as they seem to totally disregard the treat placed by the aliens of the XCOM universe.

* LackOfEmpathy: The Titan’s as a whole have shown a surprising amount of callousness to the suffering of those in the XCOM Universe but the cake really has to go Ryoga and Raven with their ItsAllAboutMe attitude.
** Raven status as the XCOM Universe's strongest psychic has completely gone to her head turning her into a SmallNameBigEgo to the point that on Azarath she purposely withheld information as she believed XCOM felt she was too important to let leave. However what really cements this is her TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to X-Ryoga which was essentially telling him that his suffering didn’t matter because unlike with T-Ryoga she didn’t benefit from it.
** Ryoga is arguably worse not only does he intentionally antagonize everyone he meets sowing discord within the rank of XCOM he has an an extreme case of MoralMyopia condemning actions as MoralEventHorizon when done to him or the titans but sees nothing wrong when he does it. When informed the titans actions had led to akira suffering a FateWorseThanDeath he replied so what at least he felt morally in the right for having done it.

** Their reliance on HeroInsurance seems to be the major cause of this as there are far more consequences in XCOM then there are in the DCAU. When they first arrived the Titans caused a lot of property damage and even injuries yet were surprised and even angry when authorities tried to apprehend them

** Starfire shows signs of this as well after her MindRape by XCOM Starfire has shown increasing signs of FantasticRacism to the point where she sounds remarkably similar to Val Yor such as referring to her fellow the good humans. However it comes to the head when it is found out that the Tamaranian had similar wars with the Gordanians, the Citadel, the Psions, and the Trillarians as XCOM and the aliens all of which ended in genocide. Yet she repeatedly calls XCOM out on their tactics even wondering if they are the good guys. you know she’d be furious if anyone said the same thing about the Tamaranians and those four civilizations.
** Despite the hypocrisy Starfire’s animosity with XCOM is more of a case of GreyAndGrayMorality however despite her anger at her MindRape she saw nothing wrong with allowing Ryoga and Jinx to stay coerced into loving each other. Jinx even called her out on this after she was cured.
** The Titan’s refusal to except the HeroInsurance doesn’t apply in the XCOMVerse as the LetsYouAndHimFight originally started due to the massive amounts of collateral damage caused by their entry into the world.
* MoralityPet: T-Ranma acts as this for Raven ever since arriving in the XCOMverse without an easy line of communication with him her nightmares have been getting worse and worse.

** However it is mostly caused by the Titans inability to except the fact that HeroInsurance no longer applies and that there are now consequences to their actions causing them to see XCOM’s attempts at trying to reign them in as heartless and evil. For example their entry into the universe caused substantial collateral damage and even injuries the army trying to put a stop to them was considered inexcusable.

** Starfire and the XCOM universe. The reason the X-Com side is so big on humanity uber alles, in DCland, aliens range from evil to good, while in X-Comland, every alien species is malevolent. How the only way for humanity to survive predation is to band together, as there's no convenient superheroes about to save the world. Being a powerless experimental subjects for thousands of years has done terrible things to the collective subconscious of humanity. It might not end up being too different from what normal people feel in the DC universe. If nothing else then Starfire can relate to what it feels like to be a powerless experimental subject. Probably the avenue by which she eventually comes around.

** XCOM as a hole are this as despite their status as DesignatedVillain they are far more willing to put up with the antics of the Titan’s then vise versa. They are willing to at least show professional courtesy.

** The Titan’s come across as forced especially when they first entered the XCOM universe. For example a few readers felt that Starfire reflexively melting a police officers gun feels very forced. She is not trigger happy even under the worse conditions let alone as she was.

** There are many instances where T-Ryoga comes across as a sleaze stringing the Titan girls along. For example when he and Raven first entered the XCOM universe he attempted to convince Raven into allowing him to sleep in the same bed with her.

** XCOM allowing Yankee to stay functioning period its shown many times that Jinx and T-Ryoga are insubordinate (T-Ryoga even refusing to learn the codes) putting a huge strain on soldier moral to the point where many don’t want to work with them.

** Jinx’s astonishing increase in martial arts ability to the point where not only can she match the worlds strongest fighters in her own world (it was mentioned she has a match against T-Ranma to determine the heir to anything goes) but match and even defeat the worlds greatest artist in the XCOMverse. All of this despite the fact that she has only trained with Happosai for about two months.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: Jinx’s various sue traits makes T-Ryoga a part of this trope. The major example is her status as the friend nobody likes. Jinx’s is incredibly antagonistic with nearly everyone et Ryoga completely ignores this believing that everyone is just out to get her. It gets much worse in the XCOM universe where not only does this attitude put the Titan’s lives in danger (i.e if XCOM refuses to work with them, or punish them for Jinx’s actions) especially due to her its all about me mentality. the soldiers there can barely give Jinx more more than professional courtesy while she doesn’t even bother with that, but still Ryoga takes her side.

** A few readers were surprised that XCOM were able to subdue the Titan’s so easily as XCOM is exactly the kind of organization that pretty much every superhero team since... ever, stomp in their spare time. They might have more noble goals then most, but comics are filled to the brim with orginizations that are almost identical in character and nature, if not purpose. Forgetting that those organizations are keep sending black suited norms with an M-16 and expect them to face down Wolverines and Spiderman. NOT coordinated battle hardened, psionic, martial artist.

** XCOM as a whole are this as they are far more willing to put up with the actions of the Titan’s then vise versa despite it being repeatedly shown that it’s starting to wear thin with soldier’s complaining about the unprofessionalism of Yankee squad and the fact that their commander just lets them run free.

* SchmuckBait: XCOM did this to Starfire when she first arrived in china hoping to lead her out of the city.

* SmallNameBigEgo: Team Yseems completely unable to comprehend the fact that they need XCOM to a far greater degree then XCOM needs them.

** The Titan’s as a hole come across as this with the fact that they constantly compare the Visitor’s to the aliens of the DCAU while looking down on the on XCOM for not being able to curb stomp them.
** They also seem to believe that XCOM sees them as [[SmallNameBigEgo irreplaceable when that is far from the case]].

* SuperSerum: Back when the war started, and routine missions had a more than forty percent mortality rate, High Command had made the decision to encourage the medical division, flush from its development of the original ATRISK medikit, to invest some time and effort into optimization of existing manpower. The same teams that had developed drugs capable of selectively blocking pain receptors but providing no other physical side effects such as euphoria or chemical addiction, and reverse effects such as euphoria or chemical addiction, and reverse engineering Floater cybernetics, turned their expertise first to improved therapy for muscle regeneration due to plasma attacks... Optimizing training came soon after, with more tailored drugs to enhance strength, reflexes and endurance. Most military personnel entering XCOM were probably at what they considered to be their physical best. After SEAL or ALFA training, or the equivalent from a given UNETCO signatory country, one could hardly expect much additional improvement. Yet improve they did. Those who survived a few months in the field and in the PCF, found their strength and speed nearly doubling, commensurate to the effort put in.

** However XCOM aren’t totally immune when Raven saved everyone after they were hit with a warp bubble Ukyo called her out for allowing it to happen in the first place.
** Raven due to evolving into a SmallNameBigEgo she feels that XCOM sees the Titans as indispensable so in her own words as much as XCOM has done for the Titan’s since their priorities are not the same as the Titan’s. causing Raven to purposefully withhold information from X-Ryoga because she though he would intentionally sabotage her efforts to get home.

** When it comes to firing a rifle Juliet and India’s accuracy is still very good, but not exceptional. Almost all of them are in the top one third on-base, but there were many XCOM veterans who could still give them a good thumping… most notably the shell-heads in Hotel Squad, Seiran's elite Powered Armored team. None of them had the martial arts training to develop the same sort of superhuman reflexes, but they had years of experience and psionic augmentation.

* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: Cyborg did this to the cops chasing after him in the XCOM universe.

** However this is partly addressed in the recently closed arc. One of the Green Lanterns (and in fact, a senior and well respected Lantern), specifically the one that died deep within Heresiarch, bore an uncanny resemblance to Sectoids. A resemblance that is remarked on for good reason. Though not stated definitely to be so, there could be a pre-Sectoid race within DC (the Greys). However, it would be the distant precursor stock to the Sectoids and Aquatoids we know. Perhaps, in the distant past between 65 and 100 million years ago, the Grey Race were prevented from undergoing the racial transformation or progrom that made them what they are in XCOM. If that divergence was caused by Green Lanterns, who do not exist in DC... well. It wouldn't be entirely unsupported.

* {{Badass}}: Pretty much every character in the story.
** BadassAdorable: Herb mentioned fighting kittens to Starfire.

** BadassNormal: The Lagoon Company in general Revy specifically
*** A shame in Shampoo's opinion. She really did want to see this "Revy" woman in action.
** Thanagarian Chief Technical Rector Shandra Mal was able to take of a Apokalipian Parademon all by herself with nothing more then basic self defense training

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Although it is uncertain how much of this was unintentional and simply inherent undertones in the original X-COM chronology, there are lots of RuleOfSymbolism aspects packed into RLOADR, very FamilyUnfriendlyAesop style or otherwise, including Saffron now being an EldritchAbomination [[SuicideAttack suicide bomber]]. The opposition are written as some kind of odd {{Buddhism}} + [[CyberneticsEatYourSoul Internet Addiction]] + [[PoliticalIdeologies Socialism]] + SpoiledBrat + PsychopathicManchild + [[{{Islam}} Islam Fundamentalist]] + EldritchAbomination extreme TakeThat AccentuateTheNegative distortion/inaccurate associations overlap, which comes across as UnfortunateImplications, considering that the first two to four groups are generally completely harmless in real world terms, if possibly helpless in certain areas, while [[SociopathicSoldier some of the types]] [[MadDoctor of people]] set as {{Designated Hero}}es against them are very much not.

** Jinx compared the Reavers chasing her and Akari to the sharks from DeepBlueSea
*** Akari replied that it was more like TheWarOfTheWorlds

** Doctor Larsen is one to TheSimpsons

** Starfire and Ryoga debating {{Berserk}} vs Manga/{{Claymore}}
** Stargate was mentioned again when they entered their first alternate universe. As well as Series/{{Sliders}}, LandOfTheLost and TheEmpireStrikesBack.

* Cloudcuckoolander: Mitsuko Hibiki, upon finding out about Titan Ryoga she gushed that Nodoka would be jealous about the fact that she had another son.

* * CombinationAttack: The Hiryu Shoten Ha generated by Ranma and Starfire but powered by Ryouga and Ryouga's shishi houkodans.

** Also ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'', ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', and the DCUniverse, although Inuyasha fans probably won't appreciate how it's treated.

* DangerouslyGenreSavvy: Nabiki, who quickly realizes that a super-hero fight is inevitably followed by a team-up against a foe neither group of heroes could deal with alone. So she starts trying to recruit the lost Titans.
** Both Slade and Ranma show signs of this. Ranma by realizing that he was after Raven and threatening to kill her and Slade by not calling his bluff.
** Earlier he realized that they’d taken the UFO far to easily

** Starfire and Ryoga debating {{Berserk}} vs {{Claymore}}

** Cyborg was the only one of the Titan’s to realize that he didn’t have the right to expect HeroInsurance when he came to the XComverse and his actions after the cops discovered him hacking into the satellite network was inexcusable leading to his surrender.

** Stargate was mentioned again when they entered their first alternate universe. As well as {{Sliders}}, LandOfTheLost and TheEmpireStrikesBack.

* MegaCrossover: This is a crossover between ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', ''RanmaOneHalf'', and ''{{X-COM}}: UFO Defense''.

* MenInBlack: UNETCO acts as this by countering and controlling the flow of rumor and heresy

* CentralTheme: Set from the beginning chapter with [[spoiler:InuYasha]], and being that we all have to wake up and not spend our lives in a coma, which is sympathetic in theory, but the early execution reads more like: "Wake up and smell the rotting corpses, burning ozone, absolute savagery, and infinite abyss of despair and entropy!", which is probably not the best approach. It turns much better on that front though.

* MetaFiction: On-off, starting with the InuYasha [[spoiler:dismantling.]]

** Thank’s to PlotInducedStupidity turning him into a more fanon interpretation you have to wonder how Ranma and Akane have had a RelationshipUpgrade as he comes exactly as she’s seen him as (insulting, perverted,ect) instead of how she just perceived him as.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The InuYasha crew in the Sengoku Jidai is revealed to be [[AllJustADream hallucinations created by Kagome and her mother]], both delusional psychics. WordOfGod is that it was just a ShoutOut that demonstrated a particularly harmless "Double A" psychic.

* BrilliantButLazy: Averted while Ranma is acknowledge as being very wise when he is sit down and asked a question, his character derailment in this fic makes the incidents come across more as SmartBall s then this especially with the repeated potshots it takes at ranma’s intelligence especially given the severe case of PlotInducedStupidity that seems to infect the X-Com characters.

** WordOfGod also states Starfire’s Nova attack was met to show that the Yankee squad weren’t infallible as she could of just left Saffron in space to die. Yet the CharacterDerailment doesn’t help much with that.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Played with the combination of TheWorfEffect, {{Flanderization}}, IdiotBall, PlotInducedStupidity, and the numerous American pop culture references makes it seem like Ranma has been struck with a major case of CharacterDerailment. However there are times where he Is shown to be a lot more aware of things then he lets on.

** Unfortunately CharacterDerailment set in causing him to [[TookALevelInDumbass take a level in dumbass]].

* PlotHole: The SpotlightStealingSquad has caused a lot of these mainly due to CharacterDerailment and PlotInducedStupidity. For example during their battles with T-Ryoga and Starfire both X-Ryoga and Herb mentioned how Ranma intentionally goaded them into creating counters to the Hiryu Shoten Ha so that he could create counters to their counters. Yet during the battle with Saffron Ranma was honestly surprised that someone had created a counter to the technique and froze in shock.

** And later, The Titans, Jinx, and Romeo and Juliet squads.