At 05:32 PM 6/15/98 -0700, you wrote:

{{SNIP}}

 Take Kuno and incinerate his bokken. His approximate threat level, at

least to Ranma, drops from "mild annoyance" to "don't make me laugh". Take
Ranma, fighting with a staff, and incinerate the staff. If anything, he's
become more effective since he doesn't have the weapon to limit him. 

I forget the exact words, but there's a quote by 
Bruce Lee on this topic.  He more or less said that 
the person with the weapon has the disadvantage 
because he focuses on using the weapon and not his 
entire body, and that holding the weapon means the 
hand is not free do other things (punch, grab, slap, 
or use a better weapon).

In short, the bo fighting is a part of the school. In the grand scope of
things, a master of the school is also qualified to master all other schools
as well; he has to be.

Sounds like the "Anything Goes" school is a "jack of 
all trades" school.  Given that Happosai was the 
founder, should that perhaps be "jaaku of all 
trades"...?  ("jaaku": viciousness, evil. ^_^) 

Nah, I think it would be more appropriate to call him a jackass of all trades.