The use of the mallet may have been influenced by City Hunter, where
it happens all the time....

	A search through Hitoshi Doi's Ranma synopses for instances of the
word "hammer" (no, folks, I don't have a life) comes up with only two
episodes in which Akane uses the mallet, although there may be other
occasions that he doesn't mention:

-- begin excerpts --
Ranma 1/2 Nettouhen  episode 91
. . .
Akane paid Nabiki another 3000 yen to try to find out how to get out
of the dream.  But Nabiki said that she didn't know.  When Akane asked
for for money back, Nabiki said that all she knows is that if someone
knocked Happosai out, he will wake up and the dream will end.
Ranma-chan tried and tried, but she was no match for Happosai.  Then
Akane hit Happosai with a big hammer and knocked him out.  They all
started to fade out of the dream.  But just at the last moment, they
all appeared again.
. . .
Back in Happosai's dream, Ranma-chan paid Nabiki 500 yen for some more
advice on how to get out of the dream.  Nabiki said that it doesn't
necessarily have to be Happosai that gets knocked out.  Then Akane
immediate tried to hit Ranma-chan.  But Ranma-chan avoided the hammer
because it would hurt.

Ranma 1/2 Nettouhen  episode 110
. . .
When Ranma went back to his room, Ukyou was waiting for him in the double
futon.  Ukyou said that they used to sleep together like that when they
were kids.  Akane came again and hit Ranma with a big hammer.  Soun then
punted Ranma away.
--- end excerpts ---

-- 
"I will chide no breather in the world but myself,                 _____
 against whom I know most faults." - As You Like It         |_____|_____
                                     Act 3, Scene 2    _____|     |
            Julian Fong: fong_jh@sunset.bph.jhu.edu