Fighting Prowess:

Master of Chi

No doubt about it, Herb is, THE master of chi/ki in the Ranma 1/2 series, surpassing users like Ranma and Ryoga by a landslide. Energy attacks are his forte, and he uses them in abundance. Herb's control over chi is nothing short of exceptional. Aside from the fact that he can fire fast, powerful, long-range blasts at whatever target he decides, Herb can also shape his chi: letting it curve and snake around obstacles or have a razor-like edge, slicing everything he aims for to ribbons. Cold or hot; Herb can "on a dime" alter the temperature of the energy he's letting out.

Up in the sky! It's a bird?! It's a plane?! It's........a dragon prince?

Well, you get the idea. Part of Herb's expertise in the fields of chi manipulation is flight! Or, more appropriately, 'float'. For his female form, defiantly, think levitation, not soaring. Herb-chan can indeed flow through the air, much in the same way as her dragon ancestors, however she can't fly above the tree tops from point to point. At best, her abilities in female form allow her to propel herself slightly above ground level. She can seemingly glide right over the ground, but, as seen when team Musk bounced over Ranma & co, trying to reach the Kaisufuu first, it's not total flight, merely skimming over the ground .

 

Given that Herb's energy levels increase largely when in male form, it's not inconceivable that his power of flight improves, although how far was never seen. Regardless, Herb's the only Ranma 1/2 character who's able to float like that without the aide of wings or magic, making it a rather impressive skill.

Herb's Special Attacks:

The Ryu Sei Hisho (Secret Art, Dragon Spirit Flying Soar!): Herb's most famous attack. With careful chi manipulation, Herb glides down as a pair of chi blasts follow behind, bouncing off the ground and stunning his opponent. The trail of these chi blasts is much more obvious in his male form.

Hito Ryu-zan Ha (Flying Sword Dragon Slice Wave!!): Herb throws knife-like chi at his opponent.

Chi Blasts: Literally aiming and firing a blast of chi energy

Dragon sword: After having Chi energy built up around his arm like a knife, Herb then drives his arm at the target.

Hiryü Shöten Ha (Dragon Heaven blast): Same movement as Ranma, the 'secret' art of the Amazons. A very devastating technique- Herb uses his opponent's hot anger or energy to enfold them in spiral layers. At the center of the spiral, Herb then emits a blast of cold energy, which merges with the hot to open up a vortex, forming a tornado which is used to defeat his opponent. If the Hiryü Shöten Ha is performed on him, Herb is able to emit cold chi energy and ride it up.

Strengths:

Physically, fairly good; roughly the same as Ranma in this department. Herb isn't Saffron, he can take a hit and bounce back without a flinch. Of course, when he *does* take a hit, it only guarantees his opponent's immediate pain or blistering death, but, hey, he's got a reputation to maintain, right?

That whole 'master of chi' thing also fits well in here ^_^. Be it energy attacks, reading movements,or sensing auras (such as Ryoga's ShiShi Hokodan); you name it,when it comes to dealings with energy and raw power Herb knows it all. Definitely a strength in battle.

Weakness:

Well, like all known members of the Musk, Herb seems to have this...ah....*little* problem with breasts. It's not as bad as Lime and Mint's admittedly, but only in that he won't drop everything at the word. Rather, when Herb sees breasts he takes on a sort of 'deer in the headlights' approach; the shock momentarily causes him to hesitate any movement, while any energy attacks in motion dissipate. The effect is very brief, but long enough that an opponent can perform a quick attack, such as one good punch or a short throw.

 

His other weakness revolves around his anger after the above has happened. According to Herb, "Now, when I see breasts, my whole body fills with anger." Unfortunately, this anger is little more then a blind rage, which, while making his attacks formidable, loose their targeting. In short, when he's that pissed off, he can't shoot straight; a serious problem if he's using primarily energy attacks.

Limitations:

Herb has limitations? New one on me.......

Seriously though, it would appear that while the amount of chi Herb can give off and control seems endless, even he has a limit to how much he can put out. Evidentially, after releasing a certain amount of chi energy, Herb needs to recuperate and restore. He needs sleep, so he can recharge. The exact amount of sleep needed to restore his energy is unknown, but it doesn't look like it takes much. For example: during the chase for the open water kettle, Herb-chan sets off to sleep as soon as the group arrives on Mount Horaisan, leaving Lime & Mint to start looking for the Kaisufuu. The duo battle Mousse and Ryoga, and in a short few scenes later, Herb awakens to sense Ryoga's Shishi Hokodan attack. From here Herb-chan goes on to revive her companions, race for the Kaisufuu, return to male form and battle Ranma with a vast array of chi-based attacks. Given the period of time Herb-chan was asleep, it's likely she managed a quick nap at most. Comparing the incident, it would seem that while Herb does need to recharge every now and then, the actual time required is minimal.

It's worth noting again however, that this recharge was done in female form, while the later battle was done with a much stronger male Herb. Therefore it's quite possible that only the cursed form needs to recharge; while as a male Herb is powerful enough that he either needs less sleep, or can do without.

Overall: While Herb may not be promoted as the best martial artist in the series, he comes pretty damn close. He defeats Ranma twice, and gives him a major run for his money in a fight which is unequaled until the Japanese boy reaches Saffron. In short, male or female, Herb isn't someone you want to mess with.