List of Urusei Yatsura characters

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Urusei Yatsura is home to an enormous ensemble cast, including many cameo appearances from Japanese mythology and history. Names of some of the characters are below. They are in Western order, with the surname after the given name. Black and white portraits are from the manga.

Contents 1 Main 2 Class 2-4 3 Lum's Stormtroopers 4 Lum's Friends and Acquaintances 5 Other Principal Characters 6 Principal Character's Parents 7 Final Stage Characters 8 Tomobiki High School Faculty 9 See also

[edit] Main

• Ataru Moroboshi (諸星あたる, Moroboshi Ataru^?) (voiced by Toshio Furukawa (original Japanese), Michael Sinterniklaas (dub produced for public TV), David Jarvis (dub for BBC 3), Steve Rassin (movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Vinnie Penna (movie 2 dub), Raul Aldana (Latin America), Rais David Báscones (Castilian Spanish), Riccardo Rossi (first Italian), Massimo Còrizza (second Italian), Alessandro Tiberi (third Italian)) Ataru is a student at Tomobiki High School, Class 2-4, Ataru suffers under an incredible load of bad luck. He is very lecherous, stupid, and lazy. Though he often tries to escape from Lum and flirts with other women, he really does have feeling for her. Ataru's main goal in life is to live in the center of a harem composed of exotic and beautiful women (including Lum and most of her alien friends). His pick-up techniques would creep out most stalkers. Usually, he just walks up to a woman he's never met before and asks for her name, phone number, and address. Once he decides to go after a particular female, virtually no force on Earth (or from outer space) can stop him.
• Lum Invader (ラム•インベーダー, Ramu Inbēdā^?) (voiced by Fumi Hirano (original Japanese), Martha Ellen Senseney (dub produced for public TV), Larissa Murray (dub for BBC 3), Shannon Settlemyre (movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Ann Ulrey (movie 2 dub), the late Aracelli de Leon (Latin America), Marta Sáinz (Castilian Spanish), Rosalinda Galli (first and third Italian), Paola Quattrini (second Italian)) Lum is a beautiful Oni alien who is capable of flying and generating electrical shocks. She is extremely popular and is famous for ending her sentences with ~datcha (loosely translated as “yes?” or “you know?”). Except when in her school girl’s uniform, she usually wears a sexy outfit consisting of a tiger-striped bikini and knee-high go-go boots. While generally good-natured, sweet, and innocent, Lum also has a very hot temper. Her dream in life is to live in a “Sweet Home with Darling” (in which she keeps house and raises babies while Ataru works a job). Unfortunatly, Lum's idea of "cooking" is to take very spicy ingredients like jalapenos, cayenne peppers & Tabasco sauce and irradiate them with an alien energy bazooka until they carbonize into inedible, crystallized nuggets. As an alien she has access to many bizarre gadgets whose use she really doesn’t understand all that well, leading to comedic results. Differences between human and “Invader” physiology also drive many stories, like the time Lum’s horns begin to grow larger after she is bitten by a cow, or the time she becomes drunk by eating pickled plums. Some fans believe that the character is modeled after swimsuit model Agnes Lum.
• Shuutaro Mendou (面堂終太郎, Mendō Shūtarō^?) (voiced by Akira Kamiya (original Japanese), Brian Hudson (dub produced for public TV and movie 1 dub), Garrick Hagon (dub for BBC 3), Robert Rogan (movies 3-6 dubs), Vinnie Penna (movie 2 dub), Eduardo Tejedo (Latin America), Juan Rueda (Castilian Spanish), Stefano Onofri (first and third Italian), Alessio Cigliano (second Italian)) Shuutaro Mendou is heir to the Mendou Zaibatsu with staggering wealth and its own private army. He commutes to school in a gigantic helicopter that is more like a flying mansion. Shuutaro carries a samurai sword which he often tries to use on Ataru (who has become expert at blocking it with his bare hands). Although very handsome he is just as stupid and lecherous as Ataru (just much more sophisticated in his approach). He takes his role as heir to the vast Mendou fortune extremely seriously. Mendou is vain, narcissistic, charming, overly dramatic, claustrophobic and afraid of the dark. He loves Lum, tolerating the presence of Ataru in order to be close to her. Shinobu is the closest thing he has to a girlfriend.
• Shinobu Miyake (三宅しのぶ, Miyake Shinobu^?) (voiced by Saeko Shimazu (original Japanese), Katherine Burton (dub produced for public TV), Teresa Gallagher (dub for BBC 3), Danielle Sullivan (movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Jeanette Ann Wallace (movie 2 dub), Rocío Prado (Latin American), Pepa Agudo (Castilian Spanish), Monica Cadueri (first Italian), Susanna Fassetta (second Italian), Maria Letizia Scifoni (third Italian)), Ataru's childhood friend and classmate. Until Lum showed up she was also Ataru’s girlfriend. She is a neat, clean, sweet, and petite young lady who can be viewed as the archetypically perfect Japanese female. Not long after Lum showed up Shinobu began to develop super-human strength. She (like all female members of her class) has a huge crush on Mendou. She is often part of a "foursome" consisting of Ataru, Lum, Shuutaro, and herself.

[edit] Class 2-4

• Ryuunosuke Fujinami (藤波竜之介, Fujinami Ryūnosuke^?) (voiced by Mayumi Tanaka (original Japanese), Kaitlyn Walker (dub produced for public TV), Morgan Jarrett (movies 3 and 5 dubs), Jamie Phelps (movie 6 dub), Kimberli Wayman (movie 2 dub), Diana Perez (Latin American), Pilar Dominguez (Castilian Spanish), Gabriella Andreini (first Italian), Renata Biserni (second Italian), Gilberta Crispino (third Italian)) Ryuunosuke is a classmate of Ataru's. She is a girl, but her eccentric father has raised her as a boy, going so far as to demand that she wrap her breasts in tight cloth strips to hide them. Even her name sounds masculine (roughly equivalent to “Duke” or “Butch” in English). Ryuunosuke is a kind person at heart, but her father is always antagonizing her and pulling her into very destructive knock-down, drag-out fights (one of the reasons why the two of them are so poor). She and her father run the school store, and live on-campus in the back. Her greatest desire is to wear girly clothing and behave appropriately, but she has had no female role models in her life at all. Any attempt to obtain female clothing is thwarted by her father. This gender-bending character is widely believed to be the prototype for Rumiko Takahashi’s subsequent character Ranma Saotome in the series Ranma ½.
• Kosuke Shirai (白井 コースケ, Shirai Koosuke^?), Ataru's classmate and best friend. He is essentially a background character and is often involved with Ataru's usual mischief. Though at times he seems to be in love with Lum (like all of the male students), he has a girlfriend of his own and mainly just serves as a voice for the rest of the class. He does not appear in the anime, and his roles and lines are given to the stormtroopers (most usually Perm). His name comes from the then chief editor at Shogakukan Kousuke Shirai (白井康介, Shirai Kousuke^?).

[edit] Lum's Stormtroopers

Lum's Stormtroopers (ラム親衛隊, Ramu Shineitai^?) are four students (Megane, Chibi, Perm and Kakugari) from the same class as Ataru who are in love with Lum and have sworn to protect her from Ataru. They are best friends but often end up fighting amongst themselves when the situation involves Lum. They like to hang out with Ataru at the local gyuudon place. These characters do not exist in the manga; however, unnamed characters with similar faces do exist until about volume 5. Along with every major character in the series and some of the more memorable one-shot characters, they were included in the cover art for the final chapter of the manga.

• Megane (メガネ, Megane^?) real name Satoshi (サトシ, Satoshi^?) (voiced by Shigeru Chiba (original Japanese), Colin Hackman (dub produced for public TV and movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Edward Glen (dub for BBC 3), Craig Wollman (movie 2 dub), Luis Daniel Ramirez (Latin American), José María Carrero (Castilian Spanish), Fabrizio Mazzotta (first Italian), Stefano Mondini (second Italian), Gabriele Lopez (third Italian)). The leader of the Stormtroopers, whose nickname means "eyeglasses", he has a strong personality and generally directs the schemes of the Stormtroopers to gain Lum's attention (though mostly for himself). Megane is also a full-blown otaku (including an odd obsession with Nazi Germany) and is prone to fits of hysteria. Though usually antagonistic towards Ataru, he often hangs out with him in his spare time, usually eating out at gyuudon and soba noodle stands. The character himself is original to the anime, and director Mamoru Oshii modeled him mostly after his seiyuu Shigeru Chiba. Furthermore, some of his more extreme lines were adlibed by Chiba. His manga counterpart was a supporting character who occasionally stood out on his own, much like Kosuke.
• Perm (パーマ, Pāma^?), real name Kosuke (コースケ Kōsuke, Kosuke^?) (voiced by Akira Murayama (original Japanese), Adrian Monte (dub produced for public TV and movie 1 dub), Bill Dufries (dub for BBC 3), Jonathon Guggenheim (movies 3-6 dubs) Michael Walters (movie 2 dub), Gerardo Reyero (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Monica Cadueri (first Italian), Giorgio Locuratolo (second Italian), George Castiglia (third Italian)). His nickname is derived from his hairstyle ("permanent"), he is tall and skinny. His real name may be a nod to the fact that his character usually replaces a character in the manga named "Kosuke" in manga-derived stories that featured the latter character. Due to this, Perm often displays the most character development, including being the only one of the Stormtroopers to have a visible girlfriend (outside of their one-sided relationship with Lum).
• Chibi (チビ, Chibi^?), real name (Akira, アキラ^?) (voiced by Issei Futamata (original Japanese), Steven Paul (dub produced for public TV and movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Alan D. Marriott (dub for BBC 3), Matthew Ross (movie 2 dub), Enrique Cervantes (Latin American), Juan Rueda (Castilian Spanish), first Italian unknown, Massimo Còrizza (second Italian), Luca Ferrante (third Italian)). His nickname is derived from his height ("chibi" means "small" or "short"), he is a timid crybaby. His Stormtrooper rank is Assault Commander. He at times seems to have a Lolita Complex. He is often together with Kakugari.
• Kakugari (カクガリ, Kakugari^?), real name Hiroyuki (ヒロユキ, Hiroyuki^?) (voiced by Shinji Nomura (original Japanese), Mike Langley (dub produced for public TV and movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Peter Marinker (dub for BBC 3), Edward Morrison Garland (movie 2 dub), Yamil Atala (Latin American), Jorge Teixeira (Castilian Spanish), Oreste Baldini (first Italian), Massimo Còrizza (second Italian), Mirko Mazzanti (third Italian)). His nickname is derived from his hairstyle ("kakugari" means "crew cut"), he has a large build. He is the least used of the stormtroopers. He resembles Onsen-Mark and therefore has replaced him in a few stories. Incidentally, his manga counterpart had a permanent rather than a crew cut.

[edit] Lum's Friends and Acquaintances

• Lum's Junior High Classmates
  • Benten (弁天, Benten^?) (voiced by Yūko Mita (original Japanese), Natasha Malinsky (dub produced for public TV and movie 1 dub), Alice Barryt (dub for BBC 3), Satu Rautaharju (movies 3-6 dubs), Maru Guerrero (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Serena Spaziani (first Italian), Renata Biserni (second Italian), Alessandra Chiari (third Italian)), Lum's childhood friend. Her character is named after Shichifukujin Benzaiten, the Shinto goddess of knowledge, art, and beauty. Benten wears a plate-mail bikini, sports a "butch" hair style, tears around the sky in a flying space bike, curses like a longshoreman, and carries a high-tech bazooka. She holds an annual battle against Lum's Oni clan on Setsubun. Aside from being a good hand-to-hand fighter, she appears to have no special powers. As children, Benten and Lum often instigated trouble that usually resulted in Ran getting hurt.
  • Oyuki (おユキ, Oyuki^?) (voiced by Noriko Ohara (original Japanese), Jamie Phelps (dub produced for public TV and movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Julia Brahms (dub for BBC 3), Sylvia Garcel (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Angelina Contaldi (first Italian), second Italian unknown, Micaela Incitti (third Italian)). Oyuki is queen of Neptune, and has the power to control ice, snow, and cold. She can also open portals to move from place to place. Typically dressed in long kimono or an icy underdress, she is soft-spoken and reserved but actually is the most powerful of the characters in the series. (She's been known to flash-freeze those who anger her.)
  • Ran (蘭 or ラン, Ran^?) (voiced by You Inoue, later by Kazue Komiya (original Japanese), Kaitlyn Walker (dub produced for public TV and movie 1 dub), Anne Marie Zola (dub for BBC 3), Morgan Jarrett (movies 3, 4, and 5 dubs), Braeden Avery (movie 6 dub), Xochtil Ugarte (Latin American), Raquel Martín (Castilian Spanish), Monica Cadueri (first Italian), Graziella Polesinanti (second Italian), Valeria Vidali (third Italian)), Lum's best childhood friend. She appears to be a sweet and lovely redhead, but in actuality she has a violent split personality. Her special power is the ability to suck the vitality out of a person’s mouth while kissing them. As a child she was often hurt or got into trouble because of the antics of the more carefree and irresponsible Lum. Also, she is in love with Rei who unfortunately still loves Lum. For these reasons Ran came to Earth in order to get revenge against her one-time friend. Ran is an excellent cook, always hoping against hope that the way to Rei's heart is through his stomach.
• Rei (レイ, Rei^?) (voiced by Tesshō Genda (original Japanese), Jeremy Griffin (dub produced for public TV and movies 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 dubs), Don Fellows (dub for BBC 3), Salvador Delgado (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Oreste Baldini (first Italian), Giorgio Locuratolo (second Italian), Giuliano Bonetto (third Italian)). Rei is a very handsome oni, whose is unfortunately mainly interested in eating. Rei has the ability to transform into an "Ushitora," a huge, fat creature resembling something in between a tiger and a bull. The creature comes from the Chinese compass direction system (for which the directions have the names of animals) signifying the unlucky direction of the northeast. When younger, Ran and Lum were both in love with him, but he became engaged with Lum, breaking Ran's heart and causing her to start to hate Lum. Lum eventually broke up with Rei (because of his gluttony and other form), but Rei came to Earth to chase her and regain her love. Rei is so stupid that he can only speak one word at a time.
• Ten (テン, Ten^?) (voiced by Kazuko Sugiyama (original Japanese), Mindi L. Lyons (dub for public TV), Sue Sheridan (dub for BBC 3), Shannon Settlemyre (movies 1 and 3-6 dubs), Paula Parker (movie 2 dub), Ana Maria Grey (Latin American), Blanca Rada (Castilian Spanish), Isa di Vardio (first Italian), Susanna Fassetta (second Italian), Tatiana Dessi (third Italian)). Lum's infant cousin. His full name is “Jariten” (a pun in Japanese). He comes to earth to live with Lum in the Moroboshi household when his Oni powers first manifest. (His mother is a totally gung-ho firefighter on his home world and Ten is deathly afraid of what she will do when she learns that his power is breathing fire.) Ten has a single horn on his head, flies (very slowly), and for some reason speaks with a Kansai dialect. Ten and Ataru loathe each other and often fight.

• The Gang of Three. A trio of teenage girls who currently attend the same junior high school that Lum, Benten, and Oyuki did. Due to their seniors' reputation for causing mischief, the Gang of Three seeks to outdo their predecessors by defeating them in combat, but most of the time, they resort to simple pranks and underhanded schemes. Each of the girls have a special ability that they can use at will. They also hold the rare distinction of not being pursued by the lustful Ataru.
  • Sugar (しゅがあ, Shugā^?) (voiced by TARAKO (original Japanese), Rocío Garcel (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, first and second Italian unknown, Emanuela D'Amico (third Italian)). Wears her hair in distinctive buns on the sides of her head and has the ability to blend in with her surroundings to the point of invisibility. Sugar is the leader of the gang; therefore she devises all plans to defeat Lum, Benten, and Oyuki.
  • Ginger (じんじゃあ, Jinjā^?) (voiced by Chika Sakamoto (original Japanese), Circe Luna (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, first and second Italian unknown, Isabella Guida (third Italian)). Recognized by her small catlike ears. Ginger is able to slow down her bodily functions to the point that an untrained observer will believe that she is dead.
  • Pepper (ぺっぱあ, Peppā^?) (voiced by Rumiko Ukai (original Japanese), Monica Manjarrez (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, first and second Italian unknown, Clorinda Venturiello (third Italian)). Pepper can be recognized by her long hair, held in place by a headband. Able to shed her skin at will. She remains fully clothed when she does this; how she manages that feat is unknown.

[edit] Other Principal Characters

• Sakuranbou (錯乱坊, Sakuranbō^?) (voiced by Ichirō Nagai (original Japanese), Eric Paisley (dub for public TV and movies 1 and 3-6 dubs), Don Fellows (dub for BBC 3), Larry Robinson (movie 2 dub), Daniel Abundis (Latin American), Rafael Calvo (Castilian Spanish), Dante Biagioni (first and third Italian), second Italian unknown), Sakura's wandering monk uncle. Sakuranbou literally means “cherry” in Japanese. Oddly, most of the time in the series everyone calls him by the English word “Cherry." Cherry has amazing spiritual powers (or so he claims) and he often predicts doom for Ataru (no great feat). He has a habit of popping up out of nowhere, often from very strange places. His ugly face and very short stature are frequently used for comedic effect. Cherry has made a vow of asceticism, living in a tent in an empty lot not far from Ataru's house. However, this vow apparently doesn't apply to food, as he is an enormous mooch.

• Sakura (サクラ, Sakura^?) (voiced by Machiko Washio (original Japanese), Daisy Talley (dub for public TV and movie 1 dub), Toni Barry (dub for BBC 3), Marnie Head (movie 2 dub), Karen McIntyre (movies 3-6 dubs), Rocío Garcel (Latin American), Pilar Dominguez (Castilian Spanish), Roberta Rem (first Italian), Renata Biserni (second Italian), Emanuela Baroni (third Italian)). In Japanese “Sakura” means “cherry blossom.” She was once a very sickly girl who suffered from a variety of ailments. Many of them were the result of spirits that infested her body. On the advice of her uncle Cherry, she tried to exorcise Ataru, during which process, the demons who inhabited her transferred themselves to the unlucky young man. Now in perfect health, Sakura is the Tomobiki High school nurse and a Shinto priestess or miko. Unlike her mother (who looks exactly like Cherry), Sakura is tall, slender and physically attractive, which makes her a common target of the lecherous boys of the school and even Mr. Onsen-Mark. The boys have been known to purposely injure themselves in order to see her. Like her uncle, she possesses an enormous appetite and has been known, despite never seeming to gain an ounce, to out-eat him. Sakura is extremely powerful and can summon foul and baleful creatures from Japanese folklore, by virtue of her mystical training.
• Tsubame Ozuno (尾津乃つばめ, Ozuno Tsubame^?) (voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue (original Japanese), Sean P. O'Connell (dub for public TV), Eric Meyers (dub for BBC 3), José Antonio Mácias (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Oreste Baldini (first Italian), Luca dal Fabbro (second Italian), third Italian unknown). Sakura's boyfriend, Tsubame is mellow and somewhat weak-willed in comparison to the strong and powerful Sakura. He is also a wizard, trained in Western magic. Tsubame and Sakura's dates are typically watched by Lum, Ataru, Shinobu, and Mendou, which always causes them to fail, usually a result of Ataru's flirting. When that doesn't do it, something else gets in the way.
• Kotatsuneko (コタツネコ, Kotatsuneko^?) (voiced by Tomohiro Nishimura). Literally, "Kotatsu Cat." This is a giant ghost cat that goes to great lengths to sit under a kotatsu because it hates being cold. He originally was a kitten who was abandoned centuries ago and froze to death, so the spirit does little else but seek out warmth. He often can be seen as a companion for either Cherry or the Tomobiki High Principal, usually enjoying tea with them. Kotatsuneko's favorite food is taiyaki and is rarely seen not eating one. Although mostly harmless, he can easily defend himself when threatened. (In one TV episode, he easily defeats an obvious parody of the character Hokuto no ken.) Kotatsuneko doesn't often play a pivotal role in the stories but he always seems to be present in scenes, providing a somewhat comedic presence with the authority that is often given to a school official.

• Ryoko Mendou (面堂了子, Mendō Ryōko^?) (voiced by Mami Koyama (original Japanese), Michele Seidman (dub produced for public TV and movie 3 dub)), Toni Barry (dub for BBC 3), Laura Ayala (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Monica Cadueri (first Italian), second Italian unknown, Laura Lenghi (third Italian)). younger sister of Shuutaro, Ryoko is a spoiled girl whose only amusement seems to be the creation and execution of elaborate plans intended to drive her older brother mad. Sometimes, just for fun, she flirts with Ataru, whom her brother has banned from setting foot inside the massive Mendo Mansion (not that it ever stops him). Her schemes frequently drag Lum and her friends along and result in massive physical damage to all involved except herself. She is attended to by masked kuroko who perform her every wish, including delivering messages and playing her horse. Ryoko says she is in love with Shuutaro's rival Tobimaro Mizunokoji, but we're not sure if she's serious. She excels at playing the innocent bystander, even as she sets up all the carnage that surrounds her. Ryoko's surname is spelled Mendo in the English manga.

• Tobimaro Mizunokōji (水乃小路飛麿, Mizunokōji Tobimaro^?) (voiced by Bin Shimada (original Japanese), Scott Whiteside (dub for public TV and movie 4 dub), David Jarvis (dub for BBC 3), Jesus Barrero (Latin American), José Ramón Azpiri (Castilian Spanish), first and second Italian unknown, Marco Vivio (third Italian)). Son of the second richest family in Japan--Mendou's rival. Also called "Ton". Although he and Mendou were childhood friends—they still call each other "Ton-chan" and "Shuu-chan"—they had a falling out concerning a long-standing baseball rivalry, even though neither is any good at baseball -- Ton can't pitch and Mendou can't swing, and so Ton returns to settle the score. At first, he is also disgusted by women, a notion that he is unaware of when he orders Lum off the baseball diamond only to learn that aluminium bats conduct electricity. Tobimaro takes a warrior's approach to the game, training in the mountains year-round. Despite his immense wealth, he does not take advantage of it the way his rival does, choosing instead to dress in a ragged samurai robe and carries his bats on his back. There is a woman in his life: Ryoko Mendo, who scares him to death because of her love of torture. Though he carries himself with an air of nobility, his clumsiness ruins the effect. His eyes have star-shaped pupils, something Takahashi did as a spoof of a 1970s sports manga; she later made it a defining characteristic of the entire Mizunokoji family.
• Asuka Mizunokoji (水乃小路飛鳥, Mizunokōji Asuka^?) (voiced by Sumi Shimamoto (original Japanese), Margaret Woodfield (dub for public TV and movie 4 dub), Briony Glassco (dub for BBC 3), Xochtil Ugarte (Latin American), Carolina Tak (Castilian Spanish), Italian unknown). Tobimaro's sister. The very beautiful and petite Asuka was isolated from any and all males from the day of her birth until the age of 16. Even her brother was unaware of her existence. She is bizarrely, insanely, strong, fast, and indestructible. (Asuka once ripped the armor off a tank and used her bare hands to fashion it into a makeshift suit of armor.) Nevertheless she is extremely timid and deathly afraid of males. (The first male she ever met was Ataru Moroboshi, and well…) Asuka is very confused about gender roles and family ties. She feels inappropriate romantic urges toward her brother, Tobimaro, and sneaks into his bed at night to snuggle. In addition, she believes Shuutaro Mendou is also her “big brother” because she once overheard Ryoko Mendou refer to him that way. Asuka is engaged to Shuutaro in an Omiai, by arrangement of their parents, as a means of ending the age-old Mendou-Mizunokoji family rivalry. Unfortunately, as a simple hug from her causes multiple broken bones and internal injuries, it seems unlikely that this relationship will ever be consummated.

• Kurama (クラマ, Kurama^?) (voiced by Rihoko Yoshida (original Japanese), Daisy Talley (dub for public TV and movie 1 dub), Stacey Jefferson (dub for BBC 3), Nancy McKenzie (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Gabriella Andreini (first Italian), second Italian unknown, Antonella Baldini (third Italian)). The "crow princess". A humanoid female from an alien race of crow tengu, she is destined to mate with the man that awakens her from her slumber with a kiss. Unfortunately for her, that person turns out to be Ataru. Although she has no real desire to sleep with him, for the sake of her race, she goes to great lengths in an attempt to turn the perverted letch into a man worthy of fathering her children while fighting off both Lum and Shinobu. Her father, apparently, was Yoshitsune Minamoto, one of the legendary figures of Japanese history. Future efforts to find a husband also failed due to some kind of flaw. Mendou was too similar to Ataru, Ryuunosuke was actually a girl, and Rei turned into that hideous Tiger-Bull creature. After about the first dozen manga books, this character stopped appearing for no obvious reason, sparking a term called "Takahashi character death", in which the sufferer stops appearing in a Takahashi manga for no apparent reason.

[edit] Principal Character's Parents

• Ataru's Father (あたるの父, Ataru no Chichi^?) (voiced by Kenichi Ogata (original Japanese), Marc Matney (dub for public TV), Alan Marsh (dub for BBC3), Jerry Winsett (movies 1 and 3-6 dubs), Larry Robinson (movie 2 dub), Alejandro Illescas (Latin American), Francisco Andrés Valdivia (Castilian Spanish), Ettore Conti (first Italian), Angelo Nicotra (second Italian), third Italian unknown). A typical salaryman. Wearing a yukata around the house, he desires a nice and quiet homelife. In the anime his home is frequently destroyed, causing him to lament over the mortgage. He's most often portrayed reading the newspaper. Quiet and possessing very little dignity, he is a poor husband and father, and tries his best to hide his face behind the newspaper during bad situations. Despite this, he loves Lum and Ten like they were his own children.
• Ataru's Mother (あたるの母, Ataru no Haha^?) (voiced by Natsumi Sakuma (original Japanese), Dorothy Rankin (dub for public TV), Stacey Jefferson (dub for BBC3), Belinda Keller (movies 1 and 3-6 dubs), Jackie Tantillo (movie 2 dub), Carola Vasquez (Latin American), Carolina Tak (Castilian Spanish), Serena Spaziani (first Italian), second and third Italian unknown). A typical housewife. In early anime episodes she often says "I never should've had him" (産むんじゃなかった, Umun ja nakatta^?) when Ataru causes problems. She often hopes that a handsome young man (like Rei) will take her away from her miserable life. Like her husband, she loves Lum and Ten like they were her own children. She plays the lead role in anime episode 78 Pitiful! Mother of Love and Banishment!? (みじめ! 愛とさすらいの母!?, Mijime! Ai to sasurai no Haha!?^?). She is often portrayed with a kitchen knife.

• Lum's Parents. Lum's father, also known as Mr. Invader, is a huge, pudgy oni, and tends to be loud and scary. However, he is just as afraid of his wife (Lum's mother) as Ataru is of Lum, as evidenced by the time that she threw Mr. Invader out of the house for criticizing her cooking (he went to live with the Moroboshi family, much to their horror). Lum's mother is a pretty woman who can only speak in the oni language, which appears in the manga as Mahjong tiles. Like Lum, they can fly.
• Ten's Mother. Ten's mother is rarely seen, even by Ten. She is a firefighter who takes great pride in her work. When Ten was younger, she would tell him stories of her work in the field, expressing her contempt for arsonists, who she feels should burn in hell. She is very busy and left him with a robotic nanny, which has contributed to his precociousness. Additionally, her arrival at a fire is accompanied by a tidal wave. Since her son breathes fire and uses his power liberally, he lives in fear of what will happen should she ever find out.

• Ryuunosuke's Father is a very creepy individual. His family has run a small seaside teashop called Hamachiya for generations, and he seeks an heir to continue the business after he dies. However, he believes that only a man can run it and his late wife Masako left him only a daughter, Ryuunosuke. Not one to let that get in his way, he proceeded to raise her as a boy and succeeded in making her a man among men, if she were a man. Mr. Fujinami refused to let Ryuunosuke get a bra, which forced her to wrap her chest for support. He usually refers to her as his son, which incurs his daughter's wrath. This conflict, caused by the fact that she wants to be more feminine, leads to constant fights, one of which destroyed Hamachiya. When Ryuunosuke enrolled at Tomobiki High, he took charge of the school store. On a side note, he is inspired almost entirely by the sea. If he gets too motivated, he shouts "I LOVE THE SEA!!", which is accompanied by a massive tidal wave regardless of his location in Japan. The primary cast generally sides with his daughter in their frequent clashes.

[edit] Final Stage Characters

• Inaba (因幡, Inaba^?) (voiced by the late Hirotaka Suzuoki (original Japanese), Jonathan Soronen (movie 5 dub), Edward Glen (dub for BBC 3), Gabriel Gama (Latin American), Simone D'Andrea (Italian)). An employee at the Fate Production Bureau (運命製造管理局, Unmei Seizou Kanrikyoku^?) which makes doorknobs to the Dream Realm. He wears a rabbit costume which allows him to travel feely to and from subspace. Debuting late in the series (Vol. 31), he still plays in important role. He ends up falling in love with Shinobu after she finds him passed out and hungry in the street and gives him some food. Eventually he and Shinobu become a couple.

• Shingo (真吾, Shingo^?) (voiced by Tōru Furuya (original Japanese), Gerardo Vazquez (Latin American)). A young man who grew up all alone in the Mendou Family Electric Jungle and was "raised" by a TV which he believes to be alive. (He calls it "Grandfather.") He has built up a resistance to electricity and therefore cannot be effected by Lum's shocks. He later becomes Mendou's personal ninja bodyguard.

• Nagisa Shiowatari (潮渡渚, Shiowatari Nagisa^?) (voiced by Mitsuki Yayoi (original Japanese), Victor Ugarte (Latin American)). His father is a close friend of Ryuunosuke's father and the two of them run a second Hamachaya. Though a guy, he was raised as and therefore looks and behaves like a girl. Long ago he was engaged to Ryuunosuke through their parents, and fell in love with her upon meeting her. He is the Yokozuna of the Annual Beach Sumo Tournament and is quite strong, so strong in fact the Ryuunosuke can't compete with him. Because the Hamachaya had been seeing poor business, he and his father decided to introduce sea urchin-flavored kakigori to their menu, but they both died from overeating. As a result they are ghosts upon introduction, but later Nagisa gets a new flesh-and-blood body and moves in with Ryuunosuke.

[edit] Tomobiki High School Faculty

• Onsen-Mark (温泉マーク, Onsen Māku^?) (voiced by Michihiro Ikemizu (original Japanese), Bradley Evans (dub for public TV and movies 3-6 dubs), Sean Barret (dub for BBC 3), T. Roy Barnes (movie 2 dub), Alan Miró (Latin American), Eugenio Barona (Castilian Spanish), Enzo Garinei (first Italian), Giorgio Locuratolo (second Italian), Massimo Bitossi (third Italian)). The teacher of the "Classroom of Failure". A sad, middle-aged man, whose only interest is to teach at Tomobiki High, but fails due to the constant interruptions during class, when the classroom itself is not destroyed by Lum, Ten or Shinobu. Outside of school, he lives the life of a loser, residing in a flophouse apartment, with an unrequited love for Sakura. Perhaps this is what causes his drive to keep order in his class -- his only possible source of pride. His nickname can be roughly translated as "onsen Mark", the hot spring marks on his jacket.
• Hanawa-sensei (花和先生, Hanawa-sensei^?) (voiced by Rokuro Naya (original Japanese), Marcos Patiño (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Italian unknown). A teacher at Tomobiki High. Overly chipper and naive, his complete reaction to discovering Lum could fly was to urge her to wear gym shorts under her skirt so her underwear wouldn't show!
• Mr. Principal (校長先生, Kouchou-sensei^?) (voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura (original Japanese), Jeremy Griffin (dub for public TV and movie 4 dub), Draidyl Roberts (movie 2 dub), Esteban Siller (Latin American), Castilian Spanish unknown, Vittorio Battarra (first Italian), Giorgio Locuratolo (second Italian), third Italian unknown), the principal of Tomobiki High School. He treats all of the weird goings-on at the school as harmless student shenanigans.

[edit] See also

• Urusei Yatsura
• Urusei Yatsura movies