She seems to be a sweet little airhead, but don't
let it fool you for a second. Ran is not a nice person,
she's mean-spirited, crafty and hell-bent on revenge.
Ran was Lum's childhood friend on planet Uru. As kids
they were an inseparable pair. But one day when Ran came
to earth, Lum soon discovered that she had obtained
a frightening split personality and a bitter hatred towards our
green-haired heroine.
This all started way back many years ago. As children, Ran
was always being punished for Lum's mistakes and was always
getting a jipped indirectly because of Lum. But these were
just leading up to what drove Ran over the edge.
Both Ran and Lum were interested in same guy; that handsome
shapechanger, Rei. Ran was completely crazy about him, but
Rei only had eyes for Lum. Then one day Rei and Lum got engaged
and Ran was crushed. Hearing that he got dumped soon after
didn't help any either. As Ran pined over all that had gone
wrong in her life, she became twisted and bitter, and began
to see Lum as the source of all her problems.
A while later she heard of Lum's engagement to an earthling and
decided that it was time for revenge. Lum stole Rei from her so
it was only fitting that she steal Lum's "Darling."
Ran came to earth disguised as a human. Her plan was to steal
Ataru from Lum or more precisely, she was going to steal his youth.
Ran's kiss has the power to take away a man's (or even woman's) youth.
She sucks it right out of their lips. And that's exactly what she
planned to do to Ataru. To make sure Lum wouldn't blow her cover
she threatens to tell everyone about the time she slept over and
wet when the bed when they were children. This keeps Lum from
blabbing about Ran being an alien, but she tries as best she
can to keep Ran's plan from being realized. Lum's work was cut
out for her since Ran can be extremely deceptive and Ataru is
really intent on giving Ran a kiss.
But Ran doesn't rely only on her power and feminine charm
to get what she wants. She's also been known to use black magic
heavy artillery, a plethora of alien oddities, and her master
cookery as means to extract her revenge. Ran's primary target
is Lum, but she is usually a mean little witch to anyone and
everyone who gets in her way.
Ran behaves all cutsie-cute and innocent, but it's all an act.
Under that girlish facade she's cynical, mean, vengeful,
maniacal and obsessive. The cuteness act was one part of her
plan to get revenge but after doing it for so long it had
become ingrained in her personality. The two sides of her
personality constantly compete for dominance. Because of
that she switches from psycho-bitch to airhead and
vice-versa rather suddenly and frequently.
As the series moves on and Ran's bitterness towards Lum
wavers, until they once more become friends. Time heals wounds,
but also she mellows out because Rei and Ran become closer
later on in the series. Rei begins to pay more and more attention
to Ran and less to Lum. But it would be more accurate to say
that Rei's attracted to Ran's cooking rather than Ran herself.