She's lovely, demure, well-mannered and won't hesitate to throw a
grenade at your feet when your back is turned. That's Ryouko for
you, the spoiled and mischievous younger sister of Shuutarou
Mendou. Arguably the most dangerous woman in Urusei Yatsura, with a persona
that often borders on pure evil.
Growing up, always getting her way, having ever luxury a girl could
want Ryouko became easily bored. But she found that
causing trouble and watching people squirm was the best
form of entertainment.
She uses underhanded mischief and devilish practical jokes as a primary
source of pleasure. Voodoo dolls, grenades, bombs, guns, booby traps, death masks and
that's just a fraction of her tricks. Ryouko often stages large
get-togethers inviting many of the UY cast with the underlying purpose
of unleashing her some great misfortune upon the unsuspecting fools
while she always leaves the party unscathed.
She finds the greatest pleasure in tormenting her brother which is a
full time occupation of hers. She knows how overprotective her brother
is of her and she likes to use it against him. She'll concoct
intricate plots that serve to ultimately infuriate, humiliate or even
kill him. She'll even flirt with Ataru just to see her brother fly
off the handle.
The manipulative and sadistic Ryouko has a very theatrical way about her.
Not only because of the constant theater cliches and props she uses
but it's that she's an actress through and through. She keeps
putting on this guise of a naive and innocent girl which is
incredibly convincing. She certainly appears to be a sweet girl.
But underneath this veil of innocence lurks a twisted mastermind.
She'll try and harm you, but will act like nothing happened.
Ryouko's servants are legions of faceless veil-wearing kuroko (kabuki stagehands dressed
in black from head to toe who
by theater standards are officially not there). They execute her
every scheme rather comically as if they were in an actual kabuki play. Yet another
example of her tendency to be an actress. The kuroko carry her around town in
oxcart, a pallanquin or even her horse which is actually a fake wooden horse with
two kuroko acting as the legs.
Her main love interest is Tobimaro Mizunokoji, although we're not sure
if he feels the same. Most of the time he just tries to get the hell away
from her. Tobimaro has gotten his share of pain from Ryouko but he's
learned that more than anything, Ryouko is one girl you don't want to make
jealous. She'll say that she hold's no grudges as she lands on your face, pushes
you off of a cliff, throws a crate of explosives your way and then pretends to
weep over your dead body.