If you had to think of one character to represent the entire Oh My Goddess! series, who would it be?

Don't answer that. The question is rhetorical, and her picture is plastered up all over this page. Belldandy is the lifeblood of Oh My Goddess!--there's no doubt about that. It's her unique, innocent, caring personality that makes the series what it is. There are many other manga series about beautiful women who aren't of this earth coming to live with normal guys. Some, like Tenchi and Urusei Yatsura, you've likely heard of. Others, such as Boku no Marie and Mamotte Shugogetten! are a bit less well-known. While all of these series are certainly excellent in their own right, OMG manages to rise above the pack and stand on its own, with a feeling of originality that is somewhat lacking in all the others.

Of course, this can't all be attributed to Belldandy's personal touch--but a lot of it can. The most refreshing thing about Oh My Goddess is that Belldandy (in her current incarnation), unlike her counterparts in other series, is neither abrasive, nor stupid, nor impulsive, nor annoying. In fact, one is hard-pressed to name any bad qualities at all. As a result, Belldandy and Keiichi's problems usually come from outside sources--left to their own devices, the two of them would likely lead a peaceful, contented life together.

Belldandy wasn't always like this, though. Back near the beginning of the manga, she was a lot more like a normal girl, in terms of the way she acted. Unlike the way she was portrayed in the first OAV, Bell was none too thrilled about having to live with Keiichi forever.

It's hard to imagine that, in her younger days, Bell used to get into a lot of fights with Urd. She was at times careless and impulsive, and often, poor Keiichi would get caught in the crossfire. In time, though, she grew and developed, and became more like the goddess we know today.

From an artistic standpoint, Bell wasn't always as beautiful as she is now. Back at the beginning of the manga, she had blue hair, and an oddly-shaped face that was, frankly, a bit homely. Her character design eventually caught up with the familiar one from the OAV, though, and finally surpassed it. The differences between the OAV and her current look in the American-released manga are subtle, but noticeable--she appears a bit more mature now, and perhaps a bit prettier as well.

One of the most captivating things about Belldandy's character is her mix of wisdom and apparent naiveté.

Back when I was very young--four or five or so--I used to wonder why people would want to be mean to each other. Honestly, to this day, I really don't understand it most of the time, but I've come to accept it and, as such, barely think about it anymore. In this sense, Belldandy is still like a young child. She never feels a need to deliberately hurt other people, and is not so cynical as to expect other people to be hurtful either. Her innocence along these lines even extends to the point where, at times, she ends up trusting the demoness Mara--who is invariably up to no good.

Belldandy is innocent in other ways as well. Most of the characters in the manga end up, at one point or another, with their minds in the gutter. Belldandy, on the other hand, seems almost completely immune to any sort of lustful thought, and often times, sexual connotations in certain situations just don't occur to her at all. As a special note, the image to the left of this paragraph isn't just a thumbnail ... it's a link to a condensed version of a scene where this occurs. Pretty funny stuff.

At other times, though, it seems like Bell is totally aware of what's going on, but it just alright with it. When Peorth arrives, for instance, Bell at first seems oblivious to the way the new goddess is coming onto Keiichi. Eventually, though, she takes Peorth aside and asks her to stop. In fact, in this same issue, Belldandy is seen to actually mull over sleeping with Keiichi.

As a story character, Belldandy is truly unique. Her divine beauty and wisdom and her complete lack of a dark side make her the heart and soul of one of the most popular manga series ever published. She's a breath of optimism in a world that's often cruel and unpleasant for the likes of Keiichi--proof that somewhere out there, there still exist such things as innocence and purity

Belldandy, in all her perfection, is the ideal symbol for the Oh My Goddess! series. As readers of the manga come to find out, however, she is not the main character. This distinction goes to a young man by the name of Keiichi Morisato.

Keiichi Morisato is a student at the Nekomi Institute of Technology. As of volume VII of the manga, I an unsure of his exact age, but he is definitely somewhere between the ages of 18 and 22. He is somewhat short, and a bit less confident than he could be. He enjoys racing, and is a member of the Nekomi Tech Auto Club. Based on this information alone, one would assume that he is a pretty normal guy. And, for the most part, one would be right.

There is something, though, that makes Keiichi stand out from the crowd--namely, his personality. Keiichi, like his girlfriend Belldandy, is one of the nicest people ever to grace the world of anime and manga. There are a few other guys who share his geniality (Tenchi Masaki, along with Makoto Mizuhara of El Hazard Fame), but none of them are anywhere near as easy to relate to. The reason for this is a simple one: Keiichi has a measure of self-doubt that makes him very human. He is unsure of himself a lot of the time, and often worries whether Belldandy will decide to leave him.

Most of us can, to at least some extent, empathize with Keiichi's hopes, fears, and problems. Combine this with his willingness to face his dilemmas despite his doubts, and you end up with a hero who people can not only relate to, but also admire.

Unfortunately, the bulk of Keiichi's early development has not yet been released in the U.S. (although apparently, Dark Horse is going to release the missing volumes sometime in March, in a compilation called Super Manga Blast!--I'll be keeping my eye out for it). I have heard in places that a lot of development for Keiichi was done in those first few volumes, but since I don't actually have any of them, a summary will have to wait.

This is not to say that Keiichi doesn't develop at all in the more recent manga--it's just that the most recent developments have become a bit more subtle, as he has rounded out as a character. Most of his developments now are in the areas of confidence and self-esteem -- and it's nice to see a guy like Keiichi get ahead. During the ordeal with Peorth in Volume 8, for instance, he starts off very nervous around the new goddess, but, at the end of the series, is finally able to face up to her.

Also, over the course of the later volumes, one begins to see a slight change in his demeanor. As a rule, he is kind and considerate throughout, but as the volumes progress, one begins to notice that he becomes less and less cynical as time goes on--probably on account of Belldandy being with him.

Artistically speaking, Keiichi has changed an awful lot since the first issue was released. I mentioned in Belldandy's gallery that she was pretty homely at the beginning of the series; it should be pointed out here that Keiichi wasn't much of a looker either. He sported oddly-shaped, bulgy eyes, thick eyebrows, and a big nose (at least for an anime character). Since then, though, his appearance has changed somewhat, and in current issues of the manga, he looks about as he did in the OAVs. Occasionally, he shows signs of having grown up a bit more since then, but in most cases, this is a matter of personality change, and not difference in character design.

You really have to feel sorry for Keiichi sometimes. In many a manga issue, he spends most of the time with his face contorted into expressions of shock, horror, or severe pain. Keiichi just lives a very stressful life, and often has difficulty handling all the things that happen around him (most of which are due to the fact that he lives with three goddesses who seem to draw trouble like a magnet).

In addition to his general nervousness, he also has a certain measure of difficulty dealing with anything sexual. Sure, he likes the thought of naked women as much as the next guy, but actually being confronted by one freaks him out. In fact, at times, even the thought of kissing or holding hands is a little much for him.

Short, average-looking Keiichi Morisato has, at last count, stolen the hearts of four beautiful women--possibly five (see Urd's section). When I first watched the OAV series and read the manga, I would often wonder what it was Belldandy, Sora, Sayoko, and Peorth all saw in him.

Belldandy, I would say, is pretty obvious. Given her disposition, she is the type of person who would be naturally attracted to shy but well-meaning people like Keiichi (although it should be noted that Bell herself was a bit unimpressed with him when they first met). Sayoko and Peorth are a different matter. Neither of them were terribly impressed when they first met up with Keiichi--in fact, originally, they were both to some extent motivated by jealousy and resentment of Belldandy. Sora's feelings are largely for Toshiyuki Aoshima, but it's apparent from her dialogue in The Lunchbox of Love (the final chapter of volume 6) that she has feelings for Keiichi as well (click on the image to the right).

Since I don't yet have access to the volume with Keiichi's first encounter with Sayoko, I'll concentrate on Peorth instead (for more information on Peorth, check out her section of the page once it becomes available). Peorth is a naturally confident person. She is a bit stuck up, and is at times a bit too concerned with sex. She has also, on several occasions, demonstrated a willingness to use other people to get her own way. Now, while it's easy enough to see someone like this leading Keiichi on in order to accomplish some other end, it's difficult to imagine this type of person actually falling in love with him.

And yet, somehow it happens anyway. Repeatedly. I think what finally does it are his acts of unconditional kindness. I myself often find that I distrust people who are overly nice to me for no apparent reason; most of the time, it means that they want something in return. What separates Keiichi from the crowd is that he's nice to people just because that's the kind of person he is. It was the small, thoughtful act of leaving Peorth a flower and a note that finally won her affection.

The other thing about Keiichi that draws people to him is his determination. Part of his successes are because of natural talent--he is pretty smart, and an excellent race car driver, among other things. More importantly, though, is his drive, and the way he puts his heart into everything he does. Keiichi Morisato is not a man who plays to win; he is a man who plays to do the best that he possibly can. Winning is, for the most part, merely a side-effect. What makes women--Belldandy, especially--want him so much is his tenacity in situations where most people would give up altogether. He may not always win, but in her eyes, what matters is that he always gives things his best shot.

I may be speaking blasphemy when I say this, but out of all the characters in the Oh My Goddess! series, Urd is my favorite. And lest you think me shallow for saying this, I should point out that her looks have absolutely nothing to do with it. Well, okay. Very little.

To be completely honest, I found her quite annoying back when I watched the OAV series. But as it turns out, five short video episodes just aren't enough to convey the full extent of Urd's surprisingly deep character. For the uninitiated, Urd is Belldandy's elder sister, and a Goddess Second Class. In the early manga (as well as the OAVs), she comes across as obsessed with sex--her main goal in life is trying to get Belldandy and Keiichi to get it on, at times even resorting to mixing strange potions or telling lies to fool Keiichi.

Of course, this is just the shallow, obvious part of her personality. Deep down, Urd is a sensitive and caring person, even if she doesn't show it all the time. On top of that, she's wiser than she lets on, and is very protective of her younger sisters, even if she doesn't always get along with them. Finally, it should be noted that often times, the reason she causes so much trouble is that she likes to have fun, and isn't afraid to be a bit naughty about it. In full force, her drive can be overbearing, but in lesser doses, her flirtatiousness is actually quite endearing.

Urd has the unique distinction of being the most drastically changed character in the Oh My Goddess! series. When she first appears in the second issue of the American manga, she is shallow, manipulative, meddlesome, nymphomanic, and overbearing. In fact, the first thing she does is try to get Keiichi into bed with her, to supposedly "teach him about real women" so that he will be more inclined to put the moves on Belldandy. (My own personal thought on this is that she was just using that as an excuse for trying to get laid--but that is a matter of pure speculation on my part.)

As the story progresses, Urd gradually mellows out; she seems to learn from each major event in her life, and is consequently a fair bit wiser than she was when the series began. Her life, as discussed in more detail below, is a constant struggle against her dark side, and it seems that, each time she is forced to confront it directly, she learns a bit more about how to control it.

Now, in the current manga, Urd has evolved into a striking young woman with a penchant for suggestive remarks and a flair for the dramatic. Her irritating traits still surface from time to time, but usually in a much more subdued form--she likes to meddle, but does so in ways that (thankfully) have only a minor effect on Keiichi's life.

From an artistic standpoint, Urd's look has changed somewhat since the beginning of the manga, but not nearly so much as Belldandy or Keiichi. Perhaps the most drastic change in appearance is that of her hair, which is much more elaborate currently than it was when she first appeared. The actual change is slipped into the middle of the fifth American volume, "Queen of Vengeance," when a problem with the Yggdrasil system causes Urd to age in reverse--you don't really notice that her hair is wavy all of a sudden, because you're too busy noticing the much more obvious fact that she looks about ten years younger. Beyond this, though, the changes are understated and stylistic--she seems to pick up a certain sense of maturity and class, but her appearance remains largely unchanged from when she was first introduced.

Perhaps the single most interesting thing about Urd is her unique mixed ancestry. Although she is a goddess by trade, she is actually half demon by blood--and her demon and goddess sides are constantly at odds with each other. The expression 'battling one's inner demons' refers to a character struggling to overcome their dark side, and in Urd's case, this expression takes on literal meaning: twice now, her dark side has come to the surface to wreak havoc on her life.

The first of these occurrences is in the appropriately-named fourth volume of the American manga, "Terrible Master Urd." To be brief (as this is the less interesting of the two), the demoness Mara uses a strange-looking urn to download something called the "ultimate destruction program" into Urd's mind. The first time through, it isn't technically Urd's demon half that surfaces--it is an entity called the Lord of Terror, who was able to take control of her body because of Urd's demonic ancestry. When the Lord of Terror is finally exorcised from her mind (and out roaming free), Urd's selfless side emerges in force for the first time.

The second and more noteworthy of these two incidents is when Mara (yes, her again) manages to separate Urd's goddess and demon halves. Urd's evil half isn't terribly interesting--she is fairly standard villain faire. What makes this part of the story such an excellent development for Urd is seeing her goddess side on its own. Goddess Urd is serious, wise, devoted, and just about as pure as Belldandy, if not more so. Her mode of dress is somewhat less blatant than that of Urd's whole self, but she still manages to show a fair bit of leg--old habits die hard, after all. In comparison to her usual, she is very interesting to watch: she is confident and direct even in the face of great danger, and she seems much more at peace with herself than usual (and understandably so). Unfortunately, Urd's demon side takes with it that subtle playfulness that so defines her character, so, while it is certainly interesting to see the two halves of Urd's personality taken separately, neither side by itself can hope to live up to the whole Urd.

When Urd's two halves are finally rejoined (much to the chagrin of both), Urd comes out ever so slightly changed. Although as playful as she had always been, she retains some of her goddess half's sense of inner peace, and, as a result, becomes much less antagonistic toward those close to her. All in all, quite a pleasant change.

I offer you the following as a matter of conjecture, because it is unclear to me whether Kosuke Fujishima (the author of Oh My Goddess!) meant for this to come across as it does. However, true or not, looking at Urd from this particular viewpoint really puts her in a new light:

What if Urd were in love with Keiichi?

I suppose it sounds ridiculous at first, but rest assured, I wouldn't suggest something like this without at least a little evidence. What gave me this idea in the first place was the scene you see to the right, in which Urd is suffering from the effects of a love potion. It isn't that particular frame, so much as what Belldandy says afterwards that caught my attention. Click on the picture to view a condensed version of the pages in question.

It certainly puts a new spin on why Urd might act the way she does. For instance, back in the first volume, when she is constantly trying to have sex with Keiichi, maybe, rather than just being horny and looking for a good time, she has feelings for Keiichi that she doesn't quite know how to express another way. After all, there were an awful lot of other guys around most of the time, and a woman like Urd could have the pick of the litter. Of course, perhaps she was telling the truth when she said she was trying to get Keiichi in bed to teach him to be a man for Belldandy--but doesn't that seem just a bit farfetched?

More recently, in The Fourth Goddess story arc, Urd does quite a bit to protect Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship from Peorth's meddling ... but what is that in her eyes? One might wonder why she would go through such lengths to keep Keiichi and Belldandy together if she were in love with Keiichi herself. The answer to that is that love can take many forms. Urd and Belldandy, despite having vastly different personalities, are extremely close--and Urd knows full well (to the point of having pointed it out on at least one occasion) that Keiichi and Belldandy are perfect for each other. Because of this, it's only natural that she would keep her feelings to herself. Despite how she acts at times, deep down, Urd is not a selfish person--she knows what's best for those she loves, and in this case, Keiichi and Belldandy are both happier together than either would be if Keiichi were with Urd instead.

Now, as stated previously, this is all just a crazy theory--an unverifiable interpretation of events in the story. There's a strong possibility that I'm reading too much in to the plot ... but on the other hand, the idea of unrequited love for Keiichi makes Urd's character ever so slightly tragic--another one of those numerous ever-so-slightly's that make Urd so deep and fascinating as a story character.

It would be almost criminal of me to explore all these deep aspects of Urd's personality without giving any attention to her lighter side. Out of all the core characters, Urd is easily the most fun-loving of the group. Unfortunately, poor Urd has to spend most of the day with only Skuld to keep her company, since Keiichi and Belldandy are usually off taking classes. Leave it to someone of Urd's meager attention span to find creative ways to stay occupied.

In her abundant spare time, Urd's favorite activity is to shrink herself down to just a few inches high and explore the temple with Skuld and their friend Gan the rat. Her misadventures in her "handy petite size" range from bathing in miso soup, to participating in a miniature rock band, to setting her rat friend up with a teapot.

Along these same lines, one of the cutest books in the entire series is one appropriately named "Urd's Fantastic Adventure," in which Urd, suffering from an age-regression effect caused by a crash in Heaven's computer system, goes out one evening and meets a young boy named Shohei Yoshida. He is immediately smitten with her, and before she knows it, she finds that she rather enjoys being around him as well. Of course, their brief relationship is doomed from the beginning, as Keiichi, Belldandy, and Skuld are busy working to find a way to return her to her normal age. In the end, Urd, once cured of her not altogether unpleasant malady, meets Shohei after hew followed her home. She kisses him on the forehead, and tells him that her "little sister" was gone, but said to say thank you.

Urd, Norn of the Past and self-proclaimed "Cupid of Love", is in my opinion, the most interesting character in the entire series. Her personality is several levels deep; she is the type of character who grows on people the more that they read about her. Even when she isn't stirring up trouble, her mere presence is enough to add a certain spice of life to the story. Things would certainly not be as interesting without her.

Up until fairly recently, I always found Skuld to be the least interesting of the four main characters. When she was first introduced, she came across as more of a plot point than an actual character. She was, for all intents and purposes, a selfish little brat put in the story for the sole purpose of getting between Keiichi and Belldandy.

In her never-ending quest to protect Belldandy, she keeps a close eye on Keiichi to make sure he doesn't "try anything." "Trying something," in Skuld's expert opinion, is anything involving Keiichi being under a foot away from Belldandy. This almost obsessive urge to shelter Belldandy, combined with Urd's constant urging for Kei and Bell to get it on, ends up making Keiichi's life pretty difficult on more than one occasion.

As a goddess, the bulk of Skuld's power lies in her incredible intelligence. She is a math whiz, and even more gifted with machines than Keiichi. In fact, she can build a machine for just about anything Urd and Belldandy have a spell for. She also has the rather unique (and largely useless) ability to plaster words on people's faces.

Skuld was a decidedly two-dimensional character in the early manga, but this has changed drastically in some of the more recent issues. The main focus of her character development so far has been her growing up, and resulting changes. Although she remains insecure about being the youngest of the Norns, she has grown from an annoying little kid into a girl dealing those awkward first few years of being a teenager.

Skuld's first real character development takes place back in "The Trials of Morisato" (volume 4, part 2), in which an Yggdrasil malfunction causes her aging to accelerate rapidly. With Urd's age regressing at approximately the same rate, Skuld suddenly finds herself the eldest of the Three Sisters. With Urd and Belldandy effectively incapacitated, it is up to Skuld and Keiichi to find a solution for the problem. What's truly interesting about this chapter is that it's the first time that Skuld really admits that she doesn't hate Keiichi quite so much as she lets on. In fact, she at one point gets a little closer to Keiichi than either he or Bell are comfortable with. Once the problem is fixed, however, she goes pretty much back to normal.

Skuld's second big change--a permanent one this time--happens in "You're So Bad" (volume 5, part 4). In this issue, she begins to feel the effects of the divine equivalent of raging hormones. Finding herself suddenly feeling a bit taken with Keiichi, she asks him to take her to the mall, supposedly so that she can prove to herself that she still hates his guts. Between Urd meddling so that the trip would go badly, and Belldandy meddling so that it wouldn't, Skuld gradually becomes more and more smitten with Keiichi, until in the final confrontation, it comes to light that her emotions are a result of her coming into her powers, rather than any genuine romantic interest in Keiichi. This is also the point where she first gains the aforementioned ability to write words on people's faces.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Skuld's coming of age is in the two-part series, "Childhood's End" (volume 8, parts 1 and 2), when, immediately after having given up on learning to ride a bike, she meets a boy her age named Sentaro Kawanishi. Sentaro is into BMX racing, and he shows her that taking spills is just part of the process of learning. With his encouragement, she gives it another try, and is surprised to discover that it's not as hard as she'd previously thought. In the following chapter, she meets up with Sentaro again, only to discover--much to her chagrin--that she is starting to have feelings for him. Soon afterward, she finds that her goddess powers are beginning to manifest, which Belldandy explains are a result of her love for others. This issue is an important turning point for her, not only in terms of power, but also in terms of development; it is the first time she really starts to think of other people.

Since then, there has been another important development, which will be described in detail on the Angels page, when I get it done.

Having been introduced later in the manga than the other three characters, Skuld has evolved artistically a bit less than Keiichi, Belldandy, and Urd. Most of her changes are a result of age, and not drawing style.

Beyond her growing pains, Skuld's most distinctive characteristic is her love of machines. She has built numerous vehicles, mecha, and robots, the most prominent of these being Banpei, a robot she built to defend the temple from demon attacks. Although he hasn't had too many appearances, Banpei is a recurring character, and has been at the center of an issue or two. He even falls in love with Belldandy at one point, although his battery runs out soon afterward, erasing his memory.

Among Skuld's other mechanical exploits are a teleportation gun, an evil-looking helmet supposedly meant to help people study for tests, and her numerous Skuld Bombs, all of which have caused problems for poor Keiichi at one point or another.

One other noteworthy aspect of Skuld's interest in machines is her rivalry with Keiichi's sister Megumi. Megumi's mechanical aptitude is close to Skuld's own, and a rivalry develops between the two younger sisters at one point. Skuld ends up challenging Megumi to a mecha battle; and Megumi almost manages to prevail.

Having started out as little more than an irritating fly in the ointment, Skuld has evolved into a character as least as interesting as the other main cast members. While she is still insecure about being the youngest of the three sisters, she has grown now to the point where she is beginning to gain a better understanding of people. From pest to charming young lady, she has quite possibly changed more than any of the other characters in the series.