Movie
Description
In the 1985 film Urusei Yatsura: Remember My Love, the character known as Ruu (often romanized as Ruu or, in some materials, as Lu) is a mysterious young boy who serves as the primary antagonist of the story. He is introduced as a magician performing at the newly opened amusement park in Tomobiki, but his true nature is far more dangerous. Ruu possesses supernatural abilities derived from a strange, glowing glass ball he discovered in a garbage heap, which granted him psychic powers and the ability to perform magic. He uses these powers to transform Ataru Moroboshi into a pink hippopotamus during a stage show and later kidnaps Lum by trapping her in a mirror dimension connected to the park’s hall of mirrors.
Ruu’s appearance is that of a young boy with an innocent face, but his actions reveal a possessive and determined personality. His primary motivation stems from a chance encounter with a younger version of Lum on her home planet, Oniboshi, which he observed through his ability to see across time and space. He became infatuated with her and desired to take her away from Ataru, believing that he could give her a perfect life. To achieve this, he exploits a long-standing curse placed on Lum at birth by the Old Woman of the Oak Forest, a curse that was intended to prevent Lum from ever finding happiness with her true love. Ruu manipulates this curse to separate Lum from Ataru, hoping that he can become her new “true love.”
Ruu’s key relationships are with Lum, whom he obsessively pursues, and with his tutor and assistant, Lahla. Lahla is a woman who tries to guide Ruu and rein in his more destructive impulses, but Ruu largely ignores her advice, driven by his selfish desires. His role in the story is to create a crisis that forces both Lum and Ataru to confront the strength of their bond. Lum is initially vulnerable to the curse because of her love for Ataru, but Ruu underestimates the depth of her feelings. As the film progresses, Ataru eventually realizes how much Lum means to him and ventures into the mirror dimension to rescue her, despite the curse’s attempts to erase their connection.
Ruu’s notable abilities include telekinesis, energy projection, the power to warp reality within his mirror dimension, and the capacity to disguise himself and create illusions. He can also teleport and manipulate objects with his mind. However, his powers are ultimately tied to the glass ball, and he is not invincible. His development is minimal; he remains a one-dimensional figure whose obsession leads to his defeat when the curse is broken by the combined will of Lum and Ataru. After the curse is lifted, Ruu and all memory of the events are erased, returning the timeline to the day before the amusement park opened, effectively making his interference a forgotten episode.
Ruu’s appearance is that of a young boy with an innocent face, but his actions reveal a possessive and determined personality. His primary motivation stems from a chance encounter with a younger version of Lum on her home planet, Oniboshi, which he observed through his ability to see across time and space. He became infatuated with her and desired to take her away from Ataru, believing that he could give her a perfect life. To achieve this, he exploits a long-standing curse placed on Lum at birth by the Old Woman of the Oak Forest, a curse that was intended to prevent Lum from ever finding happiness with her true love. Ruu manipulates this curse to separate Lum from Ataru, hoping that he can become her new “true love.”
Ruu’s key relationships are with Lum, whom he obsessively pursues, and with his tutor and assistant, Lahla. Lahla is a woman who tries to guide Ruu and rein in his more destructive impulses, but Ruu largely ignores her advice, driven by his selfish desires. His role in the story is to create a crisis that forces both Lum and Ataru to confront the strength of their bond. Lum is initially vulnerable to the curse because of her love for Ataru, but Ruu underestimates the depth of her feelings. As the film progresses, Ataru eventually realizes how much Lum means to him and ventures into the mirror dimension to rescue her, despite the curse’s attempts to erase their connection.
Ruu’s notable abilities include telekinesis, energy projection, the power to warp reality within his mirror dimension, and the capacity to disguise himself and create illusions. He can also teleport and manipulate objects with his mind. However, his powers are ultimately tied to the glass ball, and he is not invincible. His development is minimal; he remains a one-dimensional figure whose obsession leads to his defeat when the curse is broken by the combined will of Lum and Ataru. After the curse is lifted, Ruu and all memory of the events are erased, returning the timeline to the day before the amusement park opened, effectively making his interference a forgotten episode.