Movie
Description
Oshima the Tanuki is a supporting character in Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love, the third theatrical film in the Urusei Yatsura series. She is a female tanuki, or Japanese raccoon dog, with grey fur, and she serves as the loyal minion of Ruu, the boy magician who acts as the film's antagonist. The movie presents her as a separate character from the tanuki also named Oshima who appears in the original manga and television series; although the two share the same appearance, the film explicitly establishes that they are completely different individuals. The character's name comes from Rumiko Takahashi's editor, who was surnamed Oshima.
Within the story, Oshima appears at the side of Ruu during the events surrounding the newly opened Tomobiki Märchenland amusement park. Ruu, who gains supernatural power from a mysterious glowing glass ball he found, uses his magic to transform Ataru Moroboshi into a pink hippopotamus during a stage show and later seals Lum inside a mirror maze leading to another dimension. Oshima functions as Ruu's constant companion and assistant throughout this scheme, accompanying him and providing the antagonist with a small, folkloric attendant figure. Her role is that of a supporter rather than a driving force; the plan belongs to Ruu, and she stands with him as he carries it out.
Her personality is defined by loyalty and devotion. She is described as Ruu's loyal minion, and her motivation is tied entirely to him. She serves his interests without pursuing any independent goal of her own, staying by his side as he attempts to win Lum and take her away from Ataru. Her key relationship is therefore with Ruu, whom she follows and supports as his subordinate. She has no meaningful connection to the main cast of the film. This distinguishes her from the Oshima of the original series, whose connection to Ataru comes from being rescued from a trap and owing him a debt of gratitude; the film version has no such bond and belongs wholly to Ruu's side of the conflict.
In terms of development, Oshima remains a consistent presence rather than a changing character. She has no personal arc of her own, and her function in the narrative is to accompany Ruu and reinforce the magical atmosphere surrounding him. The film's conclusion, in which time is rewound to before the amusement park opened and the events of the plot are undone, means that her involvement in the conflict is erased along with the memories of Ruu and his companion, so her appearance is confined to the film's main sequence of events.
Her notable traits stem from her nature as a tanuki. In the wider Urusei Yatsura world, tanuki are magical creatures connected to transformation, and the other Oshima of the original series demonstrates this by disguising itself as a crane when encountered. The film's Oshima shares that same small, round tanuki design with grey fur, though in this story she acts primarily as Ruu's attendant rather than as a magic user in her own right.
Within the story, Oshima appears at the side of Ruu during the events surrounding the newly opened Tomobiki Märchenland amusement park. Ruu, who gains supernatural power from a mysterious glowing glass ball he found, uses his magic to transform Ataru Moroboshi into a pink hippopotamus during a stage show and later seals Lum inside a mirror maze leading to another dimension. Oshima functions as Ruu's constant companion and assistant throughout this scheme, accompanying him and providing the antagonist with a small, folkloric attendant figure. Her role is that of a supporter rather than a driving force; the plan belongs to Ruu, and she stands with him as he carries it out.
Her personality is defined by loyalty and devotion. She is described as Ruu's loyal minion, and her motivation is tied entirely to him. She serves his interests without pursuing any independent goal of her own, staying by his side as he attempts to win Lum and take her away from Ataru. Her key relationship is therefore with Ruu, whom she follows and supports as his subordinate. She has no meaningful connection to the main cast of the film. This distinguishes her from the Oshima of the original series, whose connection to Ataru comes from being rescued from a trap and owing him a debt of gratitude; the film version has no such bond and belongs wholly to Ruu's side of the conflict.
In terms of development, Oshima remains a consistent presence rather than a changing character. She has no personal arc of her own, and her function in the narrative is to accompany Ruu and reinforce the magical atmosphere surrounding him. The film's conclusion, in which time is rewound to before the amusement park opened and the events of the plot are undone, means that her involvement in the conflict is erased along with the memories of Ruu and his companion, so her appearance is confined to the film's main sequence of events.
Her notable traits stem from her nature as a tanuki. In the wider Urusei Yatsura world, tanuki are magical creatures connected to transformation, and the other Oshima of the original series demonstrates this by disguising itself as a crane when encountered. The film's Oshima shares that same small, round tanuki design with grey fur, though in this story she acts primarily as Ruu's attendant rather than as a magic user in her own right.