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Full Name: Ryoko "Masaki" (she calls herself Masaki)
Biography
Ryoko is perhaps one the most popular characters of not only the Tenchi series, but in all of anime as well. Loud, brash, rude, & arrogant, Ryoko is indeed a very interesting and strangely lovable person.
The most rebellious of the women from space, Ryoko enters each Tenchi series as a ruthless space pirate. Upon coming to Earth, however, she seems to mellow down and step away from a habitual life of crime (though if the TV series' are any indication, she would not hesitate to return to piracy if need be). Inherently, Ryoko has quite a selfishness streak in her.
Despite her self-centered nature and seedy past, Ryoko is truly a kind and free spirit. She's essentially a "party girl"; her affinity for sake is legendary. Ryoko gets along well with everyone in the Masaki house, despite her frequent conflicts with Aeka and (in the OVA series) Washyuu. Speaking of Aeka, while the two may be vicious rivals over Tenchi's affection, they are genuinely close friends deep down and each has layed her life on the line for the other at some point in the Tenchi series'.
Many people see Ryoko, not Aeka, as the true love of Tenchi Masaki. We here at Densetsu agree. Whereas Aeka loves Tenchi on the basis of obligation to the Jurai throne and a passionate crush, Ryoko (having been with Tenchi his entire life in the OVA series and seeming to be more emotionally bonded to him in the TV series) loves Tenchi for the person he is, and truly cares for him. Ryoko is not afraid to express her feelings toward Tenchi either, though her upfront approach has been known to frighten him off more than draw him closer.
Of the three Tenchi Muyo! series, the OVA series seems to provide the most background on Ryoko. The daughter of Washyuu, Ryoko was created by a fusion of one of Washyuu's egg cells with a mysterious life form called the Masu (it is through the Masu that Ryoko is also Ryo-Ohki's half-sister). When Ryoko was born, Washyuu gave Ryoko three gems: one on each wrist and another as a left earring. These gems contained the power Washyuu sacrificed by giving up her position as goddess, and thusly are the source of Ryoko's own amazing power.
Sadly, Ryoko was taken from Washyuu by Kagato and became brainwashed into doing the evil deeds of the villain. Under Kagato's control, Ryoko became feared as both an infamous space pirate and even an oni (demon). Instructed by Kagato, Ryoko led the only successful attack on the Jurai Empire in the dynasty's history. Ryoko was then pursued to Earth by the legendary Jurai warrior Yosho and fell out of Kagato's control.
On Earth, Yosho caught up to Ryoko and the two engaged in a bloody and violent duel. In the end, Yosho was able to remove Ryoko's power gems, weakening her enough to imprison her inside a cave near an old Shinto shrine in Japan. Many, many years later, it would be this shrine that Yosho would tend under the identity of Katsuhito Masaki.
700 years after Ryoko was sealed away, she would be freed. Yosho's grandson, Tenchi Masaki, had always been fascinated by the cave, though he couldn't be sure why. One day, while spending his vacation at his grandfather's shrine, he finally managed to sneak into the cave without his grandfather's knowledge. Once in the cave, he succeeded in two things: recovering the Tenchiken...and awakening Ryoko. Escaping the cave, he thought he was safe. That is, until Ryoko showed up at his high school one day after classes and leveled the building pursuing him. But hey, it was all in fun...she just needed to blow off a little steam about being sealed away is all! ^_^;;;
Eventually, Tenchi managed to get away from Ryoko after the Tenchiken came to life accidentally. However, Tenchi was not rid of our beloved oni, as she appeared in Tenchi's bed later that night! Abducting Tenchi (as well as his entire house), Ryoko attempted to take them with her on a new reign of terror. It was then that Aeka showed up in pursuit of Ryoko and the two engaged in a violent space battle that resulted in Ryoko using Ryo-Ohki to kamikaze Aeka's Ryuo-Oh and leaving them both stuck on Earth.
From this point on, Ryoko spent her days with Tenchi in the Masaki household. Obviously in love with Tenchi, much of her time was spent trying to best Aeka for Tenchi's affection. However, with her reputation she did bring several new dangers to the Masaki family. Along with a return by Kagato, a Washyuu-seeking Dr. Clay created a powerful clone of Ryoko known as Zero. Despite all of this though, Ryoko proved to be a very valuable member of the expanded Masaki family.
As with all of the Tenchi series, Ryoko is drastically in love with Tenchi. But Ryoko's bond to Tenchi is by far its strongest in the OVA series. Ryoko's spirit has always been with Tenchi since he was a tiny baby. At first, Tenchi could see Ryoko, but as he grew out of his infancy, he lost this ability. However, Ryoko was still with Tenchi, watching over him in times of joy and sorrow, and even comforting him in any way she could when his mother died. As Tenchi grew up, Ryoko couldn't help it...she fell in love with him.
As stated, Washyuu gave Ryoko three gems containing the godess' power Washyuu once had. These power gems enable her to access incredible powers. With these gems, she is able to use such abilities as telekenisis, matter manipulation, and she can even summon demons, ghosts, & generally evil spirits (hence the meaning of Ryoko name: "demon caller"). Even without her gems, she can generate beam sabers, throw energy blasts (kinda like the ki attacks in Dragon Ball Z...but a little less insanely powerful), regenerate wounds, teleport to locations she's already been to, and phase through walls and other solid objects. It is said that if Ryoko were to reacquire her third gem, she could be practically immortal.
Ryoko's past according to the first TV series is a very large mystery. From what many Tenchi fans have been able to gather, she grew up alone and turned to piracy having nowhere else to go. How she came to know Ryo-Ohki, much less become psychically bonded with the cabbit is another unanswered mystery. What is known however, is that in the TV series, her rvalry with Aeka stems all the way back to a particular childhood incident in a flower garden...LONG before Tenchi.
Ryoko comes to Earth after being pursued to the backwater planet by Mihoshi. Her ship crashes, and Tenchi inevitably plays the "good samaritan" by rescuing her from the wreck. The Masaki family then takes Ryoko in under the idea that Ryoko is the one being pursued by a space pirate (Kami, they are so gullible! ^_^). For Ryoko, meeting Tenchi is practically love at first sight, as evidenced by her immediate attempts to get his ::ahem:: attention.
Eventually Mihoshi comes along and the truth gets out that RYOKO is the pirate...though it doesn't change things much. Eventually Aeka shows up and...well...we all should know how things go from there. ^_^ Ryoko basically gets along well with the other women...though her relationship with Kiyone is a very rocky one at first.
In the TV series, Ryoko manages to pick up a major enemy in the bounty hunter, Nagi. Nagi, with her cabbit Ken-Ohki, is constantly in pursuit of Ryoko and meets her several times in the series. However, the two never come to a final duel and things go unresolved by the series' end.
Unlike the OVA series, Ryoko had no relation to Washyuu in the TV series. Consequently, Ryoko does not rely on the power gems for her fantastic powers. Essentially, the vast of Ryoko's powers come to her naturally in the TV series, though she's nowhere near as strong as she is in the OVA series.
Like the first TV series, the story of Ryoko's past in Shin Tenchi Muyo! is a mystery. Once again, it can be assumed she grew up alone and turned to piracy due to lack of guidance in life. However, rather than Ryo-Ohki, Ryoko now winds up with Washyuu for an accomplice...even if only for a select few heists.
The duo of Ryoko and Washyuu are pursued to Earth by Aeka after the theft of the Jurai Power Gem from Planet Jurai. Upon landing on Earth, Ryoko and Washyuu find them selves surrounded by Aeka and the Galaxy Police (namely our resident detective duo, Mihoshi & Kiyone). In an act of desparation, Ryoko absorbs the Power Gem and mutates into a vicious beast. Aeka is, by all definitions, screwed until Tenchi intervenes and the crystal Tenchiken accidentally springs to life, mortally wounding Ryoko.
Hoping to make amends, Tenchi invites Washyuu to tend to Ryoko's wounds in his house. While Ryoko is unconscious, Tenchi visits her often. Though Ryoko is out cold, she can still hear Tenchi's kind words, and inevitably falls in love with him.
At this point, the usual antics of the Masaki family commence, with Ryoko fawning over Tenchi and consequently pissing off Aeka. Ryoko is much more passive in STM!, so confrontations with Aeka and even any use of Ryoko's destructive powers at all is a rarity. However, everything falls apart with the appearance of Yugi.
In Yugi's plot to disband the Masaki family, Ryoko is one of her primary targets. After spying Tenchi and Sakuya kissing at a school festival, Ryoko tearfully runs away from the Masaki home and finds herself seduced by one of Yugi's servants, Hotsuma. Convinced that piracy is her true calling, Ryoko returns to a life of crime, even turning her back on Mihoshi and Kiyone and their (unique) voice of reason. Finally however, Ryoko returns to her senses and realizes she misses Tenchi. Turning on Hotsuma at the critical hour, she reaches Earth in time to aid Tenchi in the battle with Yugi alongside the re-united Masaki family.
As this final Tenchi series concludes, Ryoko and Tenchi attempt to share one last tender moment, but find themselves interrupted by the others as Ryo-Ohki bids the faithful viewers adieu.
