Reasons and hints Ryoko and Tenchi are meant for each other

Reasons/hints from the OVA:

1: Ryoko loves Tenchi for who he is. We know that. Even if he didn't have his powers or his connections to the Jurian Royalty, Ryoko would have loved him. She watched over him when he was little, and watched him grow up. She knows him more intimately than the other girls. She never knew about his relationship to Ayeka or the Jurians until it was revealed he could use the sword. Ayeka seems to want him because:

A) He is Yosho's grandson

B) Yosho is too old

C) He has the inherit power of the Light Hawk Wings

D) To prevent Ryoko from getting him and becoming a relative of the Jurai Royal family

2: In both the incidents involving a major villain threatening the group, Ryoko was captured. Tenchi went both times, willingly and to an extent, eagerly. In both cases, Ayeka either tried to prevent his going (the Kagato incident) or went very reluctantly (the Clay/Zero incident)

3: Apparently Ryoko can create the Light Hawk Wings. That would mean that she and Tenchi are the only ones capable of generating them on their own, without a Jurian Space Tree nessecary. Looking at this unique ability, it would seem that beings capable of this would stay together.

4: Ryoko has had an entire episode without interference from the rest of the girls. She is the only one of the Tenchi girls to have this. The episode is the first episode, where the only characters of the gang are Tenchi and Ryoko. (Katsuhito made a brief appearance, but that doesn't count for the sake of this document).

5: Ryoko has shown her feelings towards Tenchi numerous times. Ayeka has shown her own (if they can be called that) very guardedly in very few instances. Ryoko has said she loves Tenchi (OVA #3) and Zero only confirms that she has deep running feelings for him. She was willing to die facing Kagato in order to avenge Tenchi's death.

6: In the Mihoshi Space Adventure, when Pretty Sammy told the Mecha-Ryokos to change from the path of war to the path of love, all of them immediately went after Tenchi with hearts in their eyes.

7: When the science lab blew up and Tenchi had assumed that Ryoko was dead, he sounded almost regretful about it, and said that she was ‘kinda cute’. He even went through the motions of prayer for her.

8: When Yosho came in and proceeded to fight Kagato, he used Ryoko to try and stop the Jurian prince. As Ryoko and Yosho traded blows, Tenchi yelled that his grandfather help her and not kill her. He succeeded in this, though Ryoko ended up getting kidnapped moments later.

9: When Ryoko is restraining Tenchi, by Kagato's command, he is begging for Kagato to release Ryoko, not for him to release him.

10: When Ayeka found out that Katsuhito was actually Yosho, she was all upset because he had aged so much while she was still the same as when they last met. After a little joke about getting married at that moment, Yosho suggested that Ayeka marry Tenchi instead. Right there, notice that Tenchi seems to have a “Give me a break!” expression here and refuses to this, more concerned about Ryoko. Another thing is that this is the point where Ayeka really starts to take interest in Tenchi, since it turns out he is her half-brother’s grandson, whereas Ryoko has been interested in him since he was an infant.

11: When Tenchi was holding Zero Ryoko in his arms, you can tell that he too was expressing his his hidden feelings for Ryoko.

12: Ryoko seems to have been and still is (in a way) a guardian spirit to Tenchi. She watched over him in astral form throughout his childhood and did/does her best to protect him now that she is free.p>

13:In the episode where Tenchi, Mihoshi and Ayeka are storming Dr. Clay's ship, they become trapped. When it is evident they can't go anywhere, Tenchi collapses against the wall with tears on his face. About half of this reason comes from confinement with the arguing Ayeka and Mihoshi, but I think half (or more) comes from the feeling that he failed in his rescue.

14: Both Mihoshi and Sasami said that they would go with Tenchi to save Ryoko. Tenchi never even asked Ayeka to come, the only mention of such a thing coming from Sasami. When Ayeka says she doesn’t know, Tenchi tells her to take care of his grandfather and heads off, not giving her a second thought. This shows that he was much more worried about Ryoko’s safety rather than Ayeka’s problems.

15: In the episode where Zero captures Ryoko, Ryoko calls out Tenchi's name before she is imprisoned. Far away, in Washu's lab, Tenchi says he thought he heard someone calling him.

16: As the fires of Ryu-oh’s explosion died away, Ryoko screamed in rage and was able to free herself from Kagato’s hourglass capsule, the anger in her heart giving her strength. All Ayeka did was to scream once, while Mihoshi sank to her knees in shock. And then, when Ryoko was searching the debris field and came across Tenchi’s bloody headband, she cried. She never cries about anything normally (that incident in the onsen about her age attributed to sake…), and this shows how much she cared for him, even swearing revenge upon Kagato.

17: When Ryoko is relating her story of watching over Tenchi as he grew up, notice this: Tenchi spent a lot of time at the cave, throughout his life. He also seemed to take a sort of comfort in it, even going to it to mourn when his grandmother died. He was also very curious to see what was inside it and was always trying to get into it. Never once have we known him to look at the heavens (representing Jurai)

18: Tenchi seemed to be able to see Ryoko's spirit at the cave, for a time.

19: In the Episode entitled "I Love Tenchi", Ryoko was the first one to leave to save Tenchi, until Washu's forcefield prevented her leaving.

20: In the Episode "Zero Ryoko", Ryoko says that Zero is too embarrassing. But look at this, when Tenchi is around Zero, he doesn't seem as intimidated, as she shows Ryoko's feelings without the toughness he usually sees in Ryoko.

21: In romantic fairy tales, a handsome prince would wake up the woman he was fated to be with if she was under some kind of spell of sleep or free her from imprisonment. Tenchi (an actual prince here…) did both of these things to Ryoko, both waking her from her 700 year sleep and her imprisonment from Kagato.

22: When Kagato reappears after taking Ryoko, he drops her unconscious body to the ground. Tenchi is instantly at her side, trying to get her to wake up, seeming to be ignoring the potential dangers of being so close to Kagato.

23: When Kagato forced Ryoko to hold Tenchi in a chokehold and was strangling him, he kept begging for him to leave Ryoko alone, not to save himself. Another thing that is interesting is that none of the other girls went to save Tenchi, but Ryo-ohki (who is tied into Ryoko mentally) leaped to attack without hesitation. In all probability, this is what Ryoko would have done had she seen Tenchi in such a position, not standing there gawking while her love was killed.

24: In the fourth episode of the OVA, whenever Tenchi sees Ryoko naked, he just stares endlessly at her and gets very nervous. Yet when he saw Ayeka naked, he ducked very rapidly into the water…

25: When both Mihoshi and Tenchi were unconscious, Ayeka and Sasami paid more attention to Mihoshi than Tenchi. Ryoko kept her distance from the both of them, but was standing in a position that kept her closer to Tenchi so that she could (most likely) keep an eye on him and leap to his defense in case the visitor was hostile.

26: The sixth episode of the OVA opens with Ryoko still crying over Tenchi’s apparent death. In that whole time, Ayeka had done nothing more than maneuver Ryo-ohki, while Mihoshi still stayed in shock. And through the whole sequence, Ryoko never let go of Tenchi’s headband, except to show Ayeka.

27: When Tenchi saved Ryoko in his sudden reappearance, he held her in his arms and smiled at her as he said everything would be fine now.

28: In the tenth episode, when Tenchi is going through his things, he comes across his grandmother’s purple kimono (which was shown in Ryoko’s flashback in OVA 5) and puts it in a place of reverence in his room. He then leaves for a little while, coming back to find Ryoko wearing the kimono. Tenchi seems awestruck by her appearance like this, and says that she looks really nice.

29: To all outward appearances, Zero had slain Tenchi, despite her misgivings because she was a devoted servant of Dr. Clay. However, seconds late in the 12th episode, we see that despite that basic affiliation, Ryoko’s feelings for Tenchi overcame Dr. Clay’s instructions.

30: Throughout the second episode, Tenchi tried to stay near Ryoko or locate her, as in her he saw the chance for safety and salvation from Ayeka and her guardians.

31: When Tenchi got home after the whole mess at the school, the first thing he thought about was Ryoko, and what might have happened to her.

32: When the vortex opens up and draws the demon into it, Ryoko is the one who saves Tenchi from getting dragged into subspace with it.

33: When Ryoko had been awake for but a scant moment in the first episode, still corpse-like, she leaned over and pulled Tenchi towards her, looking like she was trying to kiss him until the Tenchi-ken reacted to her.

34: When Ryoko enters Ryo-ohki, Ayeka gets angry with her for what has happened and says that they should keep looking for Tenchi until she is shown his bloody headband. In all likelihood, unless Ryoko had suggested it, Ayeka and Mihoshi would have just kept looking for him (which wouldn’t have turned up anything..) instead of taking on Kagato.

35: Despite her poor skills in that area, Ryoko attempts to sew up the kimono she tore, and looks to be on the verge of tears when she presents the patched up garment to Tenchi upon his return. However, instead of still being mad, Tenchi smiled at her and said he wasn’t mad anymore. Then the two of them walked away together, laughing and talking as if nothing had happened.

36: When the mass was near Tenchi, the threat of it’s power hanging above him like a guillotine, Ryoko was the only one who put herself on the line to help him while the other girls stayed hidden in a shrub.

37: Tenchi came close to dying during the fight with Kagato. During this time, Ryoko fought against the force that was draining and holding her to the floor, trying to get to him to possibly help him in some way.

38: As they advanced on the Souja in Ryo-ohki, Tenchi seemed to be in a major hurry to try and save Ryoko, rushing Ayeka and demanding that she tell him how to use the Light Hawk Wings.

39: In the third epsode, after Tenchi and Ayeka had been trapped in the rain, Ayeka recognized the large shrine tree as Funaho, the space tree of her brother Yosho. When they accessed the ship’s memory, they saw Yosho fighting a very evil looking Ryoko, and Tenchi seemed a little shocked at this. However, he treated Ryoko no differently when she and Sasami came to see if they could help them (since they had been trapped outside in the rain), but at that point, Ayeka began fussing about the whole ‘royal blood’ issue. Not once had Ryoko yet said anything about taking him away from her, but Ayeka went and acted like a bitch, so Ryoko left. Tenchi called after her, saying he was sorry.

40: When Tenchi protested about Ryoko destroying Ryu-oh (and with it, Ayeka and Sasami), Ryoko got annoyed and said that if he liked them so much that he should join them. Even though he was trapped between two conflicting ethics, those of Ryoko and Ayeka and their feud, he still chose to stay with Ryoko.

41: Despite the fact he was in mortal fear of his own life at the time of the incident, later on, Tenchi couldn’t stop thinking of Ryoko even though she was a mummy.

42: When Tenchi says he is going to save Ryoko, Ayeka vehemently protests this, claiming that she is the cause of their (meaning her…) troubles. Tenchi ignores this demand and goes off to save Ryoko with an attitude that shows his adamant determination.

43: Both Ryoko and Ayeka come close to death during the fight with Kagato, but Ryoko’s drive and determination put her in a more risky situation than Ayeka while also showing that no matter what happened to her, she would avenge Tenchi. Ayeka seemed to give up towards the beginning.

44: Right before she left, Tenchi smiled at Ryoko, despite the fact that she had attacked and seemed to come very close to killing him. To all outwards appearances, he wasn’t very mad at her for it.

45: Tenchi was more concerned for Ryoko’s well being during the fight with Kagato, telling Azaka and Kamidake to watch out for Ryoko instead of supporting him.

46: To try and get Tenchi’s praise and attention, Zero did a lot of chores around the house. Normally Ryoko would have slacked off or tried to get out of the job, but this shows she’d do anything, no matter how demeaning, to please him. On top of that, Tenchi seemed to like it as well.

47: When Dr. Clay tries to destroy Zero, she sees an image of Tenchi before collapsing.

48: When Washu tells Ryoko that she can save the dying Zero by assimilating her with Ryoko, both Tenchi and Zero seem to really want it. Ryoko isn’t really thrilled about it, since she sees Zero as an intruder of sorts, but since she knows that Zero is her and because she would do anything for Tenchi, she agrees to the assimilation.

49: Even though the loss of her hand meant he was safer (to outward appearances), Tenchi apologized and was sorry for slicing off Ryoko’s hand.

50: Ryoko tried to stop Tenchi from fighting Kagato because it would be putting his life at risk, and she didn’t want to see him killed because of her. However, since she fought so fiercely for him, it seems that he was willing to fight equally as fiercely to save her.

51: Dr. Clay ordered Zero to kill Tenchi when he realized that Ryoko’s feelings were interfering with her mission. When her opportunity came to destroy him, Zero hesitated, seeming to doubting her orders, and when she did attack, she let out a great, sad cry.

52: When it was revealed that Zero was not the real Ryoko, Tenchi became very worried and kept edging Washu on to try and find her. He wasn’t even concerned about his own safety when doing this, even striking out without a full understanding of his opponent and his abilities, all in the name of rescuing Ryoko. What’s interesting to note about this is that in Tenchi Universe, Tenchi didn’t hurry Ryoko when they were going to save Ayeka (“No Need for Ryoko”).

53: Immediately after Kagato was defeated, Ryoko and Tenchi looked at each other with expressions of happiness and a kind of tenderness…until the others showed up.

54: When Zero came in on Dr. Clay and Washu, she turned on him and demanding that he not involve Tenchi in anymore of his designs. She even told him that she wished to live as Ryoko forever.

55: When Zero first meets Tenchi (in Ryoko’s mind and form), she instantly falls for him, showing that unrestrained by her tough girl personality, Ryoko really loves him. A big thing to note here is that Zero blushed almost every time she was around Tenchi, and Ryoko herself never did this, holding it back to keep up appearances.

56: Zero was emotionally hurt by her attempt to slay Tenchi, but she was more concerned about his well-being later on in the episode, putting herself at risk for his survival.

Reasons/hints from Tenchi Universe:

1: Ryoko went after Tenchi when Nagi captured him. Even though she knew it was a trap to get her, and that she might even get killed, she was willing to take that risk for Tenchi.

2: When Ayeka tried to take Tenchi out of the coffin Nagi had brought him in, she said that Tenchi and her were always meant to be together. Now, notice the look on his face, the "Give me a break!" look. He seemed more worried about Ryoko than about about a future with Ayeka.

3: In Time and Space Episodes 1 and 3, Ryoko showed Tenchi she loved him. She proposed that he marry her on two occasions (as the Demon of Rashomin and as Mihoshi's widow neighbor)

4: At the end of the Time and Space adventure, Ryoko angrily refused to abandon her world. She left, saddened by Tenchi's want to leave. When she made up her mind to leave and let her perfect world die, Tenchi apologized to her, for what he had said and for making her sad.

5: Also, in that 3rd episode of Time and Space, Ryoko said that one day, she would take Tenchi on a real journey with her. Tenchi did agree to it, and he had that sort of far off/dreamy look in his eyes as he looked at her.

6: At the very end of the 3rd Time and Space adventure, Tenchi and Ryoko share a moment with each other.

7: As in the OVA, Ryoko has an episode mostly featuring her. While Mihoshi was in this one, her participation only made it better. It seemed to cement the bond between them (Ryoko and Tenchi) while a fast powered suit of armor chased them.

8: In every instance when Ryoko was gone, Tenchi seemed a bit melancholic. If that isn't evidence, then what is?

9: Ryoko took Tenchi through the defenses of Jurai, despite her injuries to save Ayeka, because Tenchi wanted to save her. Ryoko even said she could steal him away from what was happening and fulfill her desires, but she didn't because she didn't want to hurt him emotionally.

10: At the end of Tenchi Universe, Tenchi seemed to ultimately pick Ryoko over Ayeka. By leaving Jurai, he was in a way, leaving Ayeka.

11: At the end of Tenchi Universe, he went by the dwellings or areas where each of the girls stayed during their time on earth. In true form, he saved the best for last, namely, seeing the cat as Ryo-ohki. In seeing that, that is a representation of Ryoko.

12:Tenchi sounded saddest when he said that Ryoko was missing and presumed dead after the whole fiasco died down.

13: Tenchi was most excited when he heard Ryoko's voice at the end of Universe #26. He was even more happy when it turned out that she wasn't dead, but very much alive, and there with him.

14. When Ryoko came to him at the end of Universe #26, Tenchi seemed really happy about that and didn't force her away like he normally does. He seemed happier at that moment than in all the time of the series.

15: In the episode where Yagami was hijacked, Ayeka and Sasami were forgotten. Not until long after Yagami was secured were they remembered. Apparently, their safety doesn't register as high on Tenchi's priorities. (Not to bash Sasami, but that is how it fits into the fact. Believe me, I think Sasami is great (she's fourth on my list).

16: Tenchi smiled as he caught Ryoko in the last episode of Universe.

17: Throughout "No need for a Conclusion", Tenchi kept looking at the sky, as if he is hoping for Ryo-ohki to fall to earth once more.

18: When Tenchi and Ryoko are embracing in "No need for a Conclusion", one can tell he is in love with Ryoko, just by the way he is looking at her.

19: At the very end of the last episode of Tenchi Universe, Ryoko and Tenchi walk into the cherry blossom forest holding hands. Romantic, isn't it?

20: Throughout "No need for a conclusion", as Tenchi looks off into the sky (see Universe reason 17), Ryoko's theme is playing softly. It only stops when he stops by Kiyone and Mihoshi's apartment, and when he passes by Washu's closet. However, at the end (when the Goddess has come back), it plays "Dimension of Love". Note that Ryoko's theme (the Lonely Moon) and "Dimension of Love" are both thought of as "Ryoko" songs (Lonely Moon, obviously...that's why it's called Ryoko's theme)

21: When Ryoko brings Tenchi to the Jurian palace (No need for Ryoko), he stops and looks at Ryoko. He doesn't stop until she tells him to get going, as he doesn't have much time. Never did Tenchi hesitate in the OVA when Ryoko was in danger.

22: When Ryoko and Tenchi are gangsters, Tenchi looks at Ryoko with dreamy eyes when they drive across the desert.

23: In Time and Space Adventures Part 1, Tenchi tells Ryoko to be careful. Not because she is in serious danger, but the potential for either Ryoko or Ayeka to be hurt is there.

24: When Tenchi was ordered to kill the Demon of Rashomin (Ryoko), he didn't. He talked with her, and sat on the roof of her dwelling with her, despite his orders.

25: When Ryoko and Tenchi are heading back to the real world at the conclusion of Time and Space Adventures, they hold hands.

26: When Tenchi first sees Ryoko, she’s passed out on the ground from drinking too much and wrecking her ship and he rushes over to help her, and seems really glad she’s alright.

27: Nagi kidnapped Tenchi because she knew how much Tenchi means to Ryoko.

28: At the end of No Need for Discussion, Ryoko blows Tenchi a kiss when they’re up on the roof.

29: When she is waiting for Ryoko to arrive, Nagi makes a crack about Tenchi being “Ryoko’s man” in a rather degratory tone, as if she couldn’t believe that a tough woman like Ryoko would have a seemingly weak man like Tenchi. However, when she says this, Tenchi just remains silent and doesn’t object to it, like you think he would if he wasn’t or was trying to get out of his bondage.

30: Ryoko was the first girl to sneak in and manipulate the dimensional tuner to her whims, soon followed by the other girls. In the ensuing and overloading rush to try and make the perfect world, Ryoko is chanting that she is making a world just for Tenchi and herself.

31: Ryoko and Tenchi get drunk together with Noboyuki and Katsuhito in Time and Space Adventures II.

32: On a couple of occasions during her assault on Jurai, Ryoko’s wound starts to get to her and Tenchi shows concern for her safety. However, she tells him not to worry about her and to remember what they’re doing here in the first place.

33: In the preview for “No Need for Ryoko” in the previous episode, Kiyone says “It’s unquestionably true love.”. Then, when Tenchi says the title of the episode, he sounds very somber.

34: When Ryoko whispered how brave Tenchi was for challenging her, Tenchi blushed. To my knowledge, he hasn’t blushed under similar praise from Ayeka.

35: In Kiyone’s TaSA world, Ryoko and Tenchi hang out together pretty much the whole time, as a boyfriend and girlfriend might. Of course, Ayeka still keeps trying to get Tenchi, but that is a given constant in any setting…

36: Right in front of Mihoshi and Ayeka, in the middle of Mihoshi’s fantasy world, Ryoko cuddles with Tenchi and says that they should run off to Atami to get married.

37: Ryoko has a really good time in her little fantasy world (well, who wouldn’t, in their own fantasy?), and one thing I notice is that even though Tenchi was originally kidnapped, he seems to be going along with Ryoko’s life of crime. Now, if he really wasn’t interested in her, why would he continue to help her, hmmmm?

38: When Tenchi is getting ready to assault the Royal palace and save Ayeka, Ryoko stops him in the ship’s hallway and tries to get him to come away from all of the conflict with her on a journey, just the two of them, like a honeymoon in space. Tenchi doesn’t refuse this at all, and instead says that he’d like to, but he can’t let his grandfather down or forsake Ayeka.

39: When Tenchi arrived back on earth with his dad and grandfather, he sounded sad, because the girls were all gone and the ‘carvinal was over.’

40: When Ryoko drops Tenchi, Azaka and Kamidake off at the Jurai Palace, Tenchi turns and says that he owes her one. Then he simply stands there and stares fondly at her instead of immediately turning and rushing to save Ayeka. Ryoko tells him to get going, and as he leaves, he gives her one sad backwards glance. Apparently, he seems more concerned about Ryoko’s injury than Ayeka’s safety…

41: When Ryoko says that she’s Tenchi’s sweetheart in TaSA II, Tenchi doesn’t object to it at all. Ayeka does, of course, and a fight breaks out between the girls involving hitting each other over the head with a pan.

42: Ryoko is the first person to ask Washu if she can use the dimensional tuner. Ayeka only seemed to realize the possibility of creating a world for the sake of getting or pleasing Tenchi after Ryoko implied it in her asking, and seemed to only be asking Washu to try and steal Ryoko’s idea and use it before her.

43: When she defeats Nagi, the defeated bounty hunter tells her to kill her. However, Ken-ohki (and in concert, Ryo-ohki), plead for her not to be killed, and Ryoko lets her go. Nagi says that she’ll regret this act, but Ryoko tells her that she’s never regretted anything that she’s done. What makes this a point is because prior to meeting Tenchi, Ryoko most likely would have killed Nagi without a second thought, and because of her time with him, she is a lot more lenient.

44: When Tenchi is looking at all the things and places that remind him of the girls on his way home and at home after school in episode 26, he seems to be very sad at the loss, but he never once behaves like he regrets his decision to come back. Never once does he look up at the sky or at the Tenchi-ken with any sort of longing, as if to say that his leaving Jurai was final and the decision not to be changed.

45: When Tenchi is walking home in the last episode, he hears a meow and turns to see what appears to be Ryo-ohki sitting on a rock, much to his surprise. However, it turns out to have been an illusion, either by his mind or maybe by Ryoko, and he sighs, looking longingly up into the sky.

46: When Ryoko falls into Tenchi’s arms to hug him, he hugs her back with seemingly equal force.

47: As Tenchi is walking home from school, he keeps thinking about Ryoko, her voice playing over and over in his mind, especially in the cherry blossom forest. In his mind, he hears her saying "Tenchi...we are having fun, aren't we? Everyday here is like a dream! I wish it could be like this forever. Tenchi." My guess is that he would have liked it to stay that way forever as well.

48: Tenchi decides to go back home to earth instead of staying on Jurai to become a person of power, or possibly Ayeka’s husband. He tells her that he is like Yosho, and wants a more grounded life. Ayeka is upset by this, not only because he refused her point blank, but also because he seemed to harbor no regrets about his decision (who does that remind you of? ), only saying that he was sorry.

49: At the end of “No Need for Ryoko”, she is flying away in Ryo-ohki, saddened by the fact that she may never see Tenchi again. She tells Ryo-ohki that she is lonely, but thinks that she sounds silly saying that. Apparently, she felt that she has lost Tenchi, to either Ayeka or possibly to death from Kagato. Because of this, she releases the pressure from her wound in what looks to be suicide, symbolically saying that she cannot live without him.

50: At the beginning of the first episode, Tenchi is looking up into the sky, as if awaiting Ryo-ohki’s return. Moments later, we hear Ryoko’s voice, and then the story of Tenchi Universe begins.

51: In Mihoshi’s fantasy world, she is married to Tenchi and have Sasami for a daughter, with Ayeka being the batty sister-in-law who makes things tough on everyone. Ryoko is the widow who lives next door, and despite all the things and trappings of their fantasy lives, she continues to go after Tenchi.

52: In another rare moment of crying, Ryoko holds tightly onto Tenchi and begs him not to go attack Jurai, telling him that she can’t bear the thought of losing him. Tenchi is very tender in his reaction to this, and hugs her close as she weeps.

53: As they prepare for their assault on Jurai, the gang is met up by Nagi, who oddly enough offers to help them. However, when they learn that the only reason she is aiding them is so that no one else kills Ryoko, Tenchi seems rather upset.

54: Despite her injuries, Ryoko lived up to her word that she would do anything for Tenchi, and takes him to Jurai to save Ayeka. Had their roles been reversed, I am very sure that Ayeka would not have willingly aided in the rescue of Ryoko. Remember how she behaved in OVA 5?

55: At the very end of the series, when Tenchi and Ryoko are walking through the cherry blossom forest, they are holding hands, and it also looks like they have their arms around each other’s waist.

56: When Tenchi and Ryoko look into each others eyes as they embrace in the last episode, you can tell that there is definitely something there. Another thing, this being minor speculation, is that there is a small gap between when they are embracing and when they are walking back. This was the block of the episode that showed the other girls coming back, and given how much time it took, it makes you wonder what Tenchi and Ryoko were doing… ^_-

57: When we see Tenchi going back to school, he does a very good job of hiding his melancholy about the girls being gone. However, when he is alone, he doesn’t really smile, has his head bowed down, and frequently looks at the sky, as if he is hoping to see Ryo-ohki descending once again. Plus, in the background through much of this episode, they are playing Ryoko’s theme music, although at a slower speed than usual.

58: As he is walking home, he hears Ryoko call his name and looks up to see what looks to be a fully covered Ryoko smiling at him further up the path. However, as he approaches it, seeming to have a look of shocked hope on his face, she vanishes. Thinking it was another illusion, Tenchi just stands there, looking to see if she’ll come back and maybe prove to him that he isn’t hallucinating. When she doesn’t reappear, he continues walking, but then she is suddenly on a rock in front of him, real, alive and well.

58: In the episode where Nagi capture's Tenchi, when Tenchi was bound up, Nagi made the comment, "This, is Ryoko's man?". Not only did Tenchi not deny this, but he is acting tough in the way you see people in movies do when they're sticking up for something, so Tenchi is sticking up not just for himself, but for Ryoko as well. If he did not care for Ryoko in some way, he would have immeadiately denied it to save himself from involvement. Instead it's that strong silent reaction that seems to say, "Yeah I know Ryoko, and I'm not ashamed of it."

Reasons/hints from Shin Tenchi Muyo:

1: Tenchi takes the girls to his home, and helps the others get better. The other girls get well quickly, however Ryoko lays unconscious for days in a glass casket. Tenchi and Aeka develop a crush on each other, however Tenchi still remains concerned for Ryoko.

2: If you look at the pictures of Tenchi sitting near Ryoko's glass casket, it looks like an image of a husband sitting near the hospital bed of his dying wife or even worse, her casket, mourning her tragic and unexpected death.

3: At first it seems like Tenchi's not having a good time with Ryoko, because she gets angry at a lot of things like her low karaoke score. Poor Tenchi had to carry Ryoko out of the building. It wasn't until later that night when Tenchi really began to show that he was having a good time on their date. Tenchi and Ryoko are standing on the bridge and he notices the pink lipstick that Ryoko's wearing. Then, he really thinks she's pretty.

4: When the girls spot the monsters attacking Yosho and Tenchi, Ryoko says something like, "No one hurts Tenchi!" and starts to attack them.

5: Ryoko is the first and ONLY girl out of the six that Tenchi has dated.

6: When Tenchi goes to battle Yugi, Ryoko is the first girl to join him in battle.

7: When Tenchi is out with Sakuya, they are lost in a crowd while looking down at the city of Tokyo in a huge building. In the crowd, Tenchi sees a figure walking around with Ryoko's hairstyle. He hopes it's Ryoko, but it's not. Instead, it was a guy with a similar hair style as Ryoko's. Tenchi gets sad when he realizes it isn't her. Where is Ryoko? With Hotsuma.

8: Tenchi returns home for a while, and the girls throw him a big surprise party to celebrate their one year anniversary together. Sakuya comes along to surprise Tenchi. During the party, some demon monkey that was sent by Yugi steals the crystal bracelets Tenchi gave the girls when they arrived in Japan. Ryoko automatically blames Sakuya, and totally harasses her. When Ryoko is about to strike Sakuya, Tenchi blocks her and tells Ryoko to stop picking on her. Ryoko gets upset and leaves the house in tears. Soon Tenchi and the girls spot the demon monkey. Tenchi feels bad about hurting Ryoko and feels that he was too harsh on her, and goes looking for her. He finds her near the lake where they first bonded after Ryoko woke up from her unconsciousness. During this time, his mind flashes back to when they were at the lake for the first time.

9: Ryoko is still saving Tenchi from strange little monsters (I.e. The Love-knot Goddess and Hotsuma), and once again, Aeka is only her helper.

10: One morning in his apartment in Tokyo, Tenchi wakes up and finds Ryoko lying next to him. Ryoko runs her fingers through his hair and says softly, "Hey, lover!"

11: When Ryoko, Washu, Aeka, Sasami, Mihoshi, and Kiyone come to Tenchi in his first day in Tokyo, Ryoko comes through the portal and gives Tenchi a big hug.

12: When Ryoko was at her hideout with Hotsuma in space, Kiyone and Mihoshi came to arrest them, but they didn't. The hideout believe it or not looked like the living room at Tenchi's home. Whenever Kiyone mentioned Tenchi, Ryoko would get all sentimental despite the fact that she was angry at him for catching him kissing Sakuya.

13: After the battle, Tenchi and Ryoko have a moment together. They come close to kissing each other until Washu shows up. Needless to say, Ryoko was obviously not happy about that at all.

14: Even though Ryoko ran off with Hotsuma and she was now his girlfriend, she still had a soft spot for Tenchi, and loved him.

Reasons/hints from the Movies:

1: When Tenchi's beginning to disappear in the gym storage room at the school, Ryoko kneels down next to his side. Aeka stands behind Ryoko and leans over. However in the second shot, Aeka is kneeling down, but Ryoko knelt down first.

2: During the strategy meeting in the hotel room, Tenchi tells the girls that he's going to Tokyo Tower to keep an eye on his mom while the girls go to set up the Main Booster, Ryoko stands up next to Tenchi, and winks at him, then says "You go ahead. We'll take care of the rest." Tenchi smiles and thanks Ryoko.

3: When Ryoko and Aeka get into a fight on the train during the school trip, Tenchi pushes Aeka away from Ryoko when she grabs her. He holds Aeka back and tells her to calm down. Usually he does this to Ryoko, and not Aeka.

4: Ryoko was the first girl to be suspicious of Mayuka. Aeka was at first, but she eventually made friends with her like the other girls did.

5: When Tenchi slaps Ryoko across the face, he feels terrible about it. You can tell when he looks at his hand like he had just committed the most terrible of all acts (which in essence, he did…) Mayuka does as well.

6: When Tenchi puts his arm over Ryoko's shoulders, he brings her closer to him, and let's her lean on his shoulder. He even lets Ryoko rub her cheek against him.

7: Ryoko and Tenchi look at Aeka as if she'd gone insane when she says, "To save your mother, I would walk through fire! I'd swim the deepest ocean!" before they go into sub-space to save Tenchi’s parents.

8: Ryoko and Tenchi go alone together to Yuzuha's world together to save Sasami and Mayuka.

9: When Tenchi is floating in a hallow world of floating camellia petals, he calls out for Ryoko first.

10: Tenchi draws a portrait of Ryoko during his time spending with Haruna. She destroys the sketch of Ryoko, because she's jealous of Tenchi's past with her.

12: Yuzuha threatens to melt Tenchi and Ryoko together. She says Ryoko would like that since she's in love with Tenchi. Ryoko doesn't object to it, saying that she would love to join Tenchi if he were to die.

13: When Tenchi is at home, painting Haruna's picture, he swirls cyan colored paint on his canvas and shapes it like Ryoko's hair. Then, he begins another painting of Ryoko since Haruna destroyed the sketch.

14: The second time Tenchi is disappearing in the hotel room during the school trip, Ryoko kneels down next to Tenchi and gently puts her hands on the back of his shoulders throughout the entire time. The other girls are standing away from where Tenchi is disappearing, and Sasami's about to open the shield.

15: When Tenchi is knocked out cold by KAIN's power, Ryoko carries him. She also carries him back when they leave sub-space, and when they go back home.

16: When Tenchi runs after Mayuka who is upset for the confusion Yuzuha is putting her through, Ryoko runs after Tenchi and stops him. She collapses down onto the floor and cries, and instead of running after Mayuka, Tenchi sits next to Ryoko to console her.

17: When Mayuka is on the verge of dying, she apologizes to Tenchi for the harm she has caused, and tells him that she loves Ryoko, and she hopes she will forgive her. Before her last breath, Ryoko says she forgives her. When Mayuka dies, Ryoko is sad, and Sasami is greatly upset. This is interesting because he said that while Mayuka was part of Yuzuha, he also says that she is part of him as well.

18: Tenchi has flashbacks of Ryoko where he last saw her. Tenchi even seems a bit sad when he thinks about her. He misses her greatly…

19: When Haruna spellbinds Tenchi by seducing him, she tells him to promise her that he'll keep his eyes only on her and never leave his side. Note that Tenchi doesn't say anything after she asks for his promise.

20: Before Haruna lets Aeka and Ryoko go, she tells them whoever wants Tenchi the most will have him! When watching this movie, take good notice of Ryoko and Aeka, and their ambition. Take great notice of who's more ambitious, and whose on the verge of calling it quits.

21: When Tenchi sees Ryoko come back for him, he greets her with a wide grin, and says he's sorry for making her worry. Tenchi also tells Ryoko that he can always count on her, because she understands him.

22: During the credits, they show clips from Tenchi Universe. In the clips they show:

Ryoko and Tenchi meeting for the first time.

Yosho meeting his wife, Itsuki.

Tenchi realizing the true meaning of his name when he is fighting against Kagato.

Tenchi saying good-bye to Aeka on Jurai.

Ryoko returning to Tenchi when he back home on Earth, and when the couple walk together in the forest holding hands.

23: When Aeka and Ryoko enter Haruna's world for the first time, Tenchi remembers Ryoko, but asks her this in a disbelieving voice: "Ryoko? Did you come out of my drawing?!". When Tenchi sees Aeka, he doesn't know who she is.

24: Ryoko is the narrator to the film like Tenchi was to the first Tenchi movie.

25: Tenchi begs Yuzuha to bring Sasami and Ryoko back to the real world, but Ryoko tells Tenchi she will not leave his side.

26: When Tenchi is upset about his mom and dad being pulled into the sub-space dimension with KAIN, Ryoko stands close by his side. As for the other girls: Mihoshi and Sasami went back to their normal time, and Kiyone's somewhere next to the tower. As for Aeka, that is unknown…

27: Ryoko tries to reach out to Tenchi with her feelings to make him snap of out his memory of Haruna. In a way she succeeds, yet before Aeka and Ryoko could deal with Haruna, he tells them to leave her alone, and sends them back to the real world. Ryoko cries when Tenchi sends them back, feeling like she lost him forever, saying that she “..couldn't reach him with my heart."

28: When Haruna and Tenchi go eat at the diner where Ryoko and Aeka work at, Haruna can see them, but Tenchi can't. When Haruna goes over to Tenchi to hold him when he has a splitting headache, Ryoko tries to attack Haruna. However, her attempt to beat Haruna up didn't work, because Haruna and Tenchi were only an illusion.

29: In the movie Tenchi Forever, he says that when he draws things, they come from his heart. When he was in Haruna’s world, she had to beg him to draw her, whereas he kept drawing or painting Ryoko over and over, even though the memories of her had been suppressed.

30: Haruna does not tear up Tenchi's drawings of Ryoko just because she's jealous, but because Ryoko is the only real threat to her plans for Tenchi. When Tenchi's thoughts drifted to the real world, his energy (which Washu said kept her world alive) was diverted, causing her world to grow weak and unstable. Ryoko is the only thing Tenchi remembers of his old life, so you could more accurately say, when ever his thoughts drift to Ryoko, Haruna's world grows weak and unstable. This can be seen when, Tenchi has painted Haruna's picture, and he makes Ryoko's hair with the paint, Haruna sees her world collapsing in the distance. It is Ryoko and only Ryoko who hinders the stability of her world, not Ayeka, who doesn't seem familiar at all, so if it weren't for Ryoko, there'd have been nothing from his past dragging him back.

31: At the the end of Tenchi Forever, Tenchi says, "When I draw, I feel things I've lost touch with but are still there inside my heart." Tenchi had lost touch with Ryoko in Haruna's word, but drew her, because it was she who was inside his heart. My guess is that Ryoko figured this out as well, because of her reaction, and because she had to know he had drawn her because of the time he had asked her if she'd come out of his drawing the first time she came to Haruna's world.

Reasons/hints from the Mangas:

1: Tenchi has had serious, meaningful talks with Tenchi. They have talked about events or treasured memories and both seemed to like the company of the other.

2: In Manga #9, a outcast space tree that could foresee the future told Ryoko that she would love Tenchi. She didn't fully understand it (because the vision came when she was still under Kagato's control), until she came back to the tree.

3: Ibara (who looks a bit like Tenchi) rebuked Tenchi for putting Ryoko through such torture when it was obvious she was in love with him, and Tenchi was visibly taken aback.

4:When Ryoko was with Ibara, Tenchi was jealous.

5:Ryoko boosted the power of Tenchi's Light Hawk Wings with her power. It would seem that their chi is on the same level, or they are compatible enough to make such an exchange possible.

6:Ryoko went to save Ayeka from Yakage in Manga #1 so that Tenchi would not be killed.

7: Tenchi and Ryoko got drunk together (manga #8)

8: Yosho used an image of Ryoko as a psychological attack to train Tenchi to fight Yakage and his guardians. In the training, just before the image of the guardian hit Tenchi, it turned into a naked Ryoko with arms flung wide to hug him. The image was enough to throw Tenchi's concentration off on many levels.

9: The whole Manga #9 (The Quest for more money) focused primarily on Ryoko and Tenchi.

10: When Ryoko and Ayeka escape from Yataka's ship together, Tenchi says Ryoko's name, rather than Ayeka's. And on the next page, he said he was glad Ryoko was ok. Nothing about Ayeka.

11: Tenchi and Ryoko are the only ones who can communicate with the nameless tree (besides Ibara). But it seemed to favor Ryoko.

12: The nameless tree told Ryoko to boost the power of Tenchi's Light Hawk Wings. Ayeka tried to go, but the nameless tree told Ibara to hold her back, for the tree only wanted Ryoko to help Tenchi.

13: On pages 146& 147 (for those who have the manga, look at this), Tenchi and Ryoko give each other a happy, loving look, as they seem to be glad to be near each other again. (Note: Throughout the whole planetside stay, Ryoko says hardly a thing to Tenchi. Apparently, she is a bit angry with him for his holding out for so long.)

14: In the fight between Tenchi and Ibara, when Ibara was chewing Tenchi out for not being fully devoted to the woman who loved him (see Manga point 3), Ryoko looked like she felt bad about Ibara fighting Tenchi and chewing him out. But she didn't break it up. Most likely, she wanted Tenchi to be confronted for what he was doing to her. That would also explain why she acts the way she does towards him through the manga.

15: Ibara is apparently trying to impress Ryoko with his fighting style (which, as Washu points out, is very similar to Ryoko's). This seems to make Tenchi more somber.

16: When Ryoko and Ibara walk away, Ryoko doesn't look back. Tenchi seems to be upset about that. Everyone (well, except for Mihoshi, who doesn't seem to grasp the full implications of what is happening) notices that Tenchi isn't in the best of spirits.

17: When Ryoko and Ibara are having their private conversation, Tenchi overhears Ibara asking Ryoko to remain with him, which cam also be taken as a marriage proposal. After all, when he seems to be the only one around on the planet, what else could he mean?

18: Twice in Manga #9, Tenchi says something that upsets Ryoko. The first thing he said was to the extent that the other guy must look like him. Ryoko said that wasn't it, and she loved him the most, but she couldn't get the other guy out of her head. The other thing was that he didn't care whether she thought about someone else. This made her mad, because she took this as him not caring about what she thinks. Tenchi apparently has a hard time accepting that Ryoko is thinking about some other guy besides him, and doesn't know how to act, out of jealousy, it would seem.

19: When Minagi is beating up Tenchi, Ryoko immediate charges over to join the fight.

20: Ryoko's own attempt to save Aeka was unsuccessful and she got badly injured. Washu saved her and took her back home to Earth. When Washu arrived, she handed her to Tenchi and he carried Ryoko up to his bedroom.

21: Tenchi and Ryoko team up together when they arrive on Hinase. Again, this is nothing really new or amazing, but it happens quite often…

22: After the fight is over and Yakage is defeated, everyone is relieved. One thing though: Aeka's still trapped in her shrinking bubble, and NO ONE, not even Tenchi, takes notice of her until she starts whining. It really makes you wonder about her importance in the big scheme of things… Plus, when they do notice her, no one seems at all worried.

23: When Minagi's Hinase and Asahi's Mimasaka crash down to Earth on the back deck of the house, almost crushing Tenchi to death, here comes Ryoko and Sasami rushing over to him.

24: When Ryoko and Goghei were throwing large rocks in their air and destroying them with their bare fists, Tenchi became a little worried that Ryoko would hurt her hand like Goghei had.

25: When Yakage comes close to killing Tenchi, a very upset Ryoko uses all of her available power to break out of her bubble and then rushes to save him.

26: When Tenchi and Sasami are in danger of being attacked by the shou'ou (a creature Washu was studying), Ryoko goes to prevent it from coming near them despite the fact that she doesn't have her powers.

27: When Tenchi was playing the sales person on the phone when he was testing Ryoko, he was fliriting with her a little bit. He was telling her that she has such a pretty voice and asked her if she was a pop star or an actress. Not once has he ever said something like that to Ayeka…

28: During Ryoko's test, Tenchi was standing behind Ryoko, all dressed up like a sales person. When she wasn't looking, he was peeking at her.

29: When Ryoko comforts her injured love, she tries her best to encourage him. Then, when Yakage’s attack comes close to killing the both of them, Tenchi summons the Light Hawk Wings. We see Tenchi, all clear from his wounds, Light Hawk Sword in one hand, and Ryoko in his arms.

30: Tenchi doesn't wind up going after Yakage, despite the fact that Ryo-Ohki agreed to take him when he bribed her with a HUGE basket of carrots. Ryoko stopped him when she punched him hard in the stomache, which dropped him like a stone. In his place, Ryoko went after Yakage to keep Tenchi safe.

31: When Ibara asks Ryoko to stay with him on the planet, she doesn't immediately answer him. Even though she seems to still be mad at him, she is definitelty in love with Tenchi.

32: When Ryoko tells Yosho that they are ready for the "Maple Viewing Party", Yosho notices the change in Ryoko's attitude when she came to love Tenchi, and seems to make a sort of foreshadowing remark about it.

33: After Ryoko loses her powers, she watches Tenchi practice with Yosho, something which she has never done before.

34: Tenchi shows appreciation for Ryoko's effort in her chores, kind of like in OVA 11 when he shows his appreciation to Zero. As you can see, Ryoko will do anything for Tenchi to get his praise…

35: After a particularly vicious fight between Ryoko and Ayeka, Tenchi is exceptionally mad. As a result of this, Washu comes up with a plan that replaces Tenchi with a robot that looks like Tenchi and has a copy of his feeling (plus a little program to ‘help’ Tenchi act more ‘normal’, according to Washu…*sweatdrop*) that will supposedly reveal who he loves. Now, throughout the whole story with the robot, note these things:

- When the robot first comes around, the first person he looks for is Ryoko, who he finds in a tree.

- The robot keeps whispering sweet nothings into Ryoko’s ear, especially when Ayeka isn’t looking, like it was a major affair. He did no such thing with Ayeka.

- The robot just holds hands with Ayeka, but can’t seem to keep from going just a little further (in a soft, but kind of kinky) way with Ryoko.

- The robot Tenchi acts in a more romantic manner around Ryoko, and a more silly manner around Ayeka. Apparently, it’s mirroring what kind of actions that each respective girl has shown the real Tenchi.

- We see more of Ryoko in this story (such as the receiving of the letter comic blocks..) than of Ayeka. A lot of Ayeka’s actions are more or less implied in the background, while we see Ryoko’s.

36: When Tenchi and Ryoko are sent to work in the mines, the first thing we see (right before the meeting of Goghei) is Ryoko standing behind Tenchi, hugging him.

37: When everyone was getting sent to various places to work after being captured (aside from Asahi and Minagi), Tenchi was going to get sent to the mines and the girls to become servants. However, after a demonstration of her power, Ryoko gets sent to the mines with Tenchi, and Ayeka gets REALLY jealous of that.

38: Upon arriving on Yakage’s ship, Tenchi sees Ryoko and Ayeka suspended in the force bubbles. Ryoko tells him she doesn’t want to see him hurt anymore and begged him to leave. Not wanting his challenge to heed her, Yakage caused the bubbles to start shrinking, which would have reduced both girls to their base atoms.

39: When Tenchi asked Ryoko if he could borrow Ryo-ohki to save Ayeka, Ryoko asked if he was crazy and said no. Not because she was against saving Ayeka, but because Tenchi had suffered injury and she wanted him to rest up and prepare instead of flying off the handle and into a worse situation. Another sign she’d make a good wife, because she cares about his safety.

40: When we first meet Yakage, we learn that he was a friend of the late Kagato, and during his first attack, he notices Ryoko and Tenchi immediately. Also, when he starts attacking Tenchi to test his power and his sword, Ryoko is right there at his side to help.

41: Tenchi likes the meal that Ayeka supposedly made for him for lunch, although it turns out that Sasami did most of it (the good part) and Ayeka just took the credit (and did the poor quality part). However, when Ryoko started frying the huge fish with her powers, everyone, especially Tenchi was very impressed.

42: When the space pirates Tama and Hokoku arrived on earth, they tried to force Ryoko into helping them by threatening to show Tenchi what she once was. However, when Tenchi saw it, instead of being horrified by it, he only became angry at the space pirates for toying with Ryoko’s feelings like that and killed one of them.

43: In manga 11, when Tenchi rescues Ryoko and Ayeka from the black hole, Ryoko says “We finally got that idiot Ayeka back.” Interestingly enough, Tenchi didn’t show any adverse reaction to that (like sighing or sweatdrops), but only stared at Ryoko with a dreamy expression.

44: When on a picnic, a class of young students runs across the Masaki family, and one of the little kids asks who is Tenchi’s steady girlfriend. Ryoko hugs Tenchi tightly and exclaims over and over that it is her, and Tenchi doesn’t even object to this, even though Ayeka does. Also, a towards the end, the little boy who asked the question develops a crush on Ryoko… Cute, huh?

45: When Tenchi is telling Sasami, who seems to be suspicious about Ryoko being alone with Ibara, not to worry about it, look at his face. Tenchi looks like he’s holding back tears, and his smile is very weak.

46: When she had been absorbed by the shou’ou, Ryoko could see through the creature as it was about to get Tenchi and Sasami. Because she knew it was the only thing that could save them at that moment, she told Washu to restore her powers, even if it meant she would no longer be the mellower, more emotional Ryoko.

47: When Tenchi and his grandfather were testing the conversational capabilities of each of the girls over the phone, both of them agreed that Ayeka sounded, quote, “terrible”. Even though Ryoko cheated and used a special mouthpiece Washu made, she did come out ahead of Ayeka in the tests.

48: In the second manga, Ryoko and Tenchi run into Minagi again, who tells them to go home, and that she’ll save Ayeka for them. When they offer to help, she just attacks them and flies off to do as she said. When the smoke clears, we see that Ryoko and Tenchi are fine, and Tenchi even says that Ryoko “…saved his life.”

49: When the tables of injury vs. ready to go are turned, Tenchi tells Ryoko to stay home and rest while he goes to save Ayeka. Ryoko refuses, and we see an argument like in the first manga, but this time the injured party (Ryoko) gets to come along, thanks to Washu’s interjection. As he accepts this, Tenchi gets a big hug from Ryoko, who says “I love you Tenchi!”

50: Everyone seems really shocked and saddened when it looks like Minagi killed Ryoko. Sasami starts to cry and Tenchi looks really nervous about their prospects. However, when Ryoko suddenly bursts from the lake, wet but fine, he suddenly looks exceptionally happy.

51: Tenchi cheered for Ryoko, Sasami and Mihoshi when they were pulling the false sea god act on the construction workers. Ayeka was against it, but when Tenchi beagn supporting it, she was really crushed.

52: In manga #9, Tenchi went on a walk by himself, and during it, he was wrestling with his thoughts and emotions over Ryoko and the fact that she was with an ex-boyfriend of sorts. Then he thinks about how he’s hurt her feelings and says “I hate myself.”

53: Tenchi and Ryoko spend a lot of time together during the maple viewing party in Manga 8.

54: When the others were getting ready to go fight in manga 6, Ryoko says that she’s ready, but since she had to help Washu heal Minagi by donating half of her blood, she was weakened considerably. Because of this, she can’t go and help, and she’s pretty mad about it, until Tenchi calms her, setting his hand on her shoulder and saying that he doesn’t want anyone else hurt. At this point, Ryoko tries to kiss Tenchi, and until they are interrupted by Ayeka, he seems perfectly fine with it.

55: When Ibara and Ryoko are walking away, Tenchi can’t even bear to look at them, his jealousy seeming to be very overpowering. Also, note that Ryoko doesn’t look back when she walks off with her ex.

56: When the the girls and Tenchi were saying their good byes to Funaho and Misaki, Ryoko and Tenchi look just like a husband and wife saying their farewells. One would also note that they had a similar appearance at the end of the thirteenth OVA episode.

57: When Ryoko says she’ll go save Ayeka in Manga 11, Tenchi tries to dissuade her and say that he should go instead. However, Ryoko wins out and goes over to the other ship to save Ayeka, pulling the promise of a kiss from him upon her success. As she teleports away, Tenchi was still concerned, and said for her to be careful.

58: When Ryoko was going to attack Hokoku after Tenchi’s slaying of Tama, we can see Tenchi behind her, cheering her on.

59: On page 125 of the 9th manga, we see that Ryoko is standing closer to Ibara than to Tenchi, and Tenchi looks like he’s trying to edge closer to rectify that.

60: When Ryoko has her first encounter with the nameless tree after 800 years, she collapses. Tenchi, Sasami and Mihoshi run to her aid, while Ibara and Washu just hang back and discuss the tree.

61: When Ayeka is about to give up the fight in Dream a Little Scheme, Ryoko tries to lift her spirits, and like the little snot she is, Ayeka rips her up for that. However, Tenchi right there says for Ayeka to listen to Ryoko for once, which suprises Ayeka and seems to please Ryoko.

62: When Yataka attacks Ryo-ohki, he taunts Tenchi and Ryoko, asking Ryoko if the weak look human is Ryoko’s “love toy”. Ryoko gets really pissed of at this and has Ryo-ohki blow him away, and when she does this Tenchi smiles and says “There is the violent Ryoko we all know and love.” Hmmm, note that he uses the word ‘love’ here…

Reasons/hints from that Overlap:

1: In the various Tenchi series, Tenchi always meets Ryoko before any of the other girls. Unfortunately, she usually ends up making a bad impression on him due to her behavior.

2: Tenchi has held Ryoko’s hand (twice in Universe, once in Tokyo), and to my knowledge, he has never held Ayeka’s hand. At least not in the loving manner he holds Ryoko’s….

3: Whenever Ryoko makes allusions to the effect that Tenchi belongs to her (“…tell you something, my Tenchi” or “You better not lay a finger on my Tenchi”), he never objects to this.

4: Tenchi blushes a lot more around Ryoko than Ayeka, but he also seems to stare at her more as well. Plus, in many of the instances, he has a sort of dreamy look in his eyes.

5: In all of the Tenchi movies, Ryoko plays a major role, and this is especially noticeable in the second movie, Daughter of Darkness.

6: Whenever Tenchi does something to hurt Ryoko, he always feels bad, and whenever he apologizes, she forgives him.

7: Ayeka and Tenchi are relatives, and should they ever be married, that would be incest. Not only is that wrong on many moral and physical levels, but it would seem that our good man Tenchi is repulsed a bit by it…

8: When Tenchi starts being kinder to Ryoko, she slowly goes from being a a violent person to a more mellow, laid back kind, though she still has her wit and temper.

9: Ryoko has numerous love songs addressed to Tenchi, although only a couple of them (The Lonely Moon, Dimension of Love and Forevermore) are actually played in the show, mainly because they are all dubbed in English. The other songs, all done by Ai Orikasa, may or may not be translated into English. I’m not sure…

10: Whenever Ryoko is hanging on Tenchi, notice that he never really complains or pushes her away, although given her enthusiasm in the action, you think he would.

11: There are a lot more images of Ryoko and Tenchi than there are of Tenchi and Ayeka. Most of the ones in which the two of them are together are screenshots, while the ones of Ryoko and Tenchi are screenshots as well as a lot of artbook work. Another thing on this point is that when there are group shots, Tenchi and Ryoko are standing closer to each other than the others.

12: Both Tenchi and Ryoko have been parents. Ryoko has Minagi, from the manga, whereas Tenchi has Mayuka from the second movie. However, the other individuals who had a hand in the creation of these children, namely Yakage (Manga) and Yuhuza (DoD), where not former love interests of either Ryoko or Tenchi, and the children where created through DNA replication.

13: Ryoko seems to notice danger to Tenchi’s person a lot faster than the other girls do, which is especially noticeable in the second Tenchi movie.

14: If Tenchi is ever in danger, Ryoko is always the first one to throw herself into harms way to try and protect him. In this manner, Ryoko has put herself in danger than any of the other girls, all in the name of love.

15: There is an official picture of Tenchi and Ryoko getting married, though such a scene never has appeared in the series. In addition to this, there is a full image that has Ryoko and Tenchi as bride and groom with Nagi and Sasami as bridesmaids, and even a picture of Ryoko decked out in a wedding kimono. Now then, if you didn’t think Tenchi was getting married to Ryoko at some point in the future, ask yourself why there are only images of Ryoko like this and none of Ayeka…

16: Whenever Ryoko saw Tenchi talking to another girl, she got jealous. When Tenchi saw Ryoko talking with Ibara, he was also jealous, which shows he does get concerned when he sees her talking with other guys. Yet despite these feelings, they never interrupt each other when they are engaged in such conversations. However, whenever Ryoko and Tenchi are talking with each other, Ayeka is always butting in and ruining a developing moment between the two of them, which always makes Ryoko angry. Yet whenever Ayeka and Tenchi are talking, Ryoko doesn’t interrupt, despite the fact it makes her clearly uneasy.

17: throughout the series, Tenchi has always seemed to have more meaningful moments with Ryoko than with the other girls, like the talk about his mother in the eighth manga or the scene at the end of Tenchi forever. Because she seems to know him better than the other girls, he seems more comfortable with letting her in on more personal issues in his life, which was a fairly tough one, if you consider all that happened to him prior to his meeting her. Not as tough as how she had it, but in a way, they are almost kindred spirits.

18: Whenever Ryoko and Tenchi have an argument or disagreement, they always make up for the pain that they caused the other in some manner, like when Ryoko tore the purple kimono in the OVA or when Tenchi was being ‘careless’ in the 9th manga.

19: At the beginning of each series, when Tenchi is getting to know the girls who have so suddenly appeared in his life, he always shows a more initial fondness towards Ayeka, but that always seems to fade away after he gets to know Ryoko better (Universe) or when he shows great worry or concern for her (OVA and Shin). To put this another way, Tenchi’s overt feelings for Ayeka seem more of a temporary crush, whereas what he feels for Ryoko is deeper and much longer lasting.

20: In every instance that someone has mentioned Ryoko’s interest for him to his face, Tenchi has never balked, denied or complained about it. Examples of this can be found in DoD (“Ryoko would like that since she's in love with you...”) or in the manga (“I've got it! She lovesick! She's been thinking of Tenchi so much, she lost her appetite...”).

21: You can kind of tell that the writers of the show have been leaning towards Ryoko, mainly due to the amount of Tenchi and Ryoko’s near kisses, as well as the fact that she was the first girl to return at the end of Tenchi Universe. In fact, the more you look, there are a lot more major issues (many of them outlined in this very document) than just that which point to their favoritism of the couple, but what really stands out is the official statement by the show’s creator that in the beginning, they had originally planned for it to focus on just Tenchi and Ryoko, with no other girls interfering.

22: Ryoko treats Tenchi more like a boyfriend than Ayeka does. A good example of this would be when the two of them were going to Tokyo in Shin Tenchi Muyo to check up on him. Ayeka seems more eager to get there to ensure that he isn’t seeing another girl, whereas Ryoko seems more laid back and willing to trust that he is staying faithful to her/them. Ryoko isn’t as possessive as Ayeka seems to be, as she treats Tenchi more as an equal, while Ayeka treats him more like a child who should heed her every word.

23: Ryoko has a couple more pet names for Tenchi than simply “my Tenchi”. In both the OVA and in DoD, she has called him things like “darling”, or “sweety-pie”, something which Ayeka has yet to do. In fact, aside from ‘Lord Tenchi’ (which is more of a respect term than anything…), Ayeka has almost no pet names for the quarter-Juraian boy.

24: Tenchi treats Ryoko more like a girlfriend than he treats Ayeka. He may not always act in a kind, affectionate manner towards her, as couples do not act like that constantly around each other, but you can see that something is still there. They can and have gotten annoyed with each other, and he has even pointed out her faults whenever he feels that she is doing something wrong. However, whenever she finds him with another girl, he is always quick to protest and say that “It’s not what you think!”. The one time he was not like this (in Ayeka’s world in TaSA) doesn’t count, because this was a fictitious creation of Ayeka’s.

25: Whenever Tenchi puts himself in danger, Ryoko always cries over him or gets extremely upset. Ayeka cried for him once, when she saw him with Haruna in Tenchi Forever. In that same movie, Ryoko didn’t cry until she was sure he was out of their grasp. So we see that Ayeka weeps more out of jealousy, whereas Ryoko cries when his life and well-being are in peril.

26: Ryoko and Tenchi have come close to kissing on several occasions, even in the Pretty Sammy OVA. In the one case that Ayeka and Tenchi came close to kissing each other (at the end of Tenchi Universe, when Tenchi was leaving Jurai), it wasn’t anywhere as close as when he was with Ryoko, and it looked more like it would turn into a hug.

27: There is an official picture of Tenchi and Ryoko kissing, even though in the image it seems that the kiss comes as a big surprise to Tenchi. Sadly, this is not a screenshot, but it IS official…

28: Tenchi has been through more ups and downs with Ryoko than he has with Ayeka or with any of the other girls, for that matter. On top of that, the two of them have many more personal moments (alone) with each other than with anyone else. When they are not together, Ryoko is often fighting with Ayeka, in the baths or just generally lounging around, while Tenchi is either practicing his fighting skills, doing chores or talking with one of the other girls. Yet you notice that whenever the other girls are involved, they always manage to stay closer to each other.

29: Tenchi has said that he does not want to be Ayeka’s groom in the song “Call Me Princess”, and that is Ayeka’s idol song…

30: Whenever the group gets split up for some reason, the breakdown between who gets paired with who runs like this 95% of the time: Ryoko with Tenchi, Ayeka with Sasami, Kiyone with Mihoshi and Washu by herself. Sometimes (like in “No Need for Ghosts”) this mold is broken, but only very rarely.

31: Have you noticed that of all the girls fighting for Tenchi, only Ryoko’s power seems to be on the same level and style as his? Both Tenchi and Ryoko fight with swords, and the Light Hawk sword as well as Ryoko’s blade are made of almost the exact same energies. So not only are they close in a more emotional sense, but in a combative sense, their capabilities compliment each other very well.

32: I've noticed that Ryoko will actully beg for Tenchi's life, while I don't remember Ayeka doing so. Oh sure, Ayeka says "I won't allow you to harm Lord Tenchi", but Ryoko is the one who will beg when all hope seems lost. Examples are to Kagato in the OAV and to Yakage in the manga. Isn't it something for a woman like Ryoko to put aside all her pride and stoop down to her enemeis for the man she loves?

That is all the data available for now on this subject. I will not accept baseless accusations of false information. To my knowledge (and opinion, as some of the entries go), all the facts and evidence provided is there and supporting me. Unless the one trying to say a point is wrong has good evidence to disprove it, it will not be changed.

On that same note, if anyone can contribute to this document, it would be appreciated. Like in the rule on proving something wrong, you have to have good evidence to support your reason. Anyone who helps with this document will be thanked at the bottom, after this conclusion.

Note: Even if every one of these were disproved in some way (not all of them can be. The reasons for several are set in stone), I will still firmly believe that Ryoko and Tenchi belong together.