Shūtarō Mendō (面堂終太郎, Mendou Shuutarou?, Trouble shooter) is a major character in Urusei Yatsura.
Biography[]
Born April 1, Mendō is heir to the powerful Mendō Zaibatsu. His family has their own private army, a fortune of at least 50 billion yen, and owns 51% of Japan. In Vol. 3 of the manga, he transfers to Tomobiki High School. Handsome, athletic, and talented, all of the girls soon fall for Mendō. Mendō, however, is just as lecherous as Ataru and professes his "love" for all of them, sweeping them off their feet. In stark contrast to this, he treats all of the men of the class like dirt. He frequently parachutes to school from his private jet. Though he walks with a sense of pride and looks down on his fellow male students and their shenanigans, Mendō is actually very similar to them: he is obsessed with women (particularly Lum), he has no respect for Onsen-Mark (though he often pretends he does), he views Ten as a nuisance, and of course, he is jealous of Ataru.
In love with Lum, he very gentlemanly refers to her as "Lum-san" (ラムさん, Ramu-san?). But Lum is completely in love with Ataru and does not care about Mendō, so he views and treats Ataru as his greatest enemy, but in reality they are pretty much the same (Mendō is only a gentleman about it). However neither of them care to admit this. Despite his feelings for Lum, Mendō is not above flirting with other women and never dissuades their hopes of one day being with him. He even "reluctantly accepts" the idea of an engagement to Asuka Mizunokōji after he learns how cute she is.
Mendō is very easily insulted, usually by Ataru whom makes a fool of him on several occasions. On said occasions, Mendō draws his katana (in the anime it is called Murasame) and attempts to slice him in two, but he never succeeds as Ataru is capable of catching the blade in his hands. As the series progresses it becomes more and more obvious that, in addition to his libido, Mendō is far from perfect. Some, like Sakura and (after awhile) Shinobu Miyake, would even go as far as to call him "an idiot".
Not only that, Mendō is even capable of kidnapping and ruthless murder. During course of the series, he takes advantage of Lum's temporary insomnia and effectively kidnaps her. He repeatedly gives orders to shoot Ataru, Megane and the rest of 'Lum's Stormtroopers' who are trying to rescue her. Mendō can give orders to shoot Ataru even looking in his eyes, and tries to personally murder him with the use of diving bomber, and thus prevent him from recovering Lum.
He is often accompanied by his own private security team, the Black Glasses Squad, who are to carry out his every order, which usually involves taking out Ataru. However, they prove over and over that they are just as inept and idiotic.
Mendō family crest is the octopus, and Mendō himself keeps several as pets. Furthermore, he is offended if people eat takoyaki in his presence.
Mendō suffers from nyctophobia and claustrophobia, and will often scream "It's dark, it's cramped, I'm scared!" (暗いよ狭いよ怖いよーっ, Kurai yo semai yo kowai yo~?) in a deranged state when enclosed in dark, tiny spaces. However, whenever woman are nearby he manages to remain calm. At one point, he put himself through harsh training in order to overcome these phobias, however this only resulted in him temporarily becoming strong enough to split a temple bell (his usually source of entrapment, thanks usually to Ataru) in half from the inside. Apart from this, his phobias seem incurable.
His name was originally meant to imply "Trouble Shooter" ("Mendō" can mean "trouble" when written with the kanji 面倒, and "shooter" is represented in Shuutarou). However, because of his situation and involvement with Ataru, his name has come to imply "Trouble Maker".
His family consists of his father, mother, younger sister Ryōko, and grandfather.
Relationships[]
On the surface, Shūtarō and Ataru have a simple relationship of deep and mutual bitter enmity. Shūtarō lords his many advantages - his wealth, his power, his prestigious background - over the baseborn Ataru, who resents this behvior. Furthermore, Shūtarō seethes over the fact that Ataru is the man that Lum loves, whilst Ataru resents that Shinobu broke up their years-old relationship to pursue Shūtarō - and, though Ataru would never admit it, he doubtlessly resents Shūtarō's constant efforts to sedeuce Lum as well. The two argue and bicker at the drop of a hat; running gags are Shūtarō attacking Ataru with a katana and Ataru hitting Shūtarō with a mallet or trapping him in a temple bell to trigger his phobias. But at the same time, Ataru could be considered the closest that Shūtarō has to a best friend; the two are shown constantly hanging out together outside of school hours, even to the point of inviting Ataru onto his estate. Whilst many times, especially early in the canon, Shūtarō specifically invites Lum and Ataru tags along uninvited, they also are shown simply spending time together. Neither boy would admit to regarding the other at all fondly, however.
Shūtarō is smitten with Lum; his primary goal throughout the canon is to seduce her into abandoning Ataru and wedding him instead. In return, Lum treats him with nothing but polite friendship, sometimes going so far as to zap him with her electricity when she thinks he's being too much of a bully to Ataru. It's unclear exactly why Shūtarō is in love with Lum, who has never expressed any real interest in him, with the closest being academic curiosity when her computer asserted that Shūtarō would be a more compatible match due to its limited data. One possibility is that it's the novelty; Lum was the first teenage girl that Shūtarō ever met who didn't start fawning over Shūtarō's good looks, wealth and aristocratic background, and this, combined with her continued dismissal of Shūtarō in favor of the likes of Ataru Moroboshi, is why he chases her, with perhaps an element of wounded pride over being brushed aside for a lower-middle class nobody like Ataru.
Shinobu is immediately smitten with Shūtarō Mendō upon their very first meeting, to the point she officially calls off her relationship with Ataru Moroboshi to devote herself instead to pursuing Shūtarō's heart. In contrast, Shūtarō displays no particular favoritism towards Shinobu; he is polite to her, and clearly admires her beauty, but no more or less than he does the same for all of the girls in Class 2-4 and elsewhere that he encounters. There is never any real sign that he considers her any different to his nameless fangirls, and over the course of canon, this grows to weigh on Shinobu's confidence. Eventually, she accepts that her feelings are unrequited, and she goes looking for love elsewhere, finding it in the form of Inaba. Despite this, the two remain on friendly terms.
Shūtarō's relationship with Ryūnosuke can be summarised as polite and friendly. Whilst Shūtarō definitely appreciates her feminine beauty, that is more because he has a lustful fondness for girls in general, and unlike Ataru Moroboshi he never actively tries to court her, recognizing that with her emotional baggage, there are easier fish to catch. The most unique aspect of their relationship is that Shūtarō feels a certain degree of envy for Ryūnosuke, who despite not being interested in girls has a fanclub much bigger than Shūtarō's, with Shūtarō being consistently shown as dismayed and upset by the larger hauls of love letters and Valentine's Day chocolate that the crossdressing girl receives. Due to her tomboyish attitude and consistent crossdressing, Ryūnosuke doesn't cause Shūtarō to master his phobias the way he normally does when he is trapped in a dark environment with a girl; Ryūnosuke finds this highly offensive.
Shūtarō admires Sakura's beauty, as do all the boys at Tomobiki High School, but his sense of decorum means he is by far the most polite about that interest, content to look from afar. Unlike Ataru Moroboshi, he doesn't try to flirt with her or get physically grabby, and he refrains from antics like deliberately injuring himself or faking illness as an excuse to see her. Because of this, Sakura regards him with greater fondness than she does the majority of the boys she is assigned to look after, although her attitude is still politely cool and professional. There are implications that Shūtarō may find Sakura's mystical powers to be unnerving, as he was left in a state of panic after seeing her swarmed by yokai when her exorcism wand was stolen. He does enjoy spying on her when she is getting romantic with Tsubame Ozuno, just as Ataru, Lum and Shinobu do, which greatly annoys her. As with Ryūnosuke, it's unclear how much of Shūtarō's attitude towards Sakura is lack of interest and how much is caution, given Sakura's violent temper and willingness to resort to physical violence to express her anger; Shūtarō may simply take the view that with willing and adoring girls easily available, it's not worth the hassle of trying to flirt with someone so actively opposed to it. He is shown to act in a more Ataru-like manner, forcibly embracing her and pushing himself into her presence, in Episode 60 of the 1981 anime, after a misused alien device supposedly declares that he and Sakura are destined to wed.
The Mendō siblings have a complicated relationship, where Shūtarō simultaneously loves his little sister and also is justifiably cautious of her, being well-aware that she is a sadistic, scheming, manipulative troublemaker. Despite that, Shūtarō would never raise a hand to Ryōko, and she easily manipulates him by playing on his protective instincts for her, especially when they overlap with his antipathy towards Ataru Moroboshi.
Although Tobimaro and Shūtarō are officially rivals, their rivalry lacks any real bitterness to it, and the two could be considered a more friendly iteration of the relationship Shūtarō shares with Ataru. If anything, the rivalry is largely one-sided; whilst Tobimaro treats it with great seriousness, Shūtarō more humors him than anything, and largely gives Tobimaro no thought until and unless he is actively present. Indeed, Shūtarō seems to find Tobimaro's ineptitude as a rival mildly embarrassing, and would love to just call an end to the whole affair, but his pride prevents him from simply letting Tobimaro wins.
Shūtarō's relationship with Asuka is complex. Initially, Shūtarō has no interest in Asuka whatsoever, having only seen her in her very bulky and masculine-looking protective armor, which makes him quite opposed to their engagement. Once he discovers she is actually a beautiful young girl, he loses that hostility and treats her with the usual suave charm he displays for all girls. Indeed, she's so beautiful that Shūtarō actually becomes interested in accepting the engagement. Then he learns about Asuka's super strength, her inability to properly control said strength, and her propensity for destructive, panic-stricken rampages, which naturally engenders a fearful respect for her. Officially, the Mendō and Mizunokōji patriarchs agree to cancel the engagement, but Shūtarō does imply he wouldn't be adverse to pursuing a relationship with Asuka if she could just conquer her androphobia and lack of control. As for Asuka, she is initially terrified of Shūtarō, as she is of all men, but once she learns that he is a "big brother", she loses that fear due to her rather warped understanding of men, women and relationships. Whilst she is polite and affectionate towards Shūtarō after this revelation, it seems to be more of a childish affection, with her true romantic interests remaining firmly focused on her brother, Tobimaro.
Shūtarō and Shingo do not get along very well. Although Shingo is supposed to serve as Shūtarō's oniwaban, or ninja bodyguard, Shingo's feral upbringing means he lacks the deferential attitude that Shūtarō expects of his servants. Shingo doesn't hate Shutaro, but he has no respect for him; he ignores Shūtarō's orders (especially in favor of watching television), often has to be forced to go on missions, and will not hesitate to bludgeon Shūtarō over the head, especially if a woman who has caught Shingo's eye is involved. Shūtarō begrudgingly tolerates Shingo's designation as his servant because, for all his faults, Shingo is at least more competent than the Black Glasses Squad.
Shūtarō deeply loathes Rei, envying his status as Lum's ex-fiance, being enraged by Rei's efforts to try and win Lum back, and resenting that Rei is even more handsome than Shūtarō himself in his oni form, whilst also finding Rei's stupidity and gluttony highly annoying. In contrast, Rei barely acknowledges that Shūtarō exists, ignoring him as he does everything that isn't food or Lum. On the rare occasions that Shūtarō actively tries to fight Rei, the oni typically takes ushitora form, swats Shūtarō like a bug, and then resumes whatever he was doing before, typically eating or chasing Lum.
Appellations[]
Name | What They Call Mendou | What Mendou Calls Them |
---|---|---|
Ataru Moroboshi | Mendō | Moroboshi |
Lum | Shūtarō | Lum-san |
Shinobu Miyake | Mendō-kun/Mendō-san | Shinobu-san |
Ryūnosuke Fujinami | Mendō | Ryūnosuke-san |
Kōsuke Shirai | Mendō | Unknown |
Ten | Mendō | Ten |
Cherry | Unknown | Cherry |
Sakura | Mendō | Sakura-san |
Onsen-Mark | Mendō | Sensei |
Hanawa | Unknown | Sensei |
Principal | Unknown | Kōchō (Principal) |
Oyuki | Okata (Sir/This Person) (once) | Unknown |
Kurama | Unknown | Kurama-san |
Ryōko Mendō | Onii-sama (older brother) | Ryōko |
Father | Shūtarō | Chichi-ue (father, very formal) |
Mother | Shūtarō | Haha-ue (mother, very formal) |
Tobimaro Mizunokōji | Shū-chan | Ton-chan |
Asuka Mizunokōji | Onii-sama | Asuka-san |
Black Glasses Corps | Waka (young master) | Unknown |
Shingo | Waka | Shingo |
Shingo's Grandfather | Waka-sama | Saizō-jii |
Quotes[]
- "Waa!...It's dark! It's cramped! I'm scared!"
- "I refuse to die a poor beggar's death like this!"
- DAMN THE SUNSET!!
- Would you just cut the crap and say that you love her?!
Trivia[]
- His name is spelled Shūtarō Mendō in the Viz manga translation, but is presented in Japanese order (family name first) and spelled Mendou Shuutarou in the AnimEigo anime dub subtitles.
- His first seiyu would later voice Shun Mitaka, from the anime version of Rumiko Takahashi's second major manga series Maison Ikkoku, who is also the rival of the male protagonist and has a phobia, and also 2 characters of the Rumiko Takahashi Anthology (Toshio Furuda of Middle Aged Teen and Mr. Shinonome of One Day Dream).
- His second seiyu would later voice Mikado Sanzenin in Ranma ½ (2024).
- A character of Ranma ½, Tatewaki Kuno is very similar to him. Both are rich, use a sword, hate the male protagonist and have a sadistic sister and father who put them in distressful situations. As a matter a fact, Rumiko Takahashi recommended Akira Kamiya to voice Tatewaki in the anime. However, because the series director wanted new faces, he chose Hirotaka Suzuoki instead.
- A character of Seto no Hanayome named Kai Mikawa was based on him, with the trait of being afraid of wide and bright places instead of cramped and dark places.
- He possesses the unique ability to communicate with octopuses; they don't speak back to him, but he is able to intuit how they feel, and in return they seem to respond to his verbal instructions. In the third movie, Urusei Yatsura 3: Remember My Love, after Lum is kidnapped and the aliens depart, he finds this ability fades away until Lum is rescued by Ataru Moroboshi.
- Mendō's birthday is established to be April 1 in Chapter 23, which means he shares the star sign Aries with his rival Ataru Moroboshi. Due to April's overarching symbolism as an auspicious time for new beginnings and rebirth because of its status as the start of Spring, April 1 is the official start of the fiscal year in Japan - a fitting birthdate for the ultra-wealthy heir to a Japanese megacorporation. Interestingly, although it is not an official national holiday, many Japanese do informally celebrate April 1 as "April Kanashimi no Hi", meaning April Sorrow Day; though the name may suggest a somber time, this is in fact the Japanese adaptation of the Western holiday of April Fools Day, making for a day of mischief, pranks and buffoonery. Which would also make it a fitting day for Mendō, reflecting how his suave and intelligent facade hides his true nature as a bumbling buffoon.
Media Appearances[]
Manga[]
|
Anime[]
|