slowly warms up to her over the course of the manga. Personality Ataru is a 17-year-old student at Tomobiki High School, Class 2–4. He is very lecherous and irreverent, and often tries to escape from his classwork due to laziness. Whenever he sees or hears a pretty girl, he immediately asks for her address and telephone number, but never succeeds. He chases after and tries to grope every woman, except his "wife" Lum, no matter what the situation. However, it is revealed on several occasions that she is the only one he actually loves which he vehemently denies at any opportunity. Despite this, he typically treats her like a nuisance and constantly disobeys her. Perhaps as a form of irony, he is rather prudish about other matters, becoming outraged at the idea of his mom having an affair with Rei. Despite his behaviour towards women, he is remarkably chivalrous at other times claiming that if he hurt so much as one woman, he couldn't call himself a man, something which the girls in his class all acknowledge. Despite how stupid he seems, Ataru often displays remarkable intelligence, particularly when escaping from Lum. At times he appears to be superhuman, with the durability of a cockroach and the rejuvenation of a lizard, possessing remarkable tenacity for a boy of his age and physique when trying to achieve something. As a result, he never gives up on his girl hunting, no matter how many times he fails or how badly Lum shocks him. Ataru is also very fast, and can often be seen wearing a track uniform. This blinding speed comes in handy when escaping from Lum. Ataru has occasionally let his good side shine through, most notably when he took care of the class caterpillar everyone else hated it, and when he went on a date with the ghost of a sick girl who had admired him from afar. But because of his reputation as a lecherous idiot, most of the cast is surprised whenever he does such a thing, believing that something is wrong with him. Actions like these, however, reveal his true personality, which may be the reason Lum fell in love with him despite his many flaws. A running gag throughout the series due to the fact that none of the cast has any respect for him. They will automatically believe he is the reason Lum is upset