sophisticated in his approach. The two are much more alike than either would like to admit. Shutaro takes his role as heir to the vast Mendo fortune extremely seriously. A descendant of a samurai family, Shutaro often carries a katana with him, which at any moment could be flying at Ataru's face. He has a team of men in sunglasses who act as his personal retainers. Mendo is fond of octopuses and keeps a large number of them as loyal pets. He has a sibling rivalry with his younger sister, Ryoko. Mendo is narcissistic, overly dramatic, claustrophobic and afraid of the dark. But due to his vanity, his phobias incredibly disappear when a girl can see him. Ataru often plays on Mendo's fears by putting a large bell over him, forming a dark enclosed area where a girl can not see him. However, this has resulted in him breaking these bells out of sheer terror. The girls at school have formed a fan club for Mendo and they will do anything to protect him. Though Shinobu is the closest thing he has to a girlfriend, Mendo has feelings for Lum, tolerating Ataru's presence in order to be close to her. He is voiced by Akira Kamiya (first series) and Mamoru Miyano (second series) in Japanese, and by Robert Rogan, Russell Wait (Animax), Brian Hudson, and Vinnie Penna in various English dubs. Cherry is a wandering Buddhist monk who often appears out of nowhere predicting doom for Ataru. In the anime, his arrival is followed immediately by a large explosion (which can be merely comedic or causing actual damage to the area). His real name is , which literally means "cherry" in Japanese. But because the kanji can be read to mean "deranged monk," a phrase that is quite accurate in describing him, he prefers to be called by the English word as he thinks that the monastic life is very similar to a cherry "sweet outside and all core inside". Cherry has amazing spiritual powers, but does not always seem to be in complete control of them. His ugly face and very short stature are frequently used for comedic effect, or even as a defense against attackers. Cherry has made a vow of asceticism, living in a tent in an empty lot not far from Ataru's house. However, his vow apparently does not apply to food, as he is exceedingly