Belldandy

For the Norse mythology deity, see Verdandi.

Template:Oh My Goddess Infobox-Generic Belldandy (ベルダンディー - Berudandī) is a character in the popular manga Oh My Goddess! (OMG) and in the anime of the same name. She is voiced primarily by Kikuko Inoue (井上喜久子). She is one of three Goddesses who come to Earth to live with a college student, Keiichi Morisato. Belldandy comes to Keiichi to grant a wish as part of the emergency Goddess Technical Help Line which Keiichi accidentally dials. Keiichi wishes that a girl like Belldandy would be by his side forever, so Belldandy grants his wish by becoming his girlfriend. Some versions of the story question if Keiichi accidentally called Belldandy, or if The Almighty had somehow brought the two together.

History

Template:Spoiler Belldandy dwells, with Keiichi and her sisters, in a Zen Temple in the city of Nekomi, Chiba Prefecture --- near Tokyo. The Temple was turned over to her by its former guardian, a monk who was overwhelmed by the purity of her spirit and her unparalleled skills in polishing the Temple altar, in cooking, and in Zazen meditation. He left for a pilgrimage to find spiritual perfection, turning over the temple to the great Lady, without realizing her true nature as a Goddess.

Description

Belldandy is the Goddess of the present, and licensed as first-class, unlimited. Her powers are regulated by an earring that she wears and her quiet and considerate personality. She is unflinchingly kind, patient, and warm, not only to Keiichi but to everyone, without exception.

As a Goddess, she has numerous powers, including the ability to travel through mirrors and the power of flight. Due to a slight difference in her physical makeup compared to humans, Belldandy replenishes her energy by sleeping, although she may eat for enjoyment and loves preparing meals for others. However, drinking Cola will render her drunk. Like her sisters, she helps manage the Yggdrasil system. Belldandy's role is not as clearly defined as Urd or Skuld's, but she describes it to Keiichi as acting as a sort of transmitting antenna between Heaven and Dimension-3 (Keiichi's world).

Her Angel, a sort of symbiotic manifestation that augments Belldandy's powers, is named Holy Bell (Blesséd Bell in some versions of the English manga). Her powers are linked to wind and air.

Belldandy's original physical character design was loosely based on that of Kobayakawa Miyuki, one of the main characters of You're Under Arrest.

In Adventures of Mini-Goddess, Belldandy is the "straight (wo)man" to the wilder Urd and Skuld, though she has a good relationship with the temple rat, Gan-chan. Akemi Okamura filled in for Kikuko Inoue for the first 13 episodes while Kikuko Inoue was on maternity leave.

Personality

Belldandy is exceptionally kind, going so far as to allow Marller to escape, rather than sealing her away, since "that would too harsh, even for a demon" --- she is always willing to give someone a second chance. About the only person Belldandy does not give the benefit of the doubt to is her sister Urd, whom she knows is a meddlesome busybody. Belldandy is slow to anger, but she is very protective of Keiichi, and is angered when he is placed in danger. Belldandy is also a trifle naive, being unused to certain Earth customs and often does not recognize a con-job until it's a bit too late.

Norse Origins

The Norn's name is Verdandi, but became ベルダンディー (Berudandī) due to the difference in the phonetic system of the Japanese language. Later Berudandī evolved into Belldandy to make it sound more European and easier to be pronounced among the Japanese fans.

The Norn's sisters, Urd and Skuld, are also represented in the stories: Urd is the older sister who tries to get Keiichi and Belldandy to move their relationship to the next level, while Skuld is the younger sister who disapproves of the relationship (being afraid she would lose her sister/idol figure forever). Instead of being the Goddesses of Fate, in the OMG universe they are systems managers of the Yggdrasil computer (in Norse mythos the Tree of the World, in OMG a heavenly supercomputer which maintains reality). Many of the Goddess' adventures deal with threats to the Yggdrasil network.

External links

• Template:En icon Sake, Bugs and Angels extensive fan site
• Template:En icon Anime On DVD reviews of anime including Oh! My Goddess and Ah! My Goddess the Movie reviews