Ryoko Hakubi is a space pirate best known for her centuries-long conflict with Yosho and her eventual capture by the mad scientist Kagato. She's actually thousands of years old—officially at least 5,000, though she insists she's only 2,000, a claim nobody really buys. Washu created her using her own DNA mixed with the Masu, amorphous alien creatures, making Ryoko technically Washu's daughter, though the two have a complicated relationship at best.
Her power comes from three gems embedded in her body: one on her left wrist summons demonic spirits that can phase through physical attacks, one on her right wrist controls those spirits, and one on her throat unleashes her full strength. She's also rigged a fake gem as an earring to balance her abilities—it's weaker and burns out faster than the real deal, but it keeps her from completely burning through her actual power supply. In the OAV series, it's revealed the gems actually contain the power of Washu-kami-sama herself, one of the three supreme Chousin Goddesses. How much of that power Ryoko can actually tap into versus how much she's just borrowing is unclear, especially given her apparent physical age of around twenty.
Beyond the gems, Ryoko's abilities are extensive: flight, teleportation, intangibility, energy weapons, instant limb regeneration, creating copies of herself, telekinesis, forcefields, molecular manipulation, and telepathic links with Washu and her ship Ryo-Ohki. She can even tap into a shared database with Ryo-Ohki to track her exact position in the universe. Some powers come straight from Washu's genetics, others from her Masu heritage or intentional design.
Personality-wise, Ryoko's a hothead who gets upset easily, particularly around Ayeka. But beneath that is genuine, deep love for Tenchi—something she's reluctant to fully admit at first. She's watched him grow up over the years while trapped in a cave as an astral projection, dreaming of being with him. Her initial introduction to him was terrifying enough that he kept his distance for a long time. Washu's not shy about calling her out on the crush either.
Speaking of Washu, their mother-daughter dynamic is weird. Washu critiques Ryoko's looks, demands to be called "mommy," and has an unfortunate habit of using her daughter as a test subject for increasingly unhinged experiments. Ryoko's learned to eye-roll her way through most of it, though she gets genuinely nervous when Washu has that mischievous smile going.
Physically, Ryoko doesn't have taste buds and doesn't need food—the gems handle her energy. She eats for social reasons and has developed a taste for sake. She can get drunk but can shut that off instantly if needed, same with any toxins in her system. She also doesn't need to breathe and can survive in the vacuum of space.
In terms of darker traits, Ryoko's got a sadistic streak. When Ayeka electrocuted her once, she seemed to enjoy it. Ayeka called her a masochist; Ryoko claimed she was more the sadist. Given that her ship destroyed 28 planets and 69 colonies under Kagato's command, she probably wasn't joking. She's also somewhat childlike in other ways—gullible, sheltered (most of her life was either serving Kagato or sealed away), and extremely touchy about her age. Ayeka once called her a mummy and it brought her to tears.
By the time of "Ai Tenchi Muyo," Ryoko's look had simplified—she's wearing an elaborate leotard with white leg boots instead of her previous style, and her hair's more streamlined.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
