Up until fairly recently, I always found Skuld to be the least interesting of the four main characters. When she was first introduced, she came across as more of a plot point than an actual character. She was, for all intents and purposes, a selfish little brat put in the story for the sole purpose of getting between Keiichi and Belldandy.

In her never-ending quest to protect Belldandy, she keeps a close eye on Keiichi to make sure he doesn't "try anything." "Trying something," in Skuld's expert opinion, is anything involving Keiichi being under a foot away from Belldandy. This almost obsessive urge to shelter Belldandy, combined with Urd's constant urging for Kei and Bell to get it on, ends up making Keiichi's life pretty difficult on more than one occasion.

As a goddess, the bulk of Skuld's power lies in her incredible intelligence. She is a math whiz, and even more gifted with machines than Keiichi. In fact, she can build a machine for just about anything Urd and Belldandy have a spell for. She also has the rather unique (and largely useless) ability to plaster words on people's faces.

Skuld was a decidedly two-dimensional character in the early manga, but this has changed drastically in some of the more recent issues. The main focus of her character development so far has been her growing up, and resulting changes. Although she remains insecure about being the youngest of the Norns, she has grown from an annoying little kid into a girl dealing those awkward first few years of being a teenager.

Skuld's first real character development takes place back in "The Trials of Morisato" (volume 4, part 2), in which an Yggdrasil malfunction causes her aging to accelerate rapidly. With Urd's age regressing at approximately the same rate, Skuld suddenly finds herself the eldest of the Three Sisters. With Urd and Belldandy effectively incapacitated, it is up to Skuld and Keiichi to find a solution for the problem. What's truly interesting about this chapter is that it's the first time that Skuld really admits that she doesn't hate Keiichi quite so much as she lets on. In fact, she at one point gets a little closer to Keiichi than either he or Bell are comfortable with. Once the problem is fixed, however, she goes pretty much back to normal.

Skuld's second big change--a permanent one this time--happens in "You're So Bad" (volume 5, part 4). In this issue, she begins to feel the effects of the divine equivalent of raging hormones. Finding herself suddenly feeling a bit taken with Keiichi, she asks him to take her to the mall, supposedly so that she can prove to herself that she still hates his guts. Between Urd meddling so that the trip would go badly, and Belldandy meddling so that it wouldn't, Skuld gradually becomes more and more smitten with Keiichi, until in the final confrontation, it comes to light that her emotions are a result of her coming into her powers, rather than any genuine romantic interest in Keiichi. This is also the point where she first gains the aforementioned ability to write words on people's faces.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Skuld's coming of age is in the two-part series, "Childhood's End" (volume 8, parts 1 and 2), when, immediately after having given up on learning to ride a bike, she meets a boy her age named Sentaro Kawanishi. Sentaro is into BMX racing, and he shows her that taking spills is just part of the process of learning. With his encouragement, she gives it another try, and is surprised to discover that it's not as hard as she'd previously thought. In the following chapter, she meets up with Sentaro again, only to discover--much to her chagrin--that she is starting to have feelings for him. Soon afterward, she finds that her goddess powers are beginning to manifest, which Belldandy explains are a result of her love for others. This issue is an important turning point for her, not only in terms of power, but also in terms of development; it is the first time she really starts to think of other people.

Since then, there has been another important development, which will be described in detail on the Angels page, when I get it done.

Having been introduced later in the manga than the other three characters, Skuld has evolved artistically a bit less than Keiichi, Belldandy, and Urd. Most of her changes are a result of age, and not drawing style.

Beyond her growing pains, Skuld's most distinctive characteristic is her love of machines. She has built numerous vehicles, mecha, and robots, the most prominent of these being Banpei, a robot she built to defend the temple from demon attacks. Although he hasn't had too many appearances, Banpei is a recurring character, and has been at the center of an issue or two. He even falls in love with Belldandy at one point, although his battery runs out soon afterward, erasing his memory.

Among Skuld's other mechanical exploits are a teleportation gun, an evil-looking helmet supposedly meant to help people study for tests, and her numerous Skuld Bombs, all of which have caused problems for poor Keiichi at one point or another.

One other noteworthy aspect of Skuld's interest in machines is her rivalry with Keiichi's sister Megumi. Megumi's mechanical aptitude is close to Skuld's own, and a rivalry develops between the two younger sisters at one point. Skuld ends up challenging Megumi to a mecha battle; and Megumi almost manages to prevail.

Having started out as little more than an irritating fly in the ointment, Skuld has evolved into a character as least as interesting as the other main cast members. While she is still insecure about being the youngest of the three sisters, she has grown now to the point where she is beginning to gain a better understanding of people. From pest to charming young lady, she has quite possibly changed more than any of the other characters in the series.