Keiichi Morisato (森里 螢一Morisato Keiichi?) is a student of the Nekomi Institute of Technology and a member of the NIT Motor Club. One day Keiichi accidentally dials the Goddess Relief Office. After summoning Belldandy by accident, he ends up wishing for her to be by his side forever. Ever since, the two have been together. Keiichi's pure and innocent personality also puts him in the middle of an unusual love relationship. While he understands his love for Belldandy, he sometimes has a difficult time expressing his feelings. He is a very skilled mechanic and an exceptional race driver. He is bestowed the directorship of the Motor Club, which he subsequently passes on to Sora Hasegawa. At his supposed graduation from college, he started working at the repair shop Whirlwind owned by the founder of the NIT Motor Club: Chihiro Fujimi. He picked up the one class and actually graduated many chapters later.
Since he met Belldandy, Keiichi has had many extraordinary experiences in his young life, including having met several other Goddesses and supernatural beings. He became the only person ever to have flown the Shinden, an experimental World War II Japanese airplane, and met Schrödinger's Whales—and saved them from extinction by teaching them songs.
Keiichi's personality is illustrated when he summons one of Lind's own Angels, Cool Mint. Lind gave him one of her angels because he is able to host the angel with the love of the three goddesses, which he received due to his innocent personality. Later on, Keiichi also temporarily and involuntarily hosts the demon-angel Blue Lance. The reason why the angel chooses him to be the host at random was explained as that he is the only person referring to her as an "angel" and not a "former demon". Keiichi has been voiced by Masami Kikuchiin the Japanese versions of the series. In the English versions, he is voiced by Scott Simpson in the OVA, Tony Oliver in The Adventures of Mini-Goddess and the film, and by Drew Aaron in the TV series.
Belldandy, in all her perfection, is the ideal symbol for the Oh My Goddess! series. As readers of the manga come to find out, however, she is not the main character. This distinction goes to a young man by the name of Keiichi Morisato.
Keiichi Morisato is a student at the Nekomi Institute of Technology. Starting at the age of 21 in the first volume, about more than a year has passed, making him around the age of 22. He is somewhat short, and a bit less confident than he could be. He enjoys racing, and is a member of the Nekomi Tech Auto Club. Based on this information alone, one would assume that he is a pretty normal guy. And, for the most part, one would be right.
There is something, though, that makes Keiichi stand out from the crowd--namely, his personality. Keiichi, like his girlfriend Belldandy, is one of the nicest people ever to grace the world of anime and manga. There are a few other guys who share his geniality (Tenchi Masaki, along with Makoto Mizuhara of El Hazard Fame), but none of them are anywhere near as easy to relate to. The reason for this is a simple one: Keiichi has a measure of self-doubt that makes him very human. He is unsure of himself a lot of the time, and often worries whether Belldandy will decide to leave him.
Most of us can, to at least some extent, empathize with Keiichi's hopes, fears, and problems. Combine this with his willingness to face his dilemmas despite his doubts, and you end up with a hero who people can not only relate to, but also admire.
Keiichi's first meeting with Belldandy.
Development as a Character
Unfortunately, the bulk of Keiichi's early development has not yet been released in the U.S. (although apparently, Dark Horse is going to release the missing volumes sometime in March, in a compilation called Super Manga Blast!--I'll be keeping my eye out for it). I have heard in places that a lot of development for Keiichi was done in those first few volumes, but since I don't actually have any of them, a summary will have to wait.
This is not to say that Keiichi doesn't develop at all in the more recent manga--it's just that the most recent developments have become a bit more subtle, as he has rounded out as a character. Most of his developments now are in the areas of confidence and self-esteem -- and it's nice to see a guy like Keiichi get ahead. During the ordeal with Peorth in Volume 8, for instance, he starts off very nervous around the new goddess, but, at the end of the series, is finally able to face up to her.
Also, over the course of the later volumes, one begins to see a slight change in his demeanor. As a rule, he is kind and considerate throughout, but as the volumes progress, one begins to notice that he becomes less and less cynical as time goes on--probably on account of Belldandy being with him.
Artistically speaking, Keiichi has changed an awful lot since the first issue was released. I mentioned in Belldandy's gallery that she was pretty homely at the beginning of the series; it should be pointed out here that Keiichi wasn't much of a looker either. He sported oddly-shaped, bulgy eyes, thick eyebrows, and a big nose (at least for an anime character). Since then, though, his appearance has changed somewhat, and in current issues of the manga, he looks about as he did in the OAVs. Occasionally, he shows signs of maturity since then, but in most cases, this is a matter of personality change, and not difference in character design.
Of Stress and Women
You really have to feel sorry for Keiichi sometimes. In many a manga issue, he spends most of the time with his face contorted into expressions of shock, horror, or severe pain. Keiichi just lives a very stressful life, and often has difficulty handling all the things that happen around him (most of which are due to the fact that he lives with three goddesses who seem to draw trouble like a magnet). Because of this condition, Keiichi is unable to have intercourse with any female as he gets nosebleeds and chickens out whenever an attractive girl wants to have sex with him. It is highly speculated that Keiichi dies a virgin at the end of the series.
In addition to his general nervousness, he also has a certain measure of difficulty dealing with anything sexual. Sure, he likes the thought of naked women as much as the next guy, but actually being confronted by one freaks him out. At times, even the thought of kissing or holding hands is a little too much for him (in fact this comes from his father Keima, who would jump away like a scared rabbit whenever a woman other than his wife comes within a meter from him and go berserk if a female stranger kisses him).
What They All See In Him
Short, average-looking Keiichi Morisato has, at last count, stolen the hearts of four beautiful women - possibly five (see Urd's section). When I first watched the OVA series and read the manga, I would often wonder what it was Belldandy, Sora, Sayoko, and Peorth all saw in him.
Belldandy, I would say, is pretty obvious. Given her disposition, she is the type of person who would be naturally attracted to shy but well-meaning people like Keiichi (although it should be noted that Bell herself was a bit unimpressed with him when they first met). Sayoko and Peorth are a different matter. Neither of them were terribly impressed when they first met up with Keiichi - in fact, originally, they were both to some extent motivated by jealousy and resentment of Belldandy. Sora's feelings are largely for Aoshima, but it's apparent from her dialogue in The Lunchbox of Love (the final chapter of volume 6) that she has feelings for Keiichi as well.
Since I don't yet have access to the volume with Keiichi's first encounter with Sayoko, I'll concentrate on Peorth instead. Peorth is a naturally confident person. She is a bit stuck up, and is at times a bit too concerned with sex. She has also, on several occasions, demonstrated a willingness to use other people to get her own way. Now, while it's easy enough to see someone like this leading Keiichi on in order to accomplish some other end, it's difficult to imagine this type of person actually falling in love with him.
And yet, somehow it happens anyway. Repeatedly. I think what finally does it are his acts of unconditional kindness. I myself often find that I distrust people who are overly nice to me for no apparent reason; most of the time, it means that they want something in return. What separates Keiichi from the crowd is that he's nice to people just because that's the kind of person he is. It was the small, thoughtful act of leaving Peorth a flower and a note that finally won her affection.
The other thing about Keiichi that draws people to him is his determination. Part of his successes are because of natural talent - he is pretty smart, and an excellent race car driver, among other things. More importantly, though, is his drive, and the way he puts his heart into everything he does. Keiichi Morisato is not a man who plays to win; he is a man who plays to do the best that he possibly can. Winning is, for the most part, merely a side-effect. What makes women - Belldandy, especially - want him so much is his tenacity in situations where most people would give up altogether. He may not always win, but in her eyes, what matters is that he always gives things his best shot.