[8] Lum is royalty and the daughter of the alien Invader called oni and can fly and generate massive electrical discharges.

When these horns are removed (or when specially blessed yellow ribbons are tied around them), her electric and flying abilities disappear and she becomes a regular girl.

She attended primary school with Benten of the rivals of the oni: the Lucky Gods, Oyuki, the ice princess, and Ran.

[5][10] Ataru had been promised marriage by his then-girlfriend Shinobu Miyake if he could win, which spurred him to success, but upon catching Lum, he declared, "Now I can get married!"

The relationship between Lum and Ataru has been called "a humorously exaggerated parody of a common Japanese husband and wife dynamic.

[11] Likewise, Kanenori Wakita's codename as a member of the Black Organization, "Rum", is used as an injoke by Gosho Aoyama in relation to Lum.

Also, the character Rumi Wakasa, who is a "Rum" suspect, shares the same voice actress as Lum in the Detective Conan anime adaptation.

But she is quick to anger and responds with powerful electric discharges to anyone who enrages her, usually Ataru or any person who attacks or insults her "Darling".

She has the qualities of the ideal wife and daughter-in-law in Japanese society as she takes good care of her darling and she helps her "mother-in-law" with the housework whenever she is free.

[5][12] But while her intentions in operating them are often noble, such as copying a notebook to help Ataru study for an exam, the results are rarely what Lum intends.

Despite efforts from everybody she knows to convince her otherwise, her love for Ataru remains unchanged because he has consistently proven that he genuinely cares for her well-being in spite of his idiotic facade.

On the other hand, Ataru is savvier and well-versed in Earth customs, but he insists to act as a carefree teen, making Lum doubt his commitment.

In one episode, she does share Ataru's bed, but only after fitting him in a bulky insulated suit to protect him from accidental electric shocks in her sleep.

Lum is considered the embodiment of modern Japanese women's struggle: how to be independent and still fulfill the traditional role of loving wife and mother.

None of the other American- or British-made dubs of Urusei Yatsura TV episodes or movies have tried a similar English approximation of "daccha."

Merchandise featuring Lum continues to be popular, and her image appears on a wide variety of printed, commercial, and electronic media.

[20] Comiket organiser Koichi Ichikawa has described Lum as being both the source of moe and the first tsundere,[21] a character which alternates between being harsh and being loving.

[22] In the 6th edition in 1983 of the Anime Grand Prix, Lum was ranked second place behind Misa Hayase from Super Dimension Fortress Macross.