Mamoru Chiba

Mamoru Chiba (地場 衛 , Chiba Mamoru^?) alias Tuxedo Mask (タキシード仮面, Takishido Kamen^?, "Lord of the Mask" in Spain), known in Spain as Armando Chiba and in Latin America as Darien Chiba, is a fictional character in the manga and anime series Sailor Moon. "Mamoru" means "protector" in Japanese. He is the boyfriend of the protagonist, Usagi Tsukino ("Serena" in America or "Bunny" in Spain), who fights evil disguised as the vigilante "Sailor Moon&#34.;. Mamoru has an identity in which he disguises himself as a superhero to fight alongside Sailor Moon and her friends, and her "code name" in battle he is Tuxedo Kamen or Tuxedo Mask, which in the words of creator Naoko Takeuchi is the equivalent of Earth's Sailor Senshi.

Profile

Mamoru Chiba is a 17-year-old student at the start of the series (18 years old in the first animated series), who has the ability to transform into the superhero "Tuxedo Mask". Like the series' protagonist, Usagi Tsukino, he is a character who has lived, died, and been reborn more than once. "Mamoru Chiba" is the current name and identity of his present day-to-day life, which takes place in the 20th century.

Orphaned since he was six years old, he is shown in the plot as the guardian of planet Earth, endowed with some unusual powers. This is because he retains the gifts of his previous life as "Prince Endymion", who was the guardian and protector of the planet in ancient times. Among his abilities is the ability for premonition and retrocognition; especially through dreams.

Slightly introverted, he is an attractive young man due to his mature and independent demeanor, as well as his distant air; which can sometimes be enigmatic. His most visible attributes are his physical attractiveness and his way of working hard in everything he does, including his studies. Shown as the great love and eventually fiancé, as well as future husband, of Usagi; the two of them are the reincarnation of a couple in love who loved each other in ancient times. However, they don't find out about this until some time after they meet. Their relationship, which takes place on a deeper and more intimate level in the manga than in the anime version, gradually develops.

During the first season, when Mamoru appears on the scene, he usually does so unexpectedly. Frequently, he and Usagi seem to be always running into each other, in the most diverse places, as if by chance. This is because, at the same time, under his 'Tuxedo Mask' guise, he always runs to assist Sailor Moon and the other Sailor Senshi in their fight against the villains that appear. However, it is only after many struggles that they finally find out that Mamoru is Tuxedo Mask, as well as the reincarnation of Prince Endymion. Endymion was the great love of Princess Serenity, who has also reincarnated as Usagi. From then on, for the rest of the series, Tuxedo Mask dedicates himself to assisting Sailor Moon whenever she and her friends, the Sailor Senshi, face other enemies.

In the manga, it is also explained that Mamoru possesses the psychic ability of Psychometry. This allows him, sometimes, to have visions of extrasensory perception through touch, although often accidentally. With this ability, he can also emit his aura through his hands to transfer his energy to other people, both to heal and hurt them. On the other hand, it is thanks to this power that he can perform his attack technique Tuxedo The Smoking Bomber in this version.

Mamoru has his own apartment, where he lives alone. In the first animated version of the series, she is a college student at the Azabu Institute of Technology, which Motoki Furuhata also attends, and the two meet and are good friends. In the manga version and in Sailor Moon Crystal, on the other hand, Mamoru and Motoki know each other only vaguely and Mamoru is a high school student. He originally attends the eleventh grade (according to the Japanese education system) at a prestigious school called Moto Azabu Institute, as it is called in the Spanish translation of the manga. Another student from that school, who is a friend of his and deeply admires Mamoru, is Ittou Asanuma. Later, according to the manga, Mamoru finishes twelfth grade (the last grade of Japanese high school), and begins his first year as a university student at KO University in the story arc "Dream", equivalent to the SuperS saga of the first anime.

After this, in the following saga Stars, both in the anime and in the manga Mamoru decides to go to study temporarily in the United States, as part of his dream of becoming a doctor; although her plans are thwarted by the arrival of Sailor Galaxia.

Name

His last name, Chiba, in a nutshell, breaks down into Chi meaning Earth, and ba meaning location, place. Together they form Chiba, which means local. Mamoru literally means Protector, Guardian. So his full name, Chiba Mamoru (with the surname forward according to Japanese custom), can be translated as & # 34;Local Protector & # 34; or "The protector of the place"; or more practically, "Protector of the Earth".

History

The story goes that when Mamoru was six years old, he and his parents were in a car when they were in an accident that killed his parents. Although little Mamoru survived, he received head injuries that gave him amnesia. Because of this, he lost all knowledge of who he was and, even years after the fact, he could not remember his parents or his life before the accident. Instead, he eventually began having dreams related to his past life, in which he only saw the silhouette of a woman begging him to find the Silver Crystal, an object that Mamoru began to believe could restore his memory.

According to the manga, this conviction is the reason he began to haunt the city at night looking for the Silver Crystal, as the vigilante hero known as "Tuxedo Mask". One of the places where he looks for the Crystal turns out to be Naru's mother's jewelry store, where she first meets Usagi also disguised as Sailor Moon. That's when she helps the protagonist to defeat the first villain they face, a monster at the command of the Dark Kingdom. Since then she always appears under her guise as the hero & # 34; Tuxedo Mask & # 34; (in Japanese Tuxedo Kamen) to assist Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi to fight against the members of the Dark Kingdom or Negaverse. These are a group of villains who want to take over the entire world, and who are commanded by Queen Beryl and an evil being called Metalia or "Negaforce". Once Beryl, Metalia, and more enemies are defeated, Mamoru and Usagi (Serena and Darien) become a couple. From then on, Mamoru always assumes the identity of Tuxedo Mask again to fight alongside Sailor Moon and her friends whenever a new enemy appears to threaten the planet.

Another opponent he helps to defeat as Tuxedo Mask are the group of Black Moon, whom he fights against in the manga's "Black Moon" story arc, which is equivalent to the Sailor Moon R saga of the anime. In this saga it is revealed that this group comes from the 30th century, a future in which Mamoru is married to Usagi and in which both have adopted the identities of King Endymion and Neo Queen Serenity, sovereigns and protectors of planet Earth. The Black Moon group pursues the daughter of these rulers, Chibiusa (or "Rini"), who has run away to ask the 20th century for help. As the heroes Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Moon, Mamoru and Usagi join forces to protect her. After they defeat these villains, Chibiusa stays with them in the 20th century for a while longer, to also train as a righteous warrior under the new identity of Sailor Chibi Moon. It is then that new antagonists arrive such as the Death Busters, the Dead Moon Circus and Sailor Galaxia.

Differences between the manga and the first anime

Mamoru's character was one of those that underwent notable modifications in the first animated adaptation made in the 90s. Some of them were, for example, the details of the Tuxedo Mask costume and his interaction with Usagi, also called Princess Serenity. The latter is one of the reasons manga creator Naoko Takeuchi's original story is believed to have been aimed at more mature audiences than the first TV version. For its part, the second animated adaptation, titled Sailor Moon Crystal, reproduces the story of the manga much more faithfully.

Some of the differences between the 1990s manga and anime are listed below:

The return of past lives

In the manga version and in Sailor Moon Crystal, Mamoru discovers that Usagi is the true identity of the vigilante "Sailor Moon", long before learning that she she is also Princess Serenity. He then willingly reveals to her that he is the secret identity of the hero Tuxedo Kamen. As they both agree to keep each other's secret, she forges a bond of early intimacy between them not seen in the first animated version.The original character also behaves more tolerant and understanding from the start; coming to establish a more intimate and intimate union with the protagonist. It is even hinted that, like Endymion and Serenity, they became lovers during that incarnation.

In the 1990s anime, by contrast, Mamoru discovers that Usagi is both Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity at almost the same time. Meanwhile, he is initially more aloof, reserved, and given to acerbity; which together with Usagi's slightly childish character causes numerous comic discussions. During this period, she even gets to start a romantic approach with Rei Hino, one of Usagi's friends; a dramatic twist that did not belong to the original manga and was only incorporated into the first anime adaptation. Later, with the defeat of the Negaverse or Dark Kingdom, Mamoru loses all memory of his experiences as Tuxedo Mask, including his relationship with Sailor Moon and with Rei. This situation is reversed in the saga when he finally admits his feelings for Usagi and regains his memory. Even so, he is still shown to be more shy and insecure, compared to his manga counterpart, once he and Usagi get engaged.

On the other hand, it is suggested here that a higher level of tensions between Earth and the Silver Millennium, the two realms from which Endymion and Serenity respectively hailed, prevented them from formalizing their relationship in the past. This is revealed by the differences that existed with respect to what is told in another version; the manga's prequel, called Codename wa Sailor V. A flashback to this prequel shows that, at first, Earth collaborated with the Moon and the Silver Millennium to confront the Negaverse or Dark Kingdom, before "betraying" them. because of the brainwashing carried out by Queen Metalia, the true leader of the Dark Kingdom. In the first animated version, however, things happen differently. There, the mistrust between both kingdoms is already early enough that Endymion is forced to hide her identity, in order to see Serenity and avoid being discovered by those of her kingdom who would see him as an enemy.

King Endymion's Nightmares

A short time later, according to the first anime, Mamoru begins to suffer strange nightmares with a premonitory tone; these announce the death of Usagi if the two do not separate. At first, Mamoru ignores them. As these are repeated, however, so are the battles, and her uncertain fears increase. In the end, these circumstances end up forcing Mamoru to break her relationship with Usagi, even against her will; for fear of putting her in grave danger. But this is resolved once Usagi realizes what happens when she also begins to suffer the same nightmares. The plot takes a twist again later, when they discover that the nightmares they were sent by King Endymion himself (Mamoru's future counterpart), as a way to prepare them for the mishaps to come.

All this theme is absent in the manga and in the season 2 adaptation of Sailor Moon Crystal, where the telepathic communication between King Endymion and Mamoru, his "self from past", consists in reality of anonymously giving him advice to increase the mastery of his powers; thus being able to better protect both Chibiusa and Usagi.

Alternate identities

Like the series' protagonist, Usagi, Mamoru is also a character who assumes other identities, with a different appearance and name, at each point in the story. These names or identities are Tuxedo Mask, Prince Endymion (in her past life) and King Endymion (in the future).

Tuxedo Mask

Tuxedo Mask (タキシード仮面, Takishīdo Kamen^?, sometimes known as "The Mask Lord) is the superhero identity that Mamoru Chiba assumes to protect Usagi Tsukino when she becomes disguises herself as the vigilante "Sailor Moon", and to fight evil at her side (although initially she does not know her true identity, until halfway through the first season). the author of the series, Naoko Takeuchi, he is the equivalent of the Sailor Senshi of Earth. In the original manga, Tuxedo Mask is the holder of the Golden Crystal, and its power is equal to that of Sailor Moon; although he himself does not discover it until the fourth season (adapted as part 2 of Sailor Moon Eternal). Only at the beginning of the 90s anime, Mamoru was unaware of the existence of this alternate identity (since, when transforming into the righteous hero, he used to lose track of time and forget everything); until he managed to reverse this situation, in the twenty-sixth episode.

Tuxedo Mask is a masked man who wears more of a tailcoat (and not a tuxedo or tuxedo, despite the use of these words in his techniques and in his own name) and is able to use his cape, hat and other accessories of his suit as weapons. Although he uses his black staff as a frequent combat weapon, in the anime and manga this is supplemented with various additional abilities. While in the first anime he usually uses, as a characteristic form of attack, some red roses that he throws as if they were darts; in the manga and in Sailor Moon Crystal she possesses the power of psychometry, which she also uses to launch powerful energy attacks called the "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber" (タキシード・ラ・スモーキング・ボンバー, Takishīdo Ra Sumōkingu Bonbā^?, sometimes called the "Tuxedo Smoke Bomber").

Moon Knight

Tsukikage no Knight (月影の騎士, Tsukikage no Naito^? , also known as "Moon Knight") appears only during the second season of the first anime, Sailor Moon R. In this version of the series, in order to follow the story after the memory loss of the end of the first season, which did not exist in the manga; Tuxedo Mask appears as Tsukikage no Knight, literally Knight of the Shadow of the Moon. In the American dubbing he was called Moonlight Knight , that is, Knight of the Moonlight; the opposite of the literal translation. The Mexican dubbing took the name Caballero de la Luna. Tsukikage no Knight wears a white Arabian costume, in the style of the Bedouin or sheikh, and similar to Lawrence of Arabia's clothing. His combat weapons are a curved sword and white roses (instead of red like Tuxedo Mask's) which he also throws at the enemy in the form of darts.

In the first half of the Sailor Moon R saga (the second season of the 90s animated series), memory loss from all the combats experienced (which temporarily affected all vigilantes) after the end of the first season, is the one that gives rise to the replacement of Tuxedo Mask by this other vigilante hero. This character is actually a bilocation of Mamoru, who separates from him at times (without him or anyone else being aware of it) to go and take part in battles and thus continue to secretly protect Sailor Moon (ie, to Usagi) completely anonymously. Once Mamoru regains his memories, Tsukikage no Knight reveals his identity to everyone and merges with him again into one person, and Mamoru once again fights alongside Sailor Moon under the identity of the hero Tuxedo Mask.

Prince Endymion

The Prince Endymion (プリンス・エンディミオン, Purinsu Endimion^?) is a form of Mamoru, aka "Tuxedo Mask", as well as the name and identity he had in a past life; before he reincarnated in the 20th century with the current identity of Mamoru Chiba. In the remote past, Endymion was the prince of Earth and, according to the manga version, he lived in a place called the Golden Kingdom of Elysion at the same time that Usagi Tsukino (the protagonist of the story) inhabited the Kingdom of the Moon with the name of Princess Serenity. Endymion loved Serenity; a fact that leads Mamoru, in all versions of the first season, to experience retrocognitive dreams of an enigmatic female figure known as 'the princess'. For this reason (and as part of a twist ironic in the play), he begins to dress up as "Tuxedo Mask", only to end up running into Sailor Moon (Usagi) and her friends; who are on their own search for that princess and the silver crystal. Finally, Mamoru discovers the origin of those dreams in that previous existence shared with Usagi (like the former lovers, Serenity and Endymion), in chapter 9 of the manga (and Sailor Moon Crystal), in episode 34 of the 1990s anime and in episodes 25 and 26 of the live action series. As a consequence of having remembered that previous existence, he acquires in the 1990s anime and live action series the ability to re-adopt and fight in this old form; while in the manga he gains (later) the ability to manipulate the powerful Gold Crystal.

As explained in the manga, in those remote times the Golden Kingdom (to which Endymion belonged) was in charge of protecting and caring for planet Earth from the inside, at the same time as the kingdom of the Silver Millennium of the Moon (Serenity's home) did so from the outside. As heir to the throne of the Earth kingdom, Endymion also had four guardians known as the Four Heavenly Kings, who protected him. At the same time, the sacred land of Illusion, where the Golden Kingdom was located, had its own protective guardian, a young man named Helios. Although Helios and Endymion did not meet during those times, they both shared the same desire to protect Illusion and the planet Earth.

One day, Prince Endymion of the Earth Kingdom met Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, and they fell in love. The people of the Moon and those of the Earth were at that time forbidden to have contact. Despite this, they met each time Serenity secretly descended to Earth to see Endymion. A young woman from Earth named Beryl, who was in love with the Prince, found out about their relationship and was filled with jealousy. On the other hand, soon after a monstrous and powerful being called the "queen Metalia" (or & # 34; Megafueza & # 34; in the dubbing), came to Earth to brainwash everyone and thus make the planet part of his own Dark Kingdom. Because of her jealousy, Beryl allowed herself to be brainwashed and became Queen Beryl, ruler of the Dark Kingdom on behalf of Queen Metalia, she then commanded the Earth army to attack the Moon, the home of the Princess. Serenity. His goal was to seize the Silver Crystal, a sacred stone that Metalia coveted since it gave great power and longevity to the people of the Moon Kingdom. However, Endymion was not fooled and fought in vain until the last moment to free her subjects on Earth (including her four guardians the Heavenly Kings) from Metalia's brainwashing. He tried in vain to convince them that the people of the Moon were not his enemies. Both he and Serenity died during the great battle that took place between Earth and the Moon, and when the Moon was devastated their souls were sent to reincarnate in the future on Earth for a second chance.

King Endymion

The King Endymion (キング・エンディミオン, Kingu Endymion^?) is the identity that the character will assume in the future, starting at an unspecified time, and by which he is known in the future world of the 20th century. In all versions of the series, this is the name adopted by Mamoru Chiba (Tuxedo Mask) once he definitively ascends the throne as the reincarnation of the former Prince Endymion of Earth, (at the same time that his girlfriend, Usagi Tsukino, adopts the name "Neo Queen Serenity" when she ascends the throne as a reincarnation of the former Princess Serenity of the first kingdom of the Silver Millennium, the Moon Kingdom). In the future, King Endymion will also be the husband of Neo Queen Serenity, and both will be leaders of a new Silver Millennium that will rise on Earth. Together they will rule and protect the planet from the 30th century city of Tokyo, called Crystal Tokyo, and will be the parents of an only daughter (Chibiusa).

Powers

Powers in the Manga

Tuxedo Mask
Original Attack	In English	Translation	In Spain	In Mexico
Takishiido ra sumookingu bonbaa	Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber	Tuxedo pump "to the steamer"	Tuxedo Explosive Bomb, explode!	Tuxedo The Smoking Pump

Powers in Anime

Tuxedo Mask used roses as his main attack whenever Usagi was in danger, and on different occasions his staff.

Guardians

As Crown Prince to the throne of Earth, Endymion had several guardians to protect him. These guardians continue their work protecting Mamoru Chiba, the reincarnation of Endymion in the 20th century.

These guardians are the Four Heavenly Kings and Helios:

The Four Heavenly Kings

Helios