Character Profile #11 ~ Mamoru Chiba A.K.A Tuxedo Kamen

Mamoru Chiba is the only male main character in Sailor Moon. He is the handsome prince to Usagi's beautiful princess and is directly based upon Naoko Takeuchi's idea of the perfect man. Orphaned at a young age and suffering from amnesia he seeks the Silver Crystal, not even truly knowing what it is, in order to remember himself. This means that to the Senshi he is an enemy at first although he continually saves Sailor Moon. He is a cool customer, intelligent and well off living in a large and well kitted out apartment in an expensive part of Tokyo.

In the manga, Mamoru is a high school student who rides the bus to get about whereas in the anime he is in university and owns a motorbike and a car. This may be because in the anime, the locations used are further apart and the age difference between himself and Usagi is more interesting. In the live action he is a student who is actually engaged to a young woman who's family helped him as a young orphan, this causes romantic tension when he falls in love with Usagi.

Being the main male influence in the story it is important that Mamoru is neither over whelming, nor too soft and maleable by the large and penetrating female side. Takeuchi strikes this balance by keeping him largely seperate from the other characters; only appearing when they are in dire need or when he is required for the purposes of furthering the romantic storyline.

Unlike the Senshi, who's characters stand alone, Mamoru relies upon the character of Usagi for his existance in the story. This does not mean that his character is weak but more that it furthers a different storyline from the other Senshi, one which requires two people. A love story. This love story runs through the entire Sailor Moon saga ending with the marriage of Usagi and Mamoru and the eventual birth of Chibiusa. It provides not only a substory to follow alongside the main plot, but also something for Usagi to fight for other than the altruistic goal of saving the world.

"Follow your path without fear" - Mamoru Chiba