Tuxedo Mask
Mamoru Chiba has a problem. He's a superhero...and he can't remember it.
The poor guy already has it rough. His parents died in a car accident when he was young, and the trauma caused him to remember a past life: he was Prince Endymion, the defender of Earth. Endymion had died after breaking the taboo of falling in love with Princess Serenity of the Moon. If that wasn't strange enough, he dreams of Serenity constantly, but doesn't know if she was reincarnated too. He doesn't realize until later that his sweetheart, the clumsy but well-meaning Usagi Tsukino, is Serenity. He also doesn't realize that he's transforming into Tuxedo Mask whenever Usagi--as Sailor Moon--is in trouble.
As Tuxedo Mask, Mamoru is psychic, can fire blasts from his hands, teleport to anywhere Sailor Moon is, and, most importantly, draw on an infinite amount of roses to hit enemies with. Given that his roses can embed themselves in steel, this is more effective than one might think. Even if he doesn't personally engage in combat, he can give good advice or provide moral support to Sailor Moon and her friends--who could probably use it, at least at first. He doesn't always swoop in and save the day; in fact, as Usagi gets more powerful, often she has to save him.
Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of the Sailor Moon series, admits she designed Mamoru Chiba as her own ideal guy, and based much of his appearance on Leiji Matsumoto's Captain Harlock--tall, mysterious, and tough. His backstory is a combination of Greek and Japanese mythology, though he exists as more than just a love interest for Usagi/Sailor Moon. When Sailor Moon made the jump to the United States, his name was changed to Darien Shields, just as Usagi became Serena for American audiences.
Since Sailor Moon represented the "gateway drug" for many anime fans when it reached the US in the mid-1990s--both female and male fans--it remains a popular choice for cosplayers. Here's my friend Kristen in an absolutely masterful portrayal of the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, complete with cape, white gloves, top hat, and rose! This was taken at GFGR 2014.
Tuxedo Mask
Mamoru Chiba has a problem. He's a superhero...and he can't remember it.
The poor guy already has it rough. His parents died in a car accident when he was young, and the trauma caused him to remember a past life: he was Prince Endymion, the defender of Earth. Endymion had died after breaking the taboo of falling in love with Princess Serenity of the Moon. If that wasn't strange enough, he dreams of Serenity constantly, but doesn't know if she was reincarnated too. He doesn't realize until later that his sweetheart, the clumsy but well-meaning Usagi Tsukino, is Serenity. He also doesn't realize that he's transforming into Tuxedo Mask whenever Usagi--as Sailor Moon--is in trouble.
As Tuxedo Mask, Mamoru is psychic, can fire blasts from his hands, teleport to anywhere Sailor Moon is, and, most importantly, draw on an infinite amount of roses to hit enemies with. Given that his roses can embed themselves in steel, this is more effective than one might think. Even if he doesn't personally engage in combat, he can give good advice or provide moral support to Sailor Moon and her friends--who could probably use it, at least at first. He doesn't always swoop in and save the day; in fact, as Usagi gets more powerful, often she has to save him.
Naoko Takeuchi, the creator of the Sailor Moon series, admits she designed Mamoru Chiba as her own ideal guy, and based much of his appearance on Leiji Matsumoto's Captain Harlock--tall, mysterious, and tough. His backstory is a combination of Greek and Japanese mythology, though he exists as more than just a love interest for Usagi/Sailor Moon. When Sailor Moon made the jump to the United States, his name was changed to Darien Shields, just as Usagi became Serena for American audiences.
Since Sailor Moon represented the "gateway drug" for many anime fans when it reached the US in the mid-1990s--both female and male fans--it remains a popular choice for cosplayers. Here's my friend Kristen in an absolutely masterful portrayal of the mysterious Tuxedo Mask, complete with cape, white gloves, top hat, and rose! This was taken at GFGR 2014.