| The Blue Knight | |
|---|---|
| Tokyo Mew Mew character | |
 The Blue Knight in the anime version of Tokyo Mew Mew. |
|
| First appearance | Episode 17 |
| Created by | Mia Ikumi Reiko Yoshida |
| Voiced by | Megumi Ogata (Japanese) Sean Schemmel (English) |
| Profile | |
| Aliases | Masaya Aoyama |
| Species | Possibly half-alien and half-human, because he is a human boy with the spirit of an alien inside him,[1] hence his appearance. |
The Blue Knight (蒼の騎士 Ao no Kishi?) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Tokyo Mew Mew. His Japanese name is translated into English in both Mew Mew Power and Tokyopop's manga. The Blue Knight is the mysterious ally of the Tokyo Mew Mew team, who claims that he was born to protect Mew Ichigo, the main hero of the story.[2][3] He comes to her rescue numerous times during the series. Despite bearing resemblance to an alien due to his pointy ears, he does not appear to be a part of the aliens' team and for a long time neither the Mew Mews nor their antagonists knew his true identity.
Contents |
History
The Blue Knight is introduced at the end of volume four of the Tokyo Mew Mew manga and episode 17 of the Tokyo Mew Mew anime ("The Knight in Blue - I Will Protect You!"). He unexpectedly comes to help Ichigo Momomiya fight Kish, saying that he promises to protect her no matter what. In the manga, he saves her from aquatic Chimera Animas, while in the anime Kish himself threatened to kill Ichigo before being interrupted by the Blue Knight's arrival.The Blue Knight is... Ichigo's Boyfriend The Blue Knight never explains who he is, though he makes it clear that he is not Kish's ally,[3] resulting in Kish getting annoyed and attacking him. In the manga, the Blue Knight leaves two cuts on his face, forcing him to retreat; in the anime, he just holds him off long enough for other Mew Mews to come to Ichigo's rescue, after which the aliens leave, outnumbered. The Blue Knight seems to be devoted solely to protecting Ichigo. In the manga, he tends not to have her fight, but to fight alone, to the point when Ichigo has to stop him when he gets injured[4] or is about to kill Kish.[5] In the anime he often teams up with the Mew Mews, revealing to them what the monster's weak point is, making it easier for them to defeat it,[6][7][8] and encourages them to continue fighting when they are about to give up.[6][9][10] His attitude to Ichigo is a bit different in the two versions. In the manga, he even attempts to kiss her at one point,[11] whereas in the anime, when the girl is about to tell him that she already has a boyfriend, he simply replies that he does not mind, and that loving someone is noble.[12]
At first, Ichigo was convinced that the Blue Knight is actually Ryou Shirogane, because he said "You're heavier than you look" to her - exactly what Ryou said when he saved her from a Chimera Anima in the beginning of the story. This theory was also supported by the fact that both characters have blonde hair and blue eyes,[13] and never seem to appear together in the same place at the same time.[3][9] The manga version also has Ichigo suspecting Keiichiro Akasaka of being her mysterious protector. During the battle with the Chimera Anima called Zenomoglin the Blue Knight gets injured, and later, Ichigo discovers that the manager of the Café Mew Mew has a wound in the same place as the Blue Knight's.[14] However, this turns out to be a coincidence. Eventually, it is revealed that the Blue Knight is, in fact, Ichigo's boyfriend, Masaya Aoyama.[15][16] When and how did he get the ability to transform is never said explicitly, though it is implied that his powers are somehow connected to Ichigo's. Both versions of the story show that Masaya can sense that Ichigo needs help.[17][12][16] In the manga he says that he has dreams of Ichigo in danger and wishes to protect her.[18] In the anime, it is explained that he hears Ichigo's voice calling him, and can become the Blue Knight whenever Ichigo wishes for it.[19] For a short time, Masaya becomes a part of the team, continuing to help the Mew Mews.
In the manga, shortly before the Blue Knight's identity is revealed, Ichigo actually starts to notice a connection between him and Masaya, because they both said that they do not want her to fight.[20] In the anime, this does not happen: Ichigo was sure that the Blue Knight was Ryou up until episode 44, and looked quite shocked when Masaya transformed in front of her in the next episode. Near the end of the series the Blue Knight turns into the Mew Mews' main enemy, Deep Blue,[21] when the alien spirit awakes inside Masaya's body. Whether or not Masaya lost his ability to become the Blue Knight after Deep Blue was defeated is unclear, although it is mentioned in Tokyo Mew Mew à la Mode that he no longer has the powers he had when he was Deep Blue.[22] In Mew Mew Power, the episode where the Blue Knight was introduced was titled "A Knight to Remember" (probably a pun on the title of 1955 book by Walter Lord and its 1958 film adaptation, A Night to Remember). The only significant alteration to the character was the voice. 4Kids had Sean Schemmel, the voice actor for Ryou Shirogane (Elliott Grant), voice the Blue Knight, instead of Masaya's (Mark's) voice actor, Scottie Ray, further implying that the Blue Knight is Ryou. (Interestingly, Deep Blue was still voiced by Scottie Ray.[23]) As the English dub never reached episode 45, it is not known how 4Kids would handle the episodes where the Blue Knight's identity was revealed; it is possible that they could change his voice actor so that his voice would match Masaya's voice, as was done in the Italian adaptation, Mew Mew: Amiche Vincenti.[24]
Special powers
The Blue Knight shares some abilities with Kish, Pie and Tart, including teleportation[12][25] (though it is unclear whether or not he has the ability to fly). His weapon is an unnamed sword. In the manga, he has one named attack, Sui-Sei-Ran-Gyoku-Zan (彗星藍玉斬?)[26] — translated as "Indigo Comet Blade" in the English version.[27][Attack] Mew Ichigo can power up the Blue Knight's sword using her "Reborn Strawberry Surprise" attack in the anime, allowing him to defeat the Chimera Anima. He does not say anything when performing this attack.[10] Later on in the anime, he is shown to possess a great amount of energy, enough to destroy a huge rock formation.[19]
Voice actors
In the original Tokyo Mew Mew anime, the Blue Knight is voiced by veteran voice actress Megumi Ogata, who also voices Masaya Aoyama and Deep Blue.[23][Credits] In Mew Mew Power, his voice actor is Sean Schemmel, who voices Ryou Shirogane (Elliot Grant).[23]
Source notes
- ^ "Ichigo's Trial! I am a Mew Mew". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 50.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (April 2002). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 5 (in Japanese). Kodansha, p. 10. ISBN 4061789953.
- ^ a b c "Mid-Summer's Love – Ichigo's Swaying Heart". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 18.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (August 2002). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 5 (in Japanese). Kodansha, p. 59. ISBN 4061789953.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (August 2002). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 5 (in Japanese). Kodansha, p. 97. ISBN 4061789953.
- ^ a b "A Mysterious Gem – Brilliance is within you!". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 24.
- ^ "Be Honest! Unspoken Love in the Crystal Ball". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 30.
- ^ "Princess Fight – The hero can't be bought for money". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 32.
- ^ a b "Miracle of the Holy Night – No Secrets Anymore". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 38.
- ^ a b "New Reinforcement! Protect the Earth Together". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 46.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (August 2002). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 5 (in Japanese). Kodansha, pp. 4-5. ISBN 4061789953.
- ^ a b c "Stop, Time! Overwhelmed with Sentimental Feeling". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 26.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (August 2002). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 5 (in Japanese). Kodansha, pp. 11-12. ISBN 4061789953.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (August 2002). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 5 (in Japanese). Kodansha, pp. 70-71. ISBN 4061789953.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (March 2004). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 6 (in English). Tokyopop, pp. 59-60. ISBN 1591825490.
- ^ a b "The Riddle Dissolves! The Truth about the Blue Knight". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 45.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (March 2004). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 6 (in English). Tokyopop, p. 28. ISBN 1591825490.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (March 2004). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 6 (in English). Tokyopop, p. 62. ISBN 1591825490.
- ^ a b "The Labyrinth of the Alternate Dimension! Kisshu's Gamble!!". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 48.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (March 2004). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 6 (in English). Tokyopop, p. 39. ISBN 1591825490.
- ^ "The Awakening of Blue – Another Appearance!". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 49.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia (June 2005). Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode, volume 1 (in English). Tokyopop, p. 183. ISBN 1595327894.
- ^ a b c Kari. Character Bios. Mew Mew Power Uncensored. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
- ^ Tokyo Mew Mew (TV). Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ "The City Turns into a Forest! What Protects Ichigo's Smile". Tokyo Mew Mew. No. 44.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (December 2002). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 6 (in Japanese). Kodansha, p. 122. ISBN 406364006X.
- ^ Ikumi, Mia; Yoshida, Reiko (March 2004). Tokyo Mew Mew, volume 6 (in English). Tokyopop, p. 124. ISBN 1591825490.
Content notes
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This article contains Japanese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of kanji or kana. |
^ Kanji: The Blue Knight's Japanese name uses a kanji for "blue" (蒼 ao?) that is different from the one in Masaya's name (青 ao?). A possible reason for this is that in the manga the names are written, and having the same kanji in both names would probably serve as a spoiler for the Blue Knight's identity. The name is still seen written this way in the anime (in the titles of episode 17 and episode 45, and sometimes in the ending credits). ^ Attack: The five kanji used in the Blue Knight's manga attack translate as "comet" (彗星 suisei?), "indigo" (藍 ran?), "jewel" or "ball" (玉 gyoku?) and "beheading" or "kill" (斬 zan?). The phrase roughly means "An indigo comet that is a ball can kill". The English manga does not translate the attack name literally, calling it "Indigo Comet Blade" instead. ^ Credits: The Blue Knight's name appears in the ending credits if Masaya does not appear in the episode in his normal form, an example being episode 19 and exceptions being episodes 18 and 45. In episodes 46-48 both names are listed. Before his identity is revealed, a question mark is shown in place of Megumi Ogata's name. In episode 32, she is credited for the Blue Knight's role as "em:ou", her stage name as a singer.
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