tokyo mew mew info

The Tokyo Mew Mew manga and anime series features a cast of characters designed by Mia Ikumi. The series takes place in a fictional version of Tokyo, Japan, where five adolescent girls, called Mew Mews, are infused with the DNA of endangered species to combat aliens attempting to take over the Earth. The manga series is followed by a short sequel series, Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode, which introduces a new Mew Mew and a new threat.
The Mew Mews are led by the main character, Ichigo Momomiya, whose first task is to gather the other four Mew Mews: Mint Aizawa, Lettuce Midorikawa, Pudding Fong, and Zakuro Fujiwara. As the series progresses, Ichigo goes from having a crush on Masaya Aoyama to becoming his girlfriend while trying to hide her secret double life from him. The series antagonists include three aliens, Kish, Pie, and Tart, and their leader, Deep Blue. Originally from Earth, the aliens were forced to leave long ago due to deadly environmental changes. They have returned to kill the humans, who they feel are destroying their planet, and reclaim the planet. In a la Mode, middle school student Berry Shirayuki is introduced as the sixth Mew Mew and, in the absence of Ichigo, the temporary leader of the Mew Mews. A la Mode also introduces new set of antagonists, the Saint Rose Crusaders, a group of human teenagers with various psychic abilities with a desire to create their own utopia. Led by Duke, they make several attempts to kill Berry, eventually turning the local populace against the Mew Mews.
Ikumi's initial vision for Tokyo Mew Mew was a horror story called Tokyo Black Cat Girl that featured a cat-girl battling alien invaders. After the story was transitioned to a more upbeat story of five female superheroes, the character designs were redone to have a lighter, more colorful feel. The main series characters were praised for being a perfect fit for the overall story, as well as for their cute appearances. The characters introduced in a la Mode were also praised for their visual appearances, but criticized as being repeats of the original series. The character Duke was also criticized for having a design reminiscent of the white supremacy group, the Ku Klux Klan.
Mia Ikumi spent a year designing the Tokyo Mew Mew manga before the release of the first volume in February 2001.[1] The horror story she originally presented to her editors, Tokyo Black Cat Girl, featured a heroine named Princess Azumi who is given the ability to transform into a cat-girl by an intergalactic police officer named Masha. He then asks her to aid him in defeating alien invaders called the Baku using her new powers. Azumi agrees, while trying to keep her new double life secret from her crush.[2] After the production team decided to focus on five female superheroes, Ikumi was asked to reconstruct the lead character and the darker Princess Azumi was changed into the brighter and more colorful Ichigo. She had reservations about the changes, as the character was originally designed for a more dramatic series.[3]
Ikumi created other girl–animal combinations while designing the four other Mew Mews, including a mouse girl with the same green coloring as Lettuce. However, the mouse design was one of several designs rejected for use in the series as the choices were narrowed down.[3] Once the main Mew Mew designs were finalized, Ikumi named them after various foods: Ichigo (Strawberry), Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, and Zakuro (Pomegranate). During one of the project meetings, an unnamed editor remarked that the names might be hard to remember and suggested naming the characters after various colors instead, but the food names were kept.[4] Although Ikumi initially suggested calling Ichigo's main attack "Strawberry Bell Bell" as a joke, the editorial team thought it was funny and kept the name. Ikumi noted that future attack names were decided by which sounded funniest.[5] The only character from Ikumi's Tokyo Black Cat Girl to retain his original name and general appearance was Masha, but his gender was changed to female in Tokyo Mew Mew.[6]
Mari Kitayama adapted the character designs from Ikumi's original artwork for the anime adaptation. Ikumi stated that she approved of the character designs, and agreed with the voice actor selections.[7]

The Mew Mews are young girls who have been injected with the genes of endangered species, giving them the ability to transform into Mew Mews. The project chose endangered species because they felt that these species would have the strongest desire to preserve their kind. The superheroes are biological weapons tasked with fighting the chimera anima, the monsters created when alien parasites infect a living host. They are later called on to fight the aliens that were the source of the chimera anima invasion. The creation of the first five Mew Mews occurred accidentally; the head of the project, Ryou Shirogane, originally intended to inject a chimera anima with the endangered animal genes directly, to see if that would reverse the affects of the infection.[8]
The Mew Project was started by Ryou's father, Dr. Shirogane, five years before Tokyo Mew Mew is set. The manga never explains why the project was started or how they knew about chimera animas and the aliens, but Dr. Shirogane does mention that they must learn how to inject animal genes into human DNA in order to fight the aliens.[9] In the anime adaptation, Dr. Shirogane discovered the fossilized remains of an ancient civilization, called the Chimera, during an archaeological dig and began researching the race of people who lived there, with his assistant Keiichiro Akasaka. This would eventually become the Mew Project.[10] A laboratory explosion kills Dr. Shirogane and his wife, leaving then 10-year-old Ryou orphaned. He moved to Japan, with Keiichiro, to continue the Mew Project.[9] According to the anime, the lab explosion was caused by a Chimera fossil that woke up, setting the house on fire.[10]
In Tokyo Mew Mew, there are five Mew Mews: Ichigo Momomiya, Mint Aizawa, Lettuce Midorikawa, Pudding Fong, and Zakuro Fujiwara.[8][11] Each Mew Mew has a "mew mark" left on her body, identifying her as a Mew Mew. Each mark is unique to the girl, representing an aspect of their power, such as Mew Ichigo's mark, located on her inner thigh, being shaped like her Strawberry Bell Bell weapon, and Mew Mint's being a wing symbol on her back.[8] The girls have powers related to their animal DNA when transformed. They can also boost Mew Ichigo's power by combining their powers. The group were originally called the "Mew Mews", until they were accidentally caught on live television and Mew Ichigo introduced the group to the viewers as "Tokyo Mew Mew". This became the name the public would call them thereafter.[11] As part of being Mew Mews, the girls work as waitresses at the Cafe Mew Mew, their headquarters, from where they gather information on chimera anima activity.[8] In Tokyo Mew Mew a La Mode Ichigo moves to England and a sixth Mew Mew, Berry Shirayuki, is created to fill Ichigo's shoes as the leader of the Mew Mews.[12][13]


Ichigo Momomiya
Ichigo Momomiya (桃宮 いちご Momomiya Ichigo?) is the series' main protagonist and the leader of the Mew Mews. Ichigo is merged with the DNA of the Iriomote Cat, giving her the ability to transform into Mew Ichigo, a powerful and heroic cat girl. The transformation also causes her to exhibit various feline mannerisms while in her human form.[8] At first, her cat ears and tail appear when she is excited, but eventually her cat DNA grows strong enough that turn when she is very excited she turns into a small black cat. She remains in a cat form until someone – human or animal – kisses her.[14][15][16]
At the start of the series, Ichigo has a crush on Masaya Aoyama. Although she believes that he is oblivious to her feelings, he later returns them and they begin dating.[8] Midway through the series, Ichigo gains a mysterious protector, the Blue Knight.[17] Throughout the series, Ichigo repeatedly rejects repeated advances by Kish[8][11][18] and although she can not accept his final declaration of love, she cries over his death and holds him as he dies.[19] Ichigo dies after transferring her own life force into Masaya after Masaya kills himself and Deep Blue. She is subsequently revived by the last of the mew aqua which was housed within Masaya.[19][20] Before Masaya goes off to study abroad in England at the end of the series, Ichigo participates in a mock wedding with Masaya.[20] Tokyo Mew Mew a La Mode reveals that Ichigo lost all of her Mew Mew powers and joined Masaya in England, but returned to Japan when her powers began to manifest again to aid in the battle against the Saint Rose Crusaders.[21] In the anime adaptation, her voice actress is Saki Nakajima. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation her name is changed to Zoey Hanson and she is voiced by Amanda Brown.[22]

Mint Aizawa[/b]
Mint Aizawa (藍沢 みんと Aizawa Minto?) is the second Mew Mew to be introduced in the series. Infused with the genes of an Ultramarine Lorikeet, Mint grows a bird's tail and a pair of bird wings when she transforms into Mew Mint.[8] Initially depicted as spoiled, snobbish, and self-centered because of her wealth, she is shown to be an empathetic person who cares deeply about her friends as the series progresses. Mint idolizes fellow Mew Mew, Zakuro Fujiwara.[8][11] Mint's anime depiction is voiced by Yumi Kakazu. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation her name is changed to Corina Bucksworth and she is voiced by Andi Whaley.[23]


Lettuce Midorikawa
Lettuce Midorikawa (碧川 れたす Midorikawa Retasu?) is the third member of the Mew Mews formally introduced to the readers. Infused with the DNA of a Finless Porpoise, Lettuce's legs can change into a porpoise's tail while she is underwater, greatly improving her swimming ability.[24] In the anime adaptation, this change can only occur when Lettuce is in the presence of mew aqua.[25] Lettuce is portrayed as a shy character lacking self-confidence and is the subject of frequent bullying. She is afraid of her Mew Mew powers at first, causing them to go out of control until she is calmed by Ichigo and Mint.[8] The other members of the group consider Lettuce to be a kind and selfless person.[8][24] As the series progresses, Lettuce becomes a more confident person through the other Mew Mews' regular encouragement.[9] In the anime series, her voice actress is Kumi Sakuma. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation her name is changed to Bridget Verdant and she is voiced by Bella Hudson.[26]

Pudding Fong
Pudding Fong (黄 歩鈴 Fon Purin?) is the fourth Mew Mew introduced to the readers.[8] Infused with the DNA of a Golden Lion Tamarin, Pudding grows a monkey tail and ears while transformed, and fights with a pair of rings. The other Mew Mews agree that her monkey DNA is a perfect match for her personality as she is full of energy and loves having fun, to the point Mint considers her very immature.[11] Despite her age, Pudding is raising her five younger siblings and managing the family finances while their father is training in the mountains.[18] The manga never mentions Pudding's mother, while the anime adaptation states that she died.[27] Midway through the series, Pudding befriends Tart when he captures her and holds her hostage.[28] She is reluctant to fight Tart during the final battle until he affirms they have no choice, and cries over him after he is defeated.[19] Pudding kisses Tart at the end of the series and tells him she does not want it "to be goodbye." He replies by saying that he may return to see her.[20] In the anime adaptation, the relationship between Pudding and Tart is expanded and the circumstances of their initial friendship changes – instead of being saved by the Mew Mews, Tart himself saves Pudding from a underground cavern when he realizes that she is suffocating from a lack of oxygen.[29] She is voiced by Hisayo Mochizuki. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation, her name is changed to Kikki Benjamin and she is voiced by Kether Donahue.[30]

Zakuro Fujiwara
Zakuro Fujiwara (藤原 ざくろ Fujiwara Zakuro?) is the last of the main Mew Mews introduced. As with the others, she first appears at the endangered animal exhibit without being named.[8] Zakuro tends to be a loner and initially refuses to join the other Mew Mews, but changes her mind after they come to her aid. Infused with the DNA of a Gray Wolf, Zakuro has a wolf tail and ears while in her Mew Mew form. Zakuro is a professional model and is presented as a mature character. As her biggest fan Mint effuses, Zakuro has "long, glossy, raven hair" with "dark, intelligent, yet sensitive eyes" and "long, strong and thin legs".[11] Zakuro's background is more developed in the anime adaptation and she is said to be estranged from her family since leaving home two years earlier.[31][29] Junko Noda provides her voice in the anime. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation, her name is changed to Renée Roberts and her voice is supplied by Mollie Weaver.[32]

Berry Shirayuki
Berry Shirayuki (白雪 ベリー Shirayuki Berī?) is introduced in Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode as the sequel series' main protagonist, the sixth Mew Mew, and, while Ichigo is studying abroad, the temporary leader of the Mew Mews.[12][33] She becomes the first Mew Mew to be infused with the DNA of two endangered species: the Andes Mountain Cat and the Amami Black Rabbit.[21] Like Ichigo, she is given a robot companion, Ucha, who gives her guidance and transforms into the staff Berry uses to fight.[13][21] As the "second strongest" Mew Mew, Berry becomes the primary target of the series antagonists, the Saint Rose Crusaders.[13][34] Throughout a la Mode, Berry comes to realize that she is in love with her close childhood friend Tasuku, which confuses her until she is able to come to terms with her feelings.[12][35] Together, they use their warm feelings of love to release the city's citizens from the Saint Rose Crusaders hypnotism and to change the hearts to the Crusaders.[36] At the end of the series, Berry and Tasuku are still a couple, the "lovebirds” of the café, work side-by-side as the cafe's new door-to-door delivery service and celebrate being in love.[36]

Aliens
The primary antagonists in Tokyo Mew Mew are aliens who appear on Earth to "reclaim it".[14][11] According to the aliens, their ancestors lived on Earth three million years ago, but left after a series of catastrophes nearly lead to their extinction. The aliens ended up on a planet with an inhospitable surface environment and were forced to live underground by sandstorms and high temperatures. They never forgot about Earth, and when they return they are disgusted by the human inhabitants, as they feel that humans are destroying the planet.[14] The aliens use chimera animas to accelerate the humans' environmental damage to destroy all life, and reclaim the planet.[11]
Deep Blue is the first alien to return, taking the form of a human boy and going to sleep within him.[37] Kish, Pie, and Tart arrive later to remove humans from Earth and allow the remaining aliens to return.[14] After Deep Blue is destroyed, and they are defeated, the aliens return to their own planet with the remaining mew aqua to change their world into a place as beautiful as Earth.[20] The aliens are simply called "aliens" in the manga and the original anime, but the Mew Mew Power adaptation calls them "Cyniclons" and changes their history so that they came from an uninhabitable planet and, jealous of the humans, wishes to make Earth their new home.[38][39] The aliens have no role in Tokyo Mew Mew a la Mode besides appearing in a single panel in the first volume of the sequel when the Mew Mews complain about the aliens having left behind some chimera animas.[12]

Chimera anima
Chimera animas (キメラ・アニマ Kimera Anima?) are blob-shaped parasitic aliens used to infect animals and change them into monsters.[8][11][n 4] The Mew Mews' attacks force the parasites out of the host bodies, after which the host returns to normal and Masha retrieves the parasite by "eating" it.[11] Although Tokyo Mew Mew does not provide any details about the chimera anima after the aliens leaves, Tokyo Mew Mew a La Mode reveals that some were left behind, and are being used by the Saint Rose Crusaders as an aid in their plans for world domination.[12][13] In the anime series, chimera anima also infect plants,[40] human spirits,[41] a fossil,[42] and mew aqua.[43] In the 4Kids Mew Mew Power English adaptation, infected animals are called "Predacytes" and the parasitic aliens, unnamed in the original series, are named "Predacyte Infusors" or "Para Paras" for short.[44][45]

Kish
Kish (キッシュ Kisshu?) is the second of the aliens to return to earth. Introduced at the end of the first volume of the manga, Kish primarily acts in a playful and carefree manner, seeming to enjoying fighting with the Mew Mews and treating it like a game.[8][11] Throughout the series, Kish develops increasingly stronger feelings for Ichigo, first regarding her as an "interesting toy" (that he would kill for his leader), and obsessing over her.[11][15] Kish eventually kidnaps Ichigo, confesses his love, and then demands that she cry because he loves seeing her being frightened.[17] Kish again declares his love to Ichigo towards the end of the series, but attacks and begins strangling her while crying when she rejects him again. He eventually releases her after asking how he can make her love him.[46] Kish is killed after turning against Deep Blue by protecting Ichigo,[19] but is revived with the power of the mew aqua after Deep Blue's defeat. He returns with Pie and Tart to their planet after wishing Ichigo happiness and stealing one final kiss.[19][20] In the anime adaptation, his voice actor is Daisuke Sakaguchi. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation his name is changed to Dren and he is voiced by Andrew Rannells.[47]

Tart
Tart (タルト Taruto?) is one of two aliens who come to Earth to aid Kish after Kish continues losing to the Mew Mews. Energetic and often childish, Tart taunts Kish for losing to the Mew Mews by saying he is weak.[48] He primarily fights using physical attacks and chimera animals, but is also capable of manipulating plants to bind people and attacking with an energy beam.[49][28] Tart shows a distinct dislike for Ichigo and refers to her as an "old woman" when they encounter one another, only to be called a "midget" in return.[49][28] Midway through the series, Tart and Pie capture Pudding and hold her hostage under the Tokyo Dome. While guarding her, Tart appears to be bewildered by her refusal to be scared and her attempts to befriend him. After she is freed by the others, he laughs while looking at some candy she gave him.[28] The anime adaptation expands this incident by having Tart save Pudding's life when she starts to suffocate after the cavern is sealed off.[29] At the end of the manga Pudding kisses him and he tells Pudding that he might return to get another candy drop from her, and leaves for his own world.[19][20] In the anime adaptation, Tart is killed by Pie when he tries to protect the Mew Mews, and revived by the final release of mew aqua at the end of the series.[42][50] He is voiced by Asai Kiyomi. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation his name is changed to Tarb and he is voiced by Jimmy Zoppi.[51]

Pie
Pie (パイ Pai?) comes to Earth with Tart to aid Kish in preparing the planet of the arrival of Deep Blue.[48] He is calm and analytical during his initial attacks on the Mew Mews, scientifically escalating the "mortality rate" of each chimera anima he sends and, when they are defeated, noting that "stronger tactics will be needed".[48][24][14] Unlike Kish and Tart, Pie does not outwardly express his emotions often, and rarely smiles even when taunting the Mew Mews.[52] After Deep Blue's defeat, Pie and the others return to their world.[20] In the anime adaptation, Pie kills Tart for his disloyalty when Tart protects the Mew Mews, but sacrifices himself to protect the Mew Mews after Deep Blue destroys their base and all of the chimera anima.[42] He is revived with the final release of mew aqua at the end of the series.[50] His voice actor is Nobutoshi Kanna. In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation his name is changed to Sardon and he is voiced by Pete Zarustica.[53]

Deep Blue
Deep Blue (ディープ・ブルー Dīpu Burū?) is the leader of the aliens. He came to Earth years before the others and assumed the form of a human boy, Masaya Aoyama, to avoid detection.[14][37] Deep Blue went to sleep within his new body, leaving Masaya with no memories of who or what he really is, but retaining some of Deep Blue's disgust for the way humans were treating the environment. Despite being the primary antagonist, Deep Blue does not actually appear until the end of the sixth volume of the manga. Deep Blue is cold natured, cruel hearted, and will kill anyone who gets in his way. Upon awakening, he attacks and injures Ichigo as he does not share Masaya's love for her,[37] and kills Kish without any hesitation when challenged to a duel.[19] This allows Masaya to temporarily re-emerge and release mew aqua inside his body, killing them both.[19]
The anime adaptation shows Deep Blue as a voice coming from a blue light, to whom Kish gives progress reports,[54] and a shadowed version of his true form is seen when Kish brings him some mew aqua in episode twenty-six.[55] His death is changed in the anime to come at the hands of Mew Ichigo rather than Masaya, though Masaya aids her by taking over the body.[50] To keep the true identity of Deep Blue a secret, his voice actor's name is shown only as a question mark until his identity is revealed in episode forty-nine; after which the credits are changed to list Megumi Ogata (who also voices Masaya and the Blue Knight).[54][56][57] Deep Blue is one of the few characters whose name remains unchanged in the Mew Mew Power dub.[58] The anime slightly modified his role from that of a savior for the aliens to a destructive force that wants to do nothing but destroy the Earth which causes the aliens to turn against him.[42][50] In the Mew Mew Power English adaptation of the anime series, he is voiced by Scottie Ray.