InSailor Moon, the meaning of Tuxedo Mask’s name is simple enough to discern for his heroic persona – he wears a tuxedo and a mask. His other names have far more significance, however. Mamoru Chiba and Endymion reveal a lot about his role within the series.

Tuxedo Mask is one of the most popular characters in the Sailor Moon manga. This manga series began serialization in 1991. Written by Naoko Takeuchi, it follows the adventures of the titular heroine and her fellow Sailor Guardians. Throughout the series, Sailor Moon receives a lot of help from her love, Mamoru Chiba, who goes by the codename Tuxedo Mask. However, Mamoru also has a third name: Endymion.

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A closer look at Mamoru Chiba’s name, as well as his Moon Kingdom name – Endymion – reveals deeper significance. Mamoru and Chiba are Japanese names. Mamoru means “to protect” and Chiba means “place”. This makes him the literal protector or defender of “this place” – with this place being Earth, which is revealed to be his kingdom once his and Sailor Moon’s memories are restored. This restoration also reveals his original name as Endymion, which is a direct reference to Greek mythology – a popular source of inspiration within this series.

Endymion in Greek mythology was a son of Zeus. His occupation isn’t certain, though it allowed him to spend time watching the stars. He is said to have potentially been a shepherd, king, hunter, or an astronomer. Nonetheless, he loved looking up at the moon and he fell in love with Selene, the goddess of the moon – and a Titan. She also loved him and in some iterations of the myth, they were married and had children. This is very important to Tuxedo Mask’s identity since he loves the goddess of the moon – Sailor Moon’s royal name is Selene. The two loved each other in their past lives and he died protecting her, though they promised to be together in another life.

These names further cement his role within the series. He is destined to love Sailor Moon and be her husband. He comes from a kingdom that used to exist on Earth and is a prince. Sailor Moon, the other Sailor Guardians, and Tuxedo Mask all work together to protect not just the moon, but also the Earth from evil. This continues his original role of being a protector of his home, which Sailor Moon inhabits in her future life as Usagi Tsukino when the manga begins. At first glance, the manga seems to rush their relationship and his Tuxedo Mask identity is rather simplistic. However, when the depth of their history is revealed and his names are taken into consideration, there is a lot more at work than a quick teen romance and general heroics.

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are destined to be together and have lived many lives. The two fight for each other and protect each other. They never give up on one another, making their love one written in the cosmos. It can be perceived as an unrealistic love, but it is meant to. Their love is one based on larger than life mythology. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask’s love could literally be written in the stars – and it becomes obvious when considering Mamoru’s many names.

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Samantha King
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Samantha King is a Comic News Writer for Screen Rant. She has a B.A. in English & American Literature with a concentration in Shakespeare and a minor in Creative Writing from UTEP. She also has a M.S. in Library Science from the University of North Texas.

Samantha used to get in trouble for reading comics in class back in high school, but she gets the last laugh. She took a graphic novel course in college and now gets paid to write about comics. She runs her own blog at: www.therealworldaccordingtosam.blogspot.com

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