Tetsuya Tsurugi

Tetsuya is the main character of the anime Great Mazinger.

Tetsuya was an orphan kid who was raised by Kenzo Kabuto to pilot the Humongous Mecha he was developing and repel the Mykene invasion Kenzo and his father -Dr. Kabuto, creator of Mazinger Z- were frightened of.

Tetsuya seemed proud -and irritatingly so- on the surface, but deep down he was insecure and frightened of being alone. He had been a lonely kid until Kenzo took him in. He felt Professor Kabuto had given him a home and someone whom to call "father", and he would do anything for him. Thus, if his adoptive father asked him piloting a machine war to fight and crush an ancient Empire of giant beings, then, by God, he would do so!

Unfortunately he completely devoted his life to pilot Great Mazinger and take down the Mykene Empire. He trained and honed his skills because he wanted to make his father proud, and he always refused quitting or fleeing because in his mind it would mean letting his father down. However his interpersonal skills were severely limited and not only could he be pretty rude at times, but he was for a long time oblivious to his partner's obvious advances.

When Kouji Kabuto returned, Tetsuya got afraid and jealousy, fearing everyone -including Kenzo- would forget about him, and he would lose his father and the only thing gave meaning to his existence: piloting Great Mazinger. So, he got aggressive, hostile and confrontational, and even he refused helping Kouji when he needed him.

He rued doing so. His jealousy and envy did cost him dearly, and he vowed himself he would never let them overwhelm him again.

Although similar to Kouji in some aspects –such as being a Hotblooded Idiot Hero-, he was also pretty different. Where Kouji was carefree and enthusiastic, Tetsuya was serious, focused, gloomy and cranky. He was completely focused on his duty whereas Kouji had a life beyond of piloting Mazinger Z. Maybe due to him being older, Tetsuya was slightly more mature than his predecessor. He did not find funny mocking from his friends’ misfortunes and he did not actively try to piss Jun off. However, unlike Kouji, he didn’t outgrow his competitiveness.