Tetsuya Tsurugi (Kaiser)

Tetsuya Tsurugi (剣 鉄也 Tsurugi Tetsuya) is a protagonist in the Mazinkaiser OVA. He is the pilot of both the prototype and final version of the Great Mazinger.

Background
Most of Tetsuya's background is unknown, aside from being close to his childhood friend Jun Hono and being an ace pilot. Rather than being trained to pilot the Great Mazinger, he was recruited by the Photon Power Laboratory for his reputation.

Appearance
Tetsuya's appearance in Mazinkaiser is identical to his original appearance with a unique dark brown colored hairstyle. His pilot suit is usually colored red and black and wears a white helmet that partly resembles the head of the Great Mazinger. His civilian clothes consist of a blue jacket worn over black clothes and white pants.

Personality
Tetsuya is a determined fighter, confident in the power of the Great Mazinger even when the robot is badly damaged. He is willing to protect and assist the people he cares about even if it means fighting against allies like Koji Kabuto and risk his very life. He is close with his friend Jun Hono and has a begrudging respect towards Koji.

Abilities
Tetsuya is an ace pilot, especially with the Great Mazinger robots. He was able to pilot the complete Great Mazinger in a small amount of time and pilot it with the same skills as its prototype. His will to fight is also a strong weapon, allowing him to fight staggering odds such as an army of Mechanical Beasts with a weakened Great.

History
Tetsuya fought alongside Koji and the others in the initial battle against Baron Ashura. The fight didn't end well: Mazinger Z got captured, Koji went missing and the remaining robots suffer heavy damage. After Jun rescued the team with a remote controlled Great Booster, they returned to the Photon Power Laboratory.

Before they were able to recover, Baron Ashura attacked again. With a modified Mazinger Z - the Ashura Mazinger - and a few Mechanical Beasts at his disposal, Ashura was too much for Tetsuya and his still damaged Great Mazinger. When all hope seems lost, a new Mazinger appeared. Mazinkaiser made short work of the enemy forces but then turned his attacks to the Photon Power Laboratory. Tetsuya, Sayaka, Boss and Shiro tried to call out to Koji to no avail. As Mazinkaiser was about to unleash his Fire Blaster over Great Mazinger, he suddenly stopped.

As Koji woke up from the infirmary, Tetsuya was impressed with Kaiser before deploying again to fight another wave of Mechanical Beasts despite the three scientists and Jun's insistence not to. When Aphrodite A was captured and torn apart, Tetsuya encouraged Koji to fight on rather than surrender as he had Great destroy some of the Mechanical Beasts, especially with help from the Great Booster. As Kaiser destroyed Gool, Tetsuya and Jun left the Photon Power Lab for Tetsuya to recover from his injuries and repair Great.

Later when Kaiser is in danger from the recently revealed Ghost Mechanical Beasts. Tetsuya comes to the rescue with the finalized Great Mazinger and the Kaiser Scrander. Tetsuya advises Koji to go fight Dr. Hell while he fights against the Mechanical Beasts. After a while, Tetsuya manages to have Great destroy the Mechanical Beasts. At the end of the battle, Tetsuya merely smiles as he hears Koji and Kaiser come back from Hell Castle.