Nezumikozou

Full Name

Chukichi

Japanese Name

ボ・ボクねずみ小僧だい！

(Bo boku nezumi kozō dai!)

Alternate Names

Nezumi Kozō, Chukichi

Birthday

March 3rd

Place of Birth

Edo (Former Tokyo)

Gender

Male

Hometown

Edo

Species

Human

Personality

Hobbies

Making dango

Skills

Is able to transform using a tri-colored dango

Likes

Taking naps

Description

Usually a shy and timid boy, but once he becomes Nezumikozou, he becomes the champion of justice!

Family and Friends

Mother

Unnamed Mother

Father

Unnamed Father, who is also a samurai

Friends

Okiku (Secret Crush), Koban Cat, Onori, Ohan

Enemies

Zenitsu Heiji

Occupation

Job Title

Part time at a rice bowl shop

Creation

Debut

1984

Created By

Noriyo Torigai

Voiced By

Junko Hori

Nezumikozou (ボ・ボクねずみ小僧だい！, Bo boku nezumi kozō dai!) is a male human Sanrio character. He's usually quiet, but when he transforms into a mouse boy, he's full of energy! Okiku-chan is my best friend.

Etymology[]

The word nezumi means "rat"' or "mouse" and kozō translates to "kid, brat". The term kozō is a somewhat pejorative word for any young male.

His alternative Japanese name ボ・ボクねずみ小僧だい！translates to "I, I am Mouse Boy!".

The name Chukichi is also based on a pun, with the chu part of the name being the onomatopoeia for mouse sounds in Japan. His name may also be based on Jirokichi Nakamura's name.

Characters[]

Chukichi/Nezumikozou: Chukichi is a shy, timid boy who has the power to transform into his more confident alter ego, Nezumikozou, thanks to the power of his tri-colored dango. He is the only son of a samurai, and in his downtime, Chukichi likes to make dango and take naps. He has a secret crush on Okiku, his best friend.
- As Nezumikozou, he wanders around the village of Edo at night, fighting crimes and solving them all while equipped with special tools he uses to aid him.

Koban Cat : A cat whose name is based on Koban^[1], an early Japanese currency used during the Edo period.
Okiku (Voiced by Yuko Mita) : The most popular girl in the village, she is Chukichi's best friend (and secret crush!). Although she's gentle and pretty, Okiku is very strong; she can handle weapons and is skilled in karate and judo.

Trivia[]

In the 227th edition of Strawberry News, readers were asked to come up with names for Nezumikozou (around 600 letters in total were sent in). Some names that were suggested included Chonmage, Momo Daifuku, Sanshoku Kozu, Dangoro, Kasuke, and Marutarou before Chukichi was finally chosen.

Nezumikozou is based on Nakamura Jirokichi^[2] who shared the same nickname and was a famous Japanese thief and folk hero who lived in Edo during the Edo period.

Nezumikozou appeared in a comic series starring him in the Strawberry News titled "The Great Edo Catch Tale, Mouse Boy".
Nezumikozou has starred in a short anime film of his own titled Ooedo Torimonochou: Nezumi Kozou. He also makes an appearance in the film Sam to Chip no wa Hachamecha Dai Race as a member of the crowd alongside other characters from his universe, such as Okiku and Koban Cat.
- Nezumikozou makes an appearance in the crowd among other characters like MINNA NO TABO and Bibinba during the beginning of Pokopon no Satogaeri.
- He also appears in Kitty to Mimmy no Happy Birthday albeit in the form of a music box figurine.
A possibly unreleased duet styled theme song exists for Nezumikozou titled "I am Mouse Boy / Our Idol Girl Okiku". When the song was first made, it was a hit among the Sanrio staff, with many of them singing it as they worked.
- A similar song was released a few years after the initial Strawberry News announcement on a Sanrio album titled いちご新聞増刊号　いちごのうた～たあ坊のがんばる宣言, however this version (simply titled ねずみ小僧/Nezumikozou) has slightly different lyrics and Okiku's parts aren't included.