Shugo Chara! is a Japanese shōjo manga created by the manga author duo Peach-Pit. The story centers on elementary schoolgirl Amu Hinamori, whose popular exterior, referred to as "cool and spicy" by her classmates, contrasts with her introverted personality. When Amu wishes for the courage to be reborn as her would-be self, she is surprised to find three colorful eggs the next morning, which hatch into three Guardian Characters: Ran, Miki, and Su.
Peach-Pit uses Amu to explore differences between one's true self and the self that is presented to others. Like Jun Sakurada in Peach-Pit's previous work, Rozen Maiden, Amu tackles issues such as alienation and fitting in at school. Unlike most heroines in other magical girl series, Amu is neither the perfect sweetheart nor a complete klutz. Amu gets grumpy and frequently talks back to others in contrast to the polite schoolgirls that fill the genre.
Amu's Guardian Characters—Ran, Miki, Su, and later Dia—aid her in her quest of self-discovery. Each Guardian Character represents an aspect of Amu's true self. Ran represents Amu's desire to be more honest and athletic, Miki represents Amu's desire to be more level headed and artistic, Su represents Amu's desire to be more caring and improve her domestic skills, while Diamond represents Amu's desire to shine in front of others and be a good speaker. Moreover, the Guardian Characters are more than mere mascots who help Amu learn about her true self. They can also perform a "Character Change" where Amu's personality is replaced by an entirely different one.
However, Amu is not the only one with Guardian Characters. Each of the Guardians—Tadase Hotori, Nadeshiko Fujisaki, Kukai Soma, and Yaya Yuiki—have their own Guardian Characters. Amu also encounters Ikuto Tsukiyomi and Utau Hoshina(Tsukiyomi), two siblings who also have Guardian Characters and are employed by the Easter Company to search for the Embryo.
Eventually, Nadeshiko Fujisaki and Kukai Soma leave the Guardians and are replaced by Rima Mashiro and Kairi Sanjo, respectively. Kairi later leaves and is replaced by Nagihiko Fujisaki, Nadeshiko's real identity.
Main characters Amu Hinamori , the series' protagonist, is a student at Seiyo Elementary School. Amu's classmates see her as "cool and spicy". She can be identified as a tsundere (cold and mean to opening up to other people), but her true character is shy and timid. Part of the reason for this misunderstanding is the trendy punk goth clothing her mother buys for her as well as the way she expresses her shyness. However, when Amu wishes for the courage to become her would-be self, three colorful eggs appear. When they hatch, they reveal Amu's Guardian Characters: Ran, Miki, and Su.
Amu becomes a member of the Guardians, the school's student council, and discovers that each member has a Guardian Character. Amu's position with the Guardians is the Joker. Her task as the Joker is to search for and purify X Eggs and X Characters (also, in the second season, she purifies Mystery Eggs, the corrupted forms of people's would-be selves). Ran, Miki, and Su help Amu with her task through a process called Character Transformation, which is enabled by the Humpty Lock and grants Amu special abilities depending on the Guardian Character. Later on, Amu also creates a fourth egg, known as Diamond. In the second season, when Amu shows her true potential, the Humpty Lock increases in power. Thus, new transformation scenes are used.
Amu's main love interests are Tadase Hotori and Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Throughout the first half of the series, Amu has a crush on Tadase and blushes every time she is in his presence. She initially regarded Ikuto as a jerk and pervert, but she grew close to him as he aided her countless times. When Ikuto first confesses his love to her, she thinks he is teasing her and dismisses him. When Tadase asks Amu if it is okay for him to fall in love with her, she is thrilled at the progress in their relationship but soon finds herself drawn to Ikuto. She is saddened when Ikuto decides to leave in search of his father. Because of this, she realizes that she truly loves Ikuto. After he confesses to her and kisses her close to the lips, she refuses to admit her feelings for him, which prompts Ikuto to make a deal with her that he will get her to fall in love with him. In chapter 48, Amu confesses to Tadase's older self that she had liked him for his outer character. Although they have a much better relationship than before, Amu remains stubborn about her feelings for Ikuto. In the final chapter of Shugo Chara Encore, she is happy to reunite with him and is seen holding hands with him at Sanjou and Nikaidou's wedding. Amu's primary rival is Utau Hoshina, Ikuto's younger sister, who is jealous that Ikuto shows an interest in Amu instead of her. They soon become good friends after Utau leaves Easter.
Amu gains the Dumpty Key from Yoru and uses it to unlock the Humpty Lock. In some of the later chapters, when Amu opens the Humpty Lock with the Dumpty Key, she and Tadase see more of Ikuto's past. Their journey ends when the Amu Character transforms with Diamond, and she and Ikuto fight briefly. Ran, Miki, Su, and Diamond all combine their powers, making the Amu character transform into Amulet Fortune and the Ikuto character transform into Seven Seas Treasure.
Amu ventures to the Eggs' Cradle, a place where unborn and "lost" Shugo Chara reside, to search for four coloured shards representing each of her Shugo Chara in an attempt to bring Ran, Miki and Su back. In chapter 44, Diamond tells Amu that Ran, Miki and Su have "disappeared" and that she will help Amu find them as her "navigator". Diamond becomes Amu's guide in the Eggs' Cradle in Amu's search for the four coloured shards. She finally comes to terms with the loss of her Guardian Characters at the end of the journey, however as she returns she realizes that she has Ran, Miki, Su and Diamond back in Egg form much to her relief and later joy as they are reborn later in Shugo Chara! Encore. She is portrayed by Yuuka Maeda in the musical.
Ran is the first to hatch from Amu's eggs and represents her desire to be more honest, confident and athletic. Ran is frequently cheering Amu on. During Character Change, Amu gains increased athletic abilities. During Character Transformation, Amu becomes Amulet Heart, with a cheerleader inspired outfit. In chapter 38, Ran undergoes a new Character Transformation, along with Miki, Su, and Diamond becoming Amulet Fortune. In chapter 44, she disappears along with Miki and Su, and later Diamond as well when Amu no longer needs them. In Shugo Chara! Encore at the very end of the last chapter, she and Amu's other Shugo Chara emerge and hatch again at Sanjou and Nikaidou's wedding much to Amu's joy. Her theme color is pink.
The second Guardian Character to hatch is Miki. Miki represents Amu's desire to be sharper, level headed, and artistic. Miki also helps Amu make fashion choices. Reflecting Amu's love interests, Miki has shown an interest in Tadase's Guardian Character, Kiseki; Ikuto's Guardian Character, Yoru; Kukai's Guardian Character, Daichi; and Nagihiko's Guardian Character, Rhythm. During Character Change, Amu gains increased artistic abilities. During Character Transformation, Amu becomes Amulet Spade. In chapter 38, Miki undergoes a new Character Transformation with Ran, Su, and Diamond becoming Amulet Fortune. In Shugo Chara! Doki, Miki is the only one of Amu's Guardian Characters to be able to sense Mystery Eggs clearly. In chapter 44, she disappears along with Ran and Su, and later Diamond as well when Amu no longer needs them. In Shugo Chara Encore, she returns along with the others and together they catch the wedding bouquet for Amu who accidentally threw it back in the air again. Her theme color is blue.
The third Guardian Character, Su, represents Amu's desire to be more caring, sensitive and improve her domestic skills. However, Su is prone to silly mistakes. She is very fond of Amu's teacher, Yuu Nikaidou. Amu cooking and cleaning skills improve during Character Change. She also becomes "too girly". During Character Transformation, Amu becomes Amulet Clover with an outfit just like Su's. In chapter 38, Su undergoes a new Character Transformation with Ran, Miki, and Diamond becoming Amulet Fortune. In chapter 44, she disappears along with Miki and Ran, and later Diamond as well when Amu no longer needs them. She and the others make an unexpected return toward the end of the last chapter of Shugo Chara Encore as they appear to be reborn from Amu's feelings. Her theme color is green.
Diamond is Amu's fourth Guardian Character. Diamond represents Amu's desire to calmer and more optimistic. She is shown to be an air-headed character who always speaks with a soft voice. In Japanese versions, her name is shortened to Dia. She is a unique Guardian Character, who only appears and uses her powers when she senses Amu's strong desire to help others. Before hatching, she became an X Egg and left after Amu lost confidence in adjusting to the changes happening in the spring semester. Her egg is later found by Utau, while collecting X Eggs with Yukari. Unusually, she is not shaped like the usual X Character; she looks like a normal Guardian Character, but with a white X-shaped clip covering her black diamond-shaped clip. Because of this, Amu does not know her true name. X-Diamond is able to character change with Utau to extract more X-eggs from people. They can also Character Transform with Utau, becoming Dark Jewel, however, the transformation does not last very long. When Amu is finally able to prove to Diamond that she does have enough confidence to shine she reverts into her true original form. Together they undergo a Character Transformation, becoming Amulet Diamond. Afterward, Diamond returns to her egg until Amu's desires to "shine again", but secretly comes out as a spirit at times. In chapter 38, Diamond finally returns and helps Amu to lift Ikuto's spirit. They then character transform and help Ikuto, She, Ran, Miki, and Su combine powers with Amu becoming Amulet Fortune. In chapter 44, Diamond tells Amu that Ran, Miki and Su have "disappeared" and that she will help Amu find them as her "navigator". Diamond becomes Amu's guide in the Eggs' Cradle in Amu's search for the four colored shards. Coming to terms with herself and the future, Amu accepts the loss of her Guardian Characters and Diamond disappears as well, guaranteeing that the four of them will always be watching over her. In Shugo Chara! Encore, Diamond and the other three have hatched again and catch Amu's thrown bouquet. When Amu Character Changes with Diamond in Shugo Chara! Party's Shugo Chara Dokki Doki, Amu does not really do much but smile and sparkle, disappointing Ran, Miki, and Su. Her theme color is yellow.
Tadase Hotori