New Trials Character Profile: Mizuki Kai SPOILERS

Name: Mizuki Kai

Alias: Kaitou Magician/ Thief of the Night

Birthday: March 6
Blood Type: O Negative
Favorite Subject: Physics, Computer Science

Least Favorite Subject: Physical Education (not because he's bad at it but because he would rather sleep)
Club: None, but stands in for the Archery Club once in a while
Favorite Color: Blue (but everybody thinks it’s black)
Favorite Flower: Red Rose
Favorite Food: Sukiyaki
Least Favorite: Carrots
Favorite Recipe: Can’t cook
Wish List: Five Force Treasures
Most Prized Possession: Silver locket, periwinkle earrings
Powers: Not much is known expect that it is wind-based
Sidekick: Perro-chan
First Appearance: New Trials Chapter 22: No More Solitude

Mizuki Kai, age sixteen in Arc 2, is by far the most popular original character and the second most popular male character in New Trials of Card Captor Sakura as of Arc 3 (we have not taken any character popularity polls since then). He is first introduced to Sakura-tachi in Arc 2 as the mysterious "Thief of the Night" aka Kaitou Magician. Kaitou Magician was an Interpol Top 20 most wanted criminal spotted around the world including Tokyo, Hong Kong, Paris, Rome, London, and New York. His criminal code no. is 00603. Kai always dresses in black, and his key items are his silver fang earrings, periwinkle studs, leather jacket, silver locket and sunglasses. His eye colors is gray-blue. His natural hair color is a lustrous golden-auburn, but he currently bleaches his hair and spikes it up. He has six piercings in total, three in each ear. There is actually a meaning behind his piercings, which may be revealed later in his series. As Kaitou Magician, his key items are a long black cape with a silver clasp, a fancy top hat and many rose petals for special effect. He likes to vary his outfit underneath, sometimes going for an all-out black tuxedo or sometimes going for a more casual attire like leather pants and black turtleneck. Perro-chan, his pet parakeet and sidekick, might also have some secrets of his own. Perro-chan is usually white but sometimes changes the color of his plumage color to match Kai's mood. His favorite mode of transportation is his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, but he also drives around a modified sports car. 

//BEWARE OF SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT READ UP TO ARC FOUR OF NEW TRIALS//

History

I don't exactly remember why I created Kaitou Magician anymore, except that he was a product of a writer's block. Most original characters were introduced for a specific purpose. But Kaitou Magician just decided to waltz in one day as a guest character and then stuck around and before I knew it, he became pivotal to the plotline and got promoted from recurring character to main character status. I mentioned that Kaitou Magician's first appearance was in Chapter 22, but technically, his first presence would have been in Arc 1's New York Saga, when the sapphire ring was stolen from artist Shing in "Chapter 18: Stalked in New York," so he's been around for a long time. I began writing the Kaitou Magician Origins Special back in 2003, but I had to withhold the chapters over the years because the main plot in New Trials had not reached the point of certain spoilders yet. I am still withholding chapters, but hopefully I can release them concurrently with the end of New Trials.

I remember I chose March 6 as Kai's birthday because that was the birthday of a three-day crush I had on a hot, tall guy I met at a conference in China in high school. Of course his allure was that I only knew him for three days, though we did chat online for a while afterward, and I never saw him again. Kaitou Magician's Criminal No. is 00603 because 603 was my code name for this short-lived crush. Am I the only one who had code numbers for crushes in school days? Anyhow, hence Miho's birthday is June 3.

Mizuki Kai is fun to write about because though he gives off the impression that he is really complex and mysterious, he's actually quite simple and single-minded in his actions. He inherited his artistic temperament from his father and his meticulousness, observation skills, and logic from his journalist mother. I felt rather protective of young "Tanaka Mikai" while writing the Kaitou Magician Origins, whereas a lot of times in New Trials, I want to bonk Kai on the head for the choices he makes. The Kaitou Magician Origins Special is the growing process of young Tanaka Mikai and how he got to be who he is in New Trials. He is the oldest son of Tanaka Keisuke, the president of Kinhoshi Electronics and Mizuki Mayura, a renowned journalist. He absolutely dotes upon his younger sister, two years his junior, Tanaka Miho. Origins explores Mikai's transformation from being a model student and "prince" of Eitoukou Elementary to losing his father and leaving home to find a cure for his sick mother and how he eventually becomes the most notorious phantom thief in the world. 

By the time Mizuki Kai makes his first appearance in New Trials Arc 2, he is already a seasoned thief, Kaitou Magician, set upon stealing the Five Force Treasures. But in the process of being shot by a bullet, having a microchip planted on his most prized silver locket, and evading police, Kaitou Magician becomes indebted to Sakura and her crew and grows to become a valuable ally.

Kai is the most street smart of the whole New Trials crew. In the four years since he left home till he met Sakura-tachi, he has seen a lot of life, the depravity of human nature and the underworld of society. It's slightly different from Black Dragon Li Jinyu and the mafia, because the mafia too abides by certain codes of honor and strict hierarchy. The world that Kai was thrown into was a world without law and order, reason or logic. Kai might on the surface appear like an idealist but in actuality, he probably is the most cynical of the bunch because of the experiences he has been through. Unlike Sakura's circle of friends, he has long lost faith in humankind. He endured everything with his single-minded resolve to restore everything that was lost to his sister back to her. But the real reason he cannot return to Miho is because he has seen the dark side of human nature, and once he had seen that, he could not return back to his own naive ideals as a child. It is not so much that he doesn't believe good and salvation exists but rather that paradise has been lost to him because he has become tainted by biting into the forbidden fruit; hence he tries to shelter Miho as much as he can because he wants to protect the beauty of the world in Miho's eyes. Miho is the one thing that kept him from completely tipping over to the dark side; Sakura is lucky because Kai probably had the potential to become a very dangerous enemy should he have walked that path. Meilin and Sakura are slowly having a positive influence on Kai, though, and his joining Sakura's Alliance of the Stars in Arc 4 is a sign of his growth.

Relationships

Tanaka Mikai, though he got along with everybody in elementary school, actually had no close friends because his popularity made it difficult for people to approach him comfortably, and he too also likes to keep a distance from people. That is why he was drawn to Kamura Karin. Currently Kai still gets along with everybody at Seijou High School, since he is good-natured and hasn't quite lost his "ouji-sama" flair. Even the teachers actually like him a lot despite his truancy, hence he gets away with doing a lot more things than any other students. 

Tanaka Miho: Kai is extremely protective of his younger sister to the point of obsession. Everything he does is to protect Miho. Kai actually is very awkward around a teenage Miho and doesn't know how to act around her and also has the worst case of "sister complex" out of any of his peers.

Li Meilin: Kaitou Magician initially kidnapped Li Meilin in the middle of the Seijou Junior High cultural festival. The two had a volatile relationship because of their bad start. He is currently dating Meilin, though he never officially asked her out. What he likes best about Meilin is her hair. What he likes least about Meilin is her buns hairstyle. (Meilin: Really Kai? Really? That's what you like me for? Kai: Well, that, and you're a good cook.) Kai has a phobia of losing the people he loves the most, so he has a tendency to push away Meilin just when they get closer. They fight a dozen times a day because Meilin is hot-tempered and because Kai is so laid back about everything, he aggravates her. Their story is somewhat more complicated than what appears on the surface, hence they have a long road ahead of them.

Kinomoto Sakura: Kai actually dotes upon Sakura and sees her as a younger sister of sorts. He was really moved when Sakura tried to heal his bullet wound and also took the locket to remove the microchip in their summer escapade.

Li Syaoran: Though both Kai and Syaoran are both too embarrassed to admit it, they are to each other the closest thing to a best friend they ever had. They disagree on almost everything, but they also share certain values, such as their dedication to their families, and they have an unspoken respect for each other that nobody else really gets. Kai, even though he was student council president and on good terms with everyone in elementary school, actually wasn't close to anyone, so this may be the first time he's had a male friend close to his own age.Since they are next door neighbors, Syaoran often brings over extra food for Kai, who cannot cook. They are also unwilling the stars of Tomoyo's most popular feature film to date, "The Forbidden Trials of Small Wolf and the Nefarious Thief of the Night."

Daidouji Tomoyo: The two can be best called partners in crime. Tomoyo sometimes intimidates Kai, and he secretly believes that if Tomoyo ever fell to the dark side, she would be the ultimate criminal mastermind. Tomoyo gets a lot of help from Kai when she needs to do heavy editing for her films and for technology-related questions. He also installs all her hidden cameras for her when she needs to get special multi-angle shots of Sakura in action.

Hiiragizawa Eriol: Eriol is the person Kai dislikes the most; he is also most thankful to Eriol for looking after his sister, but Kai hates feeling in debt. He's actually extremely jealous because Miho seems to follow Eriol more now.

Mizuki Kaho: It's not shown much in the series, but the two have actually gotten a lot closer recently, especially as Kai gets Kaho's oddities, finding her ambiance rather similar to Mizuki Mayura-sama's. Kaho saved Kai's life by transferring her blood to him. The two enjoy archery together. 

Kara Reed: Kamura Karin was Mikai's first love, and she also abandoned him when he needed her the most. The two have always had a mutual understanding of each other and are interlinked so deeply that in a sense, Karin will always be Mikai's one true love. So we wonder what Kara Reed means to him now.

Perro-chan: Kai's cheeky pet parakeet, whose real identity is finally revealed in Chapter 73 of New Trials. Perro-chan has been with Kai through his early days as Kaitou Magician, and how Kai first met Perro-chan will also be later revealed in "Kaitou Magician Origins."

Kero-chan: Kai and Kero-chan are gaming partners. To date, Kero-chan has never beaten Kai in a video game.

Leon Reed: The first Kaitou Magician, and Kai's mentor, father-figure, and closest thing to a friend he had. Fun tidbit is that Kaitou Magician's Criminal No. is 00603 because it dates back to a nickname for the original Kaitou Magician. When the first Kaitou Magician appeared some 20 years ago in London, there were rumors that the handsome and dashing gentleman thief was actually a member of the British peerage. Before the name "Kaitou Magician" became known, this phantom thief in his early days was nicknamed "Earl of darkness" by some members of the police forces in Europe, based on the theory he was actually a noble. The name was a mouthful to say, so it was abbreviated to "Eod." During this time, the thief was obsessed with stealing mirrors, and one young police officer in Tokyo misread a note with "Eod" written on it reflected off from a mirror as "603," and the number somehow stuck. Japanese police began calling the gentleman thief "Kaitou Magician" and that name became what he was most well known as. Coincidentally, Leon Reed's direct ancestor, Laurence Reed, Lord Landon Reed's older brother inherited an earldom and if the family didn't fall into destitute and squander away all their property, Leon would have been the only surviving heir. That is why I indirectly mention "Earl of darkness" in Chapter 47: Shredded Fantasy.  

Nina: Kai grew to have a soft spot for young Nina while she was hospitalized at the Kinhoshi Hospital, perhaps reminded of his own sister Miho. Nina follows Kai's every word and absolutely adores him. But perhaps Kai initially approached Nina with nefarious motives, knowing her links to the Kinomoto family. However, he truly grew attached to the little girl, and even now, he drops by Eitoukou Kindergarten once in a while to give her presents and listen to her chatter about her new friends and family. Below is a really old rough sketch of Kai and little Nina at the hospital.

Music Spotlight:
 
ONE OK ROCK - "We Are"



I previously mentioned Magic's "Don't Kill the Magic" as a good theme song for the suave Kaitou Magician. "We Are" sort of fits the desperation and frustration in his youth as Tanaka Mikai See lyrics.

Happy Birthday Mizuki Kai!