グレートマジンガー
is an orphan young man raised by Dr. Kenzo Kabuto along with his friend Jun, and trained to be the pilot of Great Mazinger ever since he was young. At first shown only as a bad-tempered young man with a heart of gold under his hot-headness, he later develops a strong jealousy against his adoptive brother Koji. Tetsuya served as the main character in "Great Mazinger" and first appeared in the final episode of "Mazinger Z". In "Shin Mazinger Z Impact", Tsurugi's background is modified towards an implication that he is the biological younger brother of Tsubasa Nishikiori. This twist, in turn, makes him an uncle to Koji and Shiro as well as brother-in-law to Professor Kenzo Kabuto. He also takes up the codename "Blade" as the initially mysterious pilot of the Great Mazinger.