Maru

is a supporting character who appeared in Ultraman Mebius. He is the secretary of Aide Toriyama.
==Personality==
As Toriyama's secretary, Maru possesses a character characterized by reverent obedience. He holds deep respect for Toriyama and always strives to please him, catering to his expectations and commands in an effort to earn his favor. However, due to occasionally speaking out of turn, he often faces reprimands or incurs the displeasure of Toriyama, leading him to experience difficulties.
Furthermore, his comical behavior frequently surfaces throughout the series. He often displays exaggerated gestures and expressions, injecting a lighthearted atmosphere into the team. Despite not possessing considerable strength, he holds a strong sense of responsibility and consistently adheres to the attitude of "when it's time to get things done, they should be done." He occasionally reveals a clever and quick-witted side.
In comparison to Toriyama, Maru is better at gaining the trust of the GUYS members.
==History==
===Ultraman Mebius===
Maru serves as the Secretary of Aide at GUYS JAPAN, primarily responsible for assisting Toriyama in attending meetings, press conferences, and handling logistical matters. Due to Earth not having faced monster attacks for 25 years, they both have been in a relatively relaxed state. However, during a leisure activity at a golf course, they suddenly receive a communication from Misaki, informing them that Earth is about to be invaded by a monster codenamed "Dinozaur." GUYS forces from various countries have been given orders to engage in combat.
Subsequently, Maru accompanies Toriyama back to headquarters but en route receives news of the complete annihilation of the GUYS forces.
With Ultraman Mebius appearing on Earth and successfully repelling Dinozaur, the newly formed members of GUYS gather together. As most members of the new team come from civilian backgrounds, Maru and Toriyama initially harbor doubts about their abilities and reliability. However, through collaborative mission completion, the team members gradually establish genuine bonds of trust.
Not long after the Daigarugu incident, during a routine press conference, Toriyama inadvertently revealed confidential information and potential risks associated with the "METEOR". As a result, Toriyama and Maru were summoned to the director's office and reprimanded by Misaki. Observing Toriyama's disappointment, Maru felt sympathetic towards the situation.
Shortly after, in order to participate in the "Hameln Project" inspection, Misaki and Toriyama, as high-ranking officials of GUYS, were invited to visit the project. To avoid encountering Misaki, Toriyama used the pretext of having a stomachache and requested Maru to go to the research facility on his behalf. Before departing, he eavesdropped on a conversation between Misaki and the director and learned that she seemed to have news about meeting with the Director.
In order to fulfill Toriyama's aspiration to meet the Director, Maru and Misaki visited the research center to observe the "Hameln Project" experiment. Maru temporarily left the scene under the pretense of needing to use the restroom, while actually searching for the Director around the facility. However, Arstron's interference due to Kelbim's transfer frequency wave affected its movement on land, leading it toward the research center. Upon noticing Maru's absence among the evacuees, Misaki stayed behind in the building to search for him, resulting in both being trapped in the ruins caused by Arstron's impact.
Maru felt a deep sense of guilt and offered his apologies to Misaki. He explained that his reason for leaving the scene was to locate the director, who might have been at the research center. In response, Misaki clarified that Maru had misunderstood the conversation he overheard. In reality, she was discussing plans for a meeting scheduled at the headquarters next month with the director. 
Understanding this, Maru openly disclosed his genuine intentions to Misaki and explained the reason for Toriyama's absence during the observation. This stemmed from Toriyama's reservations about Misaki. As Toriyama's secretary, Maru keenly witnessed Toriyama's diminishing confidence following recent setbacks. Driven by the aspiration to uplift Toriyama's spirits, Maru sought to locate the Director. He hoped for the Director to provide solace to Toriyama and reignite his passion. Maru further emphasized to Misaki that, despite Toriyama's potential traits of frugality, timidity, and narrow-mindedness, he also possessed a kind-hearted aspect.
Later, he bravely stepped forward to rescue Misaki, shielding her from the onslaught of debris, but he himself suffered a severe blow to the head. In their moment of peril, Ryu, who had come for the rescue, timely spotted them. After safely leaving the research center, through observing the interaction between Arstron and Kelbim, he learned about their hierarchical relationship resembling that of a superior and subordinate. Kelbim controlled Arstron through the manipulation of resonating sound waves and vibrations, a key aspect of their collaboration.
As the two monsters were ultimately resolved with the assistance of the arriving Sakomizu and Mebius, he guided Toriyama to the Director's office. However, they found no trace of the Director there. In contrast, Misaki revealed to them that she had received a message from the Director. Sakomizu then explained the message's content, including: "You have exceptionally skilled subordinates; they must have been won over by your character. Please share these valuable experiences and your spirit of inclusivity with the young members of GUYS JAPAN." This brought about the fulfillment of Toriyama's wish.
In another incident, Maru once deduced through observing Misaki that she might be engaged in a classified mission, possibly related to the appearance of the "Red Specter" at the base. As a result, the two of them conducted surveillance on Misaki and her group. However, when Toriyama was mistakenly pursued by the police due to a misunderstanding, Maru revealed his astute side by resolutely choosing to abandon Toriyama to protect himself. Later that evening, upon returning to the base, the two of them were startled once again by the reappearance of the "Red Specter."
Prior to the impending final battle, due to his and Toriyama's inspection of overseas bases, they remained unaware of the events unfolding within Japan. However, upon their return to the base, through media reports by Mitsuhiko Hirukawa, they learned of the revelation that Mirai was the true identity of Ultraman Mebius, as well as the incident where Sakomizu unveiled his own true identity to the group. This led him to gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
Subsequently, he joined forces with fellow team members to collectively work towards saving the Earth from the threat posed by Alien Empera. Even in the face of challenging circumstances for human resistance, he, along with others, upheld the belief of "not allowing anyone to become a sacrifice," and persisted in the fight.
After the defeat of Alien Empera, as Mirai departed from Earth, Maru and the other team members bid him farewell.
===Ultraman Mebius Gaiden: Armored Darkness===
Two years later, Maru is still in GUYS to continue his duties as Secretary Aide.
==Gallery==
===Ultraman Mebius===
Juukichi Toriyama OP.png
Juukichi Toriyama 007.png
Maru 002.png
Juukichi Toriyama 010.png
Maru 004.png
Maru 005.png
Maru 008.png
Maru 009.png
Juukichi Toriyama 021.png
Maru 011.png
Juukichi Toriyama 022.png
Juukichi Toriyama 25.png
Juukichi Toriyama 030.png
Juukichi Toriyama 032.png
Juukichi Toriyama 036.png
Maru 010.png
Maru 012.png|Maru with his wife
Maru 013.png
===Ultraman Mebius Gaiden: Armored Darkness===
Aide Toriyama OV 1.png
Maru OV 1.png
Maru OV 2.png
===Miscellaneous===
Maru Miscellaneous 1.jpeg
Aide Toriyama Miscellaneous 2.png
Aide Toriyama Miscellaneous 3.png
==Trivia==
*Maru's name is derived from the designer Hiroshi Maruyama.宇宙船編集部 編『ウルトラマンメビウス アーカイブ・ドキュメント』ISBN 978-4-257-03745-3
*According to Maru's recollection, it can be inferred that he had actually established his own family and was living with his wife.
==References==
Category:Ultraman Mebius
Category:Ultraman Mebius Characters
Category:Human Characters
Category:Male Characters
Category:Allies
Category:GUYS Members
Category:GUYS