Chachamaru Karakuri

Chachamaru Karakuri
Negima! Magister Negi Magi character
Created by	Ken Akamatsu
In-universe information
Species	Robot
Gender	Female

Chachamaru Karakuri (絡繰 茶々丸, Karakuri Chachamaru), is a fictional character from the manga series Negima!: Magister Negi Magi, created by Ken Akamatsu. The 10th student in Japanese alphabetical order of class 2/3-A, she is in actuality a robot invented by class mechanical geniuses Satomi Hakase (and possibly Chao Lingshen, though Hakase says she did the whole thing), as the partner for immortal vampiress Evangeline A.K. McDowell. Because of her connections, she is consistently found on the opposite ends of conflicts with teacher Negi Springfield, whether it is fighting alongside Eva or being programmed to assist Chao during her attempt to reveal magic to the world. But in actuality, Chachamaru is a machine who is trying to discover herself and her humanity, particularly with her own small crush on her teacher.

Background and Personality

Chachamaru is a robot with a mechanical and magical power source created by Satomi and Chao for Evangeline. She is essentially a technological golem. Karakuri is the Japanese word for "machine" or "mechanism". Despite her robotic parts showing very clearly, not many in her class actually seem to notice.

As well as being Evangeline's Ministra Magi, she performs maid duties at the cottage they share on the Mahora campus. While Chachamaru displays few outward emotions, she spends most of her free time helping people and rescuing stray animals, including regularly taking care of stray cats, and is very popular with young children, who seem to know that she is a robot. She is also in the go and Tea Ceremony clubs, but only because Evangeline is in those clubs as well (the cha in her name uses the Kanji for "tea"). Perhaps because of the magic used in her creation, Chachamaru begins to show human-like functions and emotions she was not programmed for, such as her internal gears increasing in speed during moments where a human's heart would beat faster, and even leaking laser fluid from her eyes when she's upset. The most likely trigger for this seems to be that she started developing feelings for Negi after he stopped an attack on her when she was unable to defend herself, turning his own Sagitta Magica spell back on himself rather than hurt his own student. Chachamaru eventually rocket-punched Satomi, her own creator, out of embarrassment when she was about to tell everyone about her crush on Negi, and nearly resulted in a complete breakdown of her cognitive abilities.

In order to function normally, she requires a mage (or at least someone who can control magic) to "wind her up" with a spring key once a day while channeling a little magical power into her. This seems to give her the sensation of making a Probationary Contract with the person winding her.

Character Design

Since his early days as a well-known mangaka, Ken Akamatsu has been experimenting with the concepts and ideas of what makes a human through the usage of artificial and mechanical life in his manga. In the series A.I. Love You, the lead character developed an artificial intelligence program by which several of the girls in his harem eventually deviate from. From the base program, the girls (including the lead, Saati) grow and evolve into their own person, made even more intricate with some of them breaking through into the real world and interacting like a normal person even though they are still basically computer programs. Akamatsu's next series, Love Hina, did not go any further into A.I. and instead brought in a concept of robotics, particularly through the mad child Kaolla Su and her multiple robot versions of Tama-chan (the pet turtle at the hot springs resort).

With Chachamaru, Akamatsu is able to return to the various ideas and concepts used in both series, continuing his A.I. studies started in A.I. Love You, but bringing in the robotics used in Love Hina. Identified easily as one of the first "weirdos" in class 2/3-A due to her trademark mechanical ears on top of her head, she is merely seen at first as a "mechanical doll" merely made for the control of whoever needs her. This is her primary function both under her master Evangeline and when used for the schemes of her co-creator Chao: a combination of both a weapon to fight alongside them as well as a servant to assist them as an extra hand (such as at the Chāo Bāozi) or for preparation of items (her tea-making abilities).

However, the mechanical character is seen differently in respect to her teacher Negi, who witnesses her human side and the possible evolution of feelings and emotions not programmed into her existence. Compared to any interactions with other, controlling characters around, the relationship between Negi and Chachamaru show themselves as less "master and student" and more "person to person" or "boy to girl". Chachamaru also exhibits these relationship abilities with her other co-creator Satomi, who less wants to interact with her and rather study these interactions and use them for the advancement of A.I. study.

Part in the Manga

Although initially appearing silent and merely on the sidelines when Negi arrived at Mahora, she began to become a nuisance to Negi at the very moment Evangeline made her move against the son of the Thousand Master. While fighting against a vampire was one matter, fighting against both a vampire and her robotic servant made even more trouble for Negi as he began to doubt his ability and start his own search for a Magister Magi to assist him. This would lead towards Negi making his first Pactio contract with Asuna Kagurazaka, who would take over fighting against Chachamaru while he took on the vampire. Yet even during this initial encounter, the boy teacher discovered the robot student was not as evil as she appeared, showing her helpful and kind nature even while being both Eva's servant and a threat to himself. After the battle, Chachamaru chose to stay by her master's side instead of going to Kyoto, only appearing as backup for Evangeline during her battle against Fate Averruncus.

Despite her assisting Negi in Kyoto, Graf Herrmann declined to go after her, lest he risk drawing the attention of Evangeline, whom he wanted to avoid. Even so, she, Evangeline, and Kaede, who avoided being kidnapped, did discover his presence, but held back, preferring to see if Negi and Kotaro could handle the situation themselves. She attended the Mahora Fighting Tournament, where she performed match commentary with Kaoru Gōtokuji (providing useful exposition for readers), and performed a Tea Ceremony for Negi afterwards. She supported Chao's plot to reveal magic to the world, perhaps because of her affiliation with Satomi. She often asks for forgiveness from Negi whenever there is a confrontation between their sides.

During the Mahora Festival, Chachamaru slowly became friends with reclusive classmate Chisame Hasegawa, whether she wanted to or not. Considering Chisame's own aggravation initially in that one of her "child teacher's" students is a robot, Chisame is approached by Chachamaru as she drags her into the thought of the existence of magic as well as clues her in on the plot of Chao Lingshen regarding the tournament and ultimately the entire Mahora Festival. Yet amidst these comments, Chachamaru also gets into a heart-to-heart with the hacker classmate regarding the feelings the two of them have towards magic and Negi as well as the possibility of becoming a partner with their teacher. While Chisame scoffs at these comments at first, she eventually is forced to fight against the robot with a Pactio hacking ability during the final day of the Festival, along with Ayaka and Makie playing as magical girl characters. Chachamaru's role at this point was as the main maintenance of the computer networks, taking control of the Mahora network and preventing any interference for Chao's plans. Once the master was defeated, she unconditionally surrendered to Chisame, much to her classmate's dismay after fighting so hard to get the magical barrier back online.

Besides Evangeline and Chisame, Chachamaru's closest connection is with her co-creator Satomi Hakase. The scientist is always watching over her creation, making sure she is running at a sufficient level and monitoring her physical and mental actions. However, the development of the artificial intelligence of the machine, through her interactions and relations to Negi and the other classmates, makes the mad scientist go crazy in discovering the latest developments and evolution of her creation. Though Satomi is constantly upgrading and improving on Chachamaru's systems, some of her modifications leave much to be desired (such as having an umbrella-like heat plate so she can wear her hair up without overheating).

Chachamaru is the latest in a series of androids. A number of other androids, previous models in the series, work for Evangeline as maids, and refer to Chachamaru as their little sister. During the final battle of the Mahorafest war, a number of other female-styled androids, as well as an advance combat body designed for her fitted with a basic combat AI were sent out to slow down Negi and his group as they tried to reach Chao. Some time after the festival, Chachamaru has been transplanted into a smaller body, while her original is being overhauled. The new form features shorter hair (that resembles exactly as Ku-Fei's hairstyle without the buns), and has realistic 'human skin' coating which hides her joints, (Satomi also has a 10-year-old version available, in case Chachamaru wants to interact more closely with Negi). Presently, she's using a version of her normal body, but with the features of the upgrade versions. Chachamaru also seems to develop an attachment to Chisame as she often "arrests" her to join Negi's new "club" meeting. As the new White Wing group prepares to leave for Wales, she is returned to her original body after the overhaul is completed. At present, she will be accompanying the group in her master's stead, (since Eva cannot leave the school due to the curse), and will collect any information concerning Negi's father. After entering the Magic World, she witnesses the attack on Negi by Fate but could not do anything to save him. After the entire party is scattered to all corners of the Magic World by Fate and his team, she and Negi end up together in the midst of a jungle area of the world, where she takes care of her teacher, shows him a map of the whole Magic World with their current location and assists him in trying to find the others. She also asks Negi to 'wind her up' with a spring key to reload her energy. As of recent she has had to "downgrade" herself into her Loli-body in order to disguise herself.

In the manga, she seems a bit more feminine and helps Evangeline whenever she hurts herself through accident.

Abilities

• Martial Arts Abilities: Her overall combat abilities are considerable though her current level is unknown. Previously she was able to use her abilities both as Evangeline's partner as well as a test/training partner for Negi as he trained with the vampiress. Due to her latest upgrade after the Mahora Fighting Tournament, her creator stated that Chachamaru was now able to perform some of the more advanced techniques, such as Instant Movement.
• Machine Functions: Chachamaru is equipped with several devices, which include a Bind-Canceler (to undo Binding Circles), laser emitters in her eyes, magic-powered thrusters on her legs and back, retractable rocket fists, and whatever else her creator Satomi can come up with. Her thrusters allow Chachamaru to fly, however she can only do so for 15 minutes, (chapter 190), which indicates that she has a limited fuel supply.
• Computer Interface: Due to her own AI and computer programming, Chachamaru has the ability to interact and connect with other computer networks with ease, allowing her to hack and control even the Mahora systems during the final day of the festival.
• Weapon-Morphing Arms: Her latest upgrade now allows her to transform her arms into large swords or guns, though this will tear the sleeves of her clothes apart and has a tendency of draining her magical "battery" rather quickly.

Chachamaru Models and Upgrades

Chachamaru's body is powered by an internal spring combined with magic. Early concept sketches also showed the possibility of a nuclear power source, but it is unconfirmed if that was used or dropped for her final design.

Once a day, Chachamaru has to be recharged with a combination of winding her spring plus the infusion of magic into her systems. For Chachamaru, this feels much like forming a pactio, but the force of the winding and the amount of magic given to her can dramatically alter the intensity of the sensation (making it feel almost orgasmic). The process involves using a large key which is inserted into a slot in the back of her head. Normally, it is Evangeline who turns the key and infuses Chachamaru with magic, but during the trip to the Magic World, Negi declares that he will recharge her every morning.

As the only mechanical member of class 3-A, Chachamaru can not literally grow or change physically on her own due to being limited to a robot body. However, that doesn't mean that she is not eligible for the occasional upgrade or model change to her system. Due to the consistent, obsessive research of her co-creator Satomi, Chachamaru's physical form and abilities are occasionally changed or altered in order to make her more human. Although a machine, Chachamaru can also be physically affected by certain magic such as the Age-Deception Drops.

• Teenage Body: The primary physical body used by Chachamaru, giving her the appearance of a tall middle-school student. This form is noted for the appearance of more mechanical joints and pronounced "machine ears" (of which Chisame immediately identified her as a robot instead of an ordinary student in the class).
• Younger Body v. 1: As her teen body was being upgraded for the trip to Wales (as Eva's representative in the White Wing), Chachamaru is forced to reside within the body of a younger-appearing form. The new form features shorter hair (that resembles exactly as Ku-Fei's hairstyle without the buns), and has realistic 'human skin' coating which hides her joints.
• Younger Body v. 2: An unused second body offered by Satomi during Chachamaru's waiting period, this one is more designed similar to a ten-year old girl, which, according to her creator, would be more appropriate if she were to go after Negi. As of recent Chapters she's had to "downgrade' to this body in order to disguise herself. As of yet it's combat abilities have to to be seen, if any.
• Teenage Body v. 2: As Chachamaru returns to a teenage form, she has been given several upgrades to her physique. The special skin in the younger body has been added and her joints are no longer noticeable compared to before, making her virtually identical to the other girls when naked, excepting joints on her shoulders. For combat and defense, her arms can be reconfigured into weapons, such as a blade or gun. Furthermore, Satomi increased the size of Chachamaru's bust, allowing her to appear more adult or seductive. Satomi also added a longer lasting "magic battery" of sorts allowing Chachamaru to be wound up once every 24 hours instead of every 12 hours. However the "battery" is drained faster while when in combat situations due to her transforming arms and increased magical output.

Chachamaru in Other Media

Mahō Sensei Negima! (1st Anime)

Chachamaru seems a bit more robotic and for the first few episodes only says "Yes, Master" when speaking to Evangeline. While with many of the functions and abilities held in the manga, she was also equipped with an aquatic mode, which allows her to swim on the surface of water like a speedboat. Furthermore, she can launch mini-missiles and other kinds of ordinance. In Episode 9 of the original anime, a Battle Model android with the same style head as Chachamaru and a tank-like body is shown being worked on by the Robotics club. It is shown to have missile launcher. The tank-like body is very similar to that of the RX-75-4 Guntank from the Mobile Suit Gundam series.

Negima!?

File:ChachaNegima!?.jpg

Battle-upgraded Chachamaru in "Negima!?"

Initially, Chachamaru remains by Evangeline's side during her master's reign of terror on campus, protecting and fighting for her. But once again like the manga, she is forced into combat with Asuna after the redhead becomes Negi's first Pactio, leading eventually to Eva's defeat. However, Chachamaru isn't completely invincible: after her first encounter with Negi in battle, she nearly malfunctions forcing Satomi to spend time on various repairs to make sure she was ready for her next assault on campus. While not much of an important action, Satomi notes that the care for her robotic partner shows that Evangeline isn't as heartless as she claims.

Chachamaru spends most of the series by the side of Evangeline, assisting her both in battle and in the preparation of tea or noodles alongside Takahata. Although she is loyal to Eva, she isn't afraid to interact with others or show her feelings or fight for either her teacher or for her master. After Evangeline is possessed by the master of the Star Crystal and subsequently possess Asuna, the robot is forced to fight the redhead once again, with the tide of her alliance forced to change for this battle. Though Chachamaru is knocked down at one point, repairs by Satomi makes her more battle ready for combat in her rematch with the redhead. After victory, Chachamaru becomes the final pactio of the series, stealing a kiss from Negi without warning.

Although she does gain Pactio with Negi, the only release of her abilities was in the final episode, where she was placed in a pink mechanical coverall Cosplay outfit and watches over the doll-like transformation of her vampiric master. However, viewers do see Chachamaru in her Suka form in a strange omake after the "Suka incident", where she suddenly turns into a giraffe.

As an added note, she makes every effort to hide her joints that are visible when she is naked. She wears thigh-high socks to hide her leg joints and gloves to hide the joints in her hands. Her summer uniform also includes a long-sleeved (rather than the usual short-sleeved) blouse to hide her arm and shoulder joints. This is like wearing her normal spring/winter uniform, but without the blazer and with the green necktie typically worn in the summer months.