Ryou Shirogane (jpn. 白金 稜 Shirogane Ryō) is a character who appears in both the anime and manga series. He is one of the main protagonists and is Keiichiro's partner for the Mew Project.
Personality[]
Ryou is a genius from a wealthy family. In episode 36, his father mentions that his IQ was over 180 at age of 10. He is headstrong, stubborn, rude, sarcastic, and occasionally reclusive.
He takes his work in the Mew Project very seriously, even testing the project genes on himself in order to ensure its safety. He's particularly rude to Ichigo, often teasing her and getting into fights. But despite his abrasive attitude he has a caring side, inviting the girls on trips, and being willing to risk himself in battles despite having no powers of his own. He often comes to Ichigo's rescue whenever she is stuck in her cat form and is kind toward Retasu, encouraging her to be more confident in herself.
Appearance[]
Ryou has tan skin and blond hair. He is tall and has aqua blue eyes, and is 15-years-old. When he's Alto, his eyes remain the same color. Ryou's Mew mark is on the side of his neck, which is always covered with the collars of his clothes.
Tokyo Mew Mew[]
Ryou's childhood[]
When Ryou was 10, a Chimera Anima attacked his parents' mansion and killed them when he was out with Keiichiro. He tried to fight the Chimera Anima, but Keiichiro held him back. He moved to America with Keiichiro and spent the rest of his childhood there, but then returned to Tokyo to perfect his father's work.
Ryou Shirogane's parents.
Tokyo Mew Mew à la Mode[]
After her first day of school, Berry Shirayuki almost falls down a set of stairs, but was saved by Ryou, who caught her. He then invites her to the Café Mew Mew and she accepts, then goes there to admire the treats that were being displayed.
Later, Ryou catches Berry by surprise and she falls into a pastry display. She runs away, and goes through a DNA infusion machine, which merges her DNA with that of two endangered animals: The Amami Black Rabbit and the Andes Mountain Cat. She passes out and when she wakes up, Ryou gives her a robot named R2003, which she nicknames Ucha.
The Mew Project[]
Ryou is dedicated to the Mew Project. When his father Dr. Shirogane's, project was ready, Ryou refused to deploy it before ensuring it's safety. However, because his genes were incompatible with the Mew DNA, instead of gaining the ability to transform into a Mew Mew, he fully became a cat instead. He can shift between human and cat form at will, but he can only maintain his cat form for ten minutes before the transformation becomes permanent.
Ryou, alongside his partner Keiichiro, is the one who assessed which people would be the most compatible with having the Red Data Animal DNA implanted in them. In the anime, Ryou also provides the girls with their Mew Pendants to aid them in their transformations.
When in his cat form, he goes by the name Alto. He is a grey cat with dark tipped ears, and wears a green scarf around his neck. Alto was introduced in episode 28. As Alto he has saved Ichigo's life many times, kissing her in order to return her back into human form.
Skills and Abilities[]
Ryou is an incredibly intelligent scientist, being particularly knowledgeable in biology. His IQ is stated to be over 180, and he is also bilingual. He is quite athletic and agile as well, being able to jump incredibly high with ease. Because he tested the Mew Project DNA on himself, he is able to transform into a cat at will for ten minutes at a time.
Relationships[]
- Ichigo Momomiya: Ryou is implied to have an interest in Ichigo. Despite being quite rude toward her, he often teases her in an almost flirtatious manner. He's also kissed her many times, however only with the justification of helping her turn back into her human form. Once Ichigo begins dating Masaya, his more flirtatious banter with her settles down.
- Retasu Midorikawa: Retasu and Ryou are implied love interests in the original manga and anime. After using the Mew Aqua and turning into half-porpoise, she kisses him. but it is unknown if Ryou reciprocates her feelings and he seems otherwise unaware of her affection. In Tokyo Mew Mew New, she fully confesses her feelings toward him, although he turns her down, wanting to focus on the Mew Project.
International[]
Name changes (manga)[]
Ryou keeps his name in all English manga translations. However, his first name is spelled slightly different in each one.
| Language | Title | Publisher | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Tokyo Mew Mew | Kodansha | Ryou Shirogane |
| English | Tokyo Mew Mew | TokyoPop & Kodansha | Ryou Shirogane (TokyoPop) Ryô Shirogane (Kodansha) |
| English (Singapore) | Tokyo Mew Mew | Chuang Yi | Ryo Shirogane |
Name changes (anime)[]
While most dubs either choose to use Ryou's Japanese name or 4Kids English name, some dubs have come up with their own, unique names for him.
| Language | Title | Name | Mew Name | Voice Actor / Actress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | Tokyo Mew Mew | Ryou Shirogane | Kouichi Toochika Junko Minagawa (Age 10, Ep. 36) Yuuichi Nakamura (New) | |
| English | Mew Mew Power | Elliot Grant | Sean Schemmel | |
| Mandarin | Dōng Jīng Māo Māo (Tokyo Cats / Tokyo Mew Mew) |
Léng BáiJīn | Liú Jié | |
| Cantonese (VCD Dub) | Dung Ging Miu Miu (Tokyo Mew Mew) |
Ling BaakGam | Ng Bok-Man (Raymond Ng) | |
| Cantonese (ATV Dub) | Maau Maau Jin Deui (Cat Team / Mew Mew Team) | Ling BaakGam | Ho Wai-Sing (Alex Ho) | |
| Italian | Mew Mew Amiche Vincenti (Mew Mew Winning Friends) |
Ryan Shirogane (2002 Anime)
Ryo Shirogane (Tokyo Mew Mew New) |
Davide Garbolino (2002 Anime)
Andrea Oldani (Tokyo Mew Mew New) | |
| Korean | Berry Berry Mew Mew | Jae-hee Gang (2002 Anime)
Eun-u Baeg (Tokyo Mew Mew New) |
Il Kim (†) (2002 Anime)
Seung-hyo Hong (Tokyo Mew Mew New) | |
| Hebrew | Tokyo Mew Mew | Rayou Shirogane | Daniel Zilberstein (Season 1) Dor Srugo (Season 2) | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | As Super Gatinhas (The Super Kittens) |
Elliot Grant | Thiago Longo | |
| Portuguese (1st Dub) | Mew Mew Power | Elliot Grant | Mário Centelo | |
| Portuguese (2nd Dub) | Tokyo Mew Mew | Ryan Shirogane | Quimbé | |
| Danish | Mew Mew Power | Ryou Shirogane | Simon Stenspil | |
| Thai | Tokyo Mew Mew | Ryou Shirogane | Kaiwan Wattanakrai (†)
Arunee Nanthiwat (Age 10, Ep. 36) | |
| Albanian (Albania Production) | Vajzat Mjau - Mbrojtëset e Planetit (Mew Girls - Defenders of the Planet) |
Eliot Grant | Roland Saro | |
| Albanian ("Jess" Discographic) | Luftëtaret Mace (Cat Warriors) |
Ryan Shirogame | Jorke Broka | |
| Hungarian | Vadmacska Kommandó (Wildcat Commando) |
Elliot Grant | Károly Moser | |
| Latino Spanish | Miau Miau Power (Mew Mew Power) |
Elliot Grant | Wolfang Galindo (†) | |
| French | Mew Mew Power | Elliot Grant | Christophe Hespel | |
| Dutch | Mew Mew Power | Elliot Grant | N/A | |
| Serbian | Družina Mjau - Mjau / Miau - Mjau Tokio (Mew Mew Team / Tokyo Mew Mew Team) |
Elliot Grant | Nebojša Milovanović | |
| Croatian | Mijau Mijau Družina (Mew Mew Team) |
Elliot Grant | N/A | |
| Bulgarian | Силата Миу Миу / Silata Mew Mew (Mew Mew Power) |
Elliot Grant | N/A | |
| Greek | Mew Mew Power | Elliot Grant | Stamatis Gardelis | |
| Turkish | Mew Mew Power / Sihirli Kızlar (Magical Girls) |
Elliot Grant | N/A |
Etymology[]
- The name Ryou means "ridge, angle, edge, corner, power, majesty" (稜).
- "Ryou" can mean "angle", "edge", "corner", "power", "majesty", "dragon" and "spirit".
- Ryou's surname Shirogane means "platinum, silver/silver coin/silver paint" (白金).
- "Shiro" can mean "white", "gane", (money, or gold) and "platinum".
Gallery[]
_and_(Teens).png "Cat Ichigo and Cat Ryou (Youngs) and (Teens).png (268 KB)")
[]
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Tokyo Mew Mew | |
| Ichigo Momomiya • Minto Aizawa • Retasu Midorikawa • Bu-Ling Huang • Zakuro Fujiwara • Ringo Akai • Berry Shirayuki | |
| Major Characters | |
| Masaya Aoyama • Ryou Shirogane • Keiichiro Akasaka • Tasuku Meguro • Masha • Ucha | |
| Aliens | |
| Quiche • Tart • Pie • Blue Knight • Deep Blue • Gâteau du Roi • Chimera Animas | |
| Saint Rose Crusaders | |
| Duke • Royal Highness • Happy Child • Blue Bayou • Sweet Juliet | |
| Friends and Family | |
| Shintaro Momomiya • Sakura Momomiya • Seiji Aizawa • Minto's Nanny • Mickey • Eizaburou Midorikawa • Yomogi Midorikawa • Uri Midorikawa • Mrs. Huang • Taren Huang • Bu-Ling's Siblings | |
| Civilians/Minor Characters | |
| Three Beckys • Mary McGuire • Masazo Aoyamada • Rei Nishina • Norihiro Edomurasaki • Satsuki Tadano • Iruka • Heicha's Teacher/Ms. Rosbe • Tsukiko Yamada • Mariko • Shunsuke • Kanna Saionji • Yuebing Long • Ayano Uemura • Momoka • Asano • Jacqueline | |