TV-Series
Description
Itaru Chigasaki is a young man defined by a stark contrast between his public persona and his private life. Born on April 24, he stands 178cm tall with light brown hair that can appear almost orange in certain lighting, which contributes to his princely image, and has pink eyes. During his introduction, he is 23 years old, but his age progresses throughout the story. His family consists of his parents and an older sister named Konami, who played a pivotal role in his adolescence by teaching him how to craft a social facade to fit in better at school.
By day, Itaru is the picture of success. He works as an elite employee at Kuon Central Trading Company, where his mild manners, approachable demeanor, and competence have earned him the trust and admiration of his coworkers and superiors. He maintains a neat, refined appearance in a suit and is often referred to as a real-life prince within his office. However, this charming and reliable exterior is largely a facade. In his private life, Itaru is a passionate and hardcore gamer, spending almost all of his disposable income on mobile, console, and online games. When immersed in gaming, he becomes lazy, competitive, and is not afraid to curse or be rude, a stark departure from his professional self. This duality has earned him the nickname Fake Elite from his fellow troupe members. Online, he streams and plays under the alias Taruchi.
Itaru's primary motivation for joining the Mankai Company was practical rather than artistic. Seeking to reduce his living expenses in order to save more money for his gaming habit, he was searching for a cheaper place to live. The company's director, Izumi Tachibana, found him looking at a bulletin board and offered him a room to himself, an ideal situation as it ensured he would not be disturbed while playing. While acting initially began as a means to an end, it became a significant part of his life, forcing him to balance his hidden passion with his public duties. Within the company, he is a member of the Spring Troupe.
His relationships with other characters are varied. He has a respectful yet somewhat distant rapport with his coworker Chikage Utsuki, who later becomes his roommate; they maintain a formal air at home but understand each other's boundaries well. Within the Spring Troupe, he is close to Sakuya Sakuma, who remains unaware of Itaru’s bad habits and admires his cool, princely side, while Itaru values Sakuya for his notoriously good luck with video game gacha pulls. Masumi Usui, however, sees completely through Itaru’s charming facade, often criticizing his lazy and gaming-obsessed nature, though Itaru respects Masumi’s honesty. He also has a friendship-turned-rivalry with Banri Settsu from the Summer Troupe, as Banri is one of the few people who can challenge him in games, and they compete online under the usernames Taruchi and NEO. Kazunari Miyoshi affectionately calls him Itarun.
Itaru's personal development is closely tied to his past and his increasing openness with the troupe. In elementary school, he was unathletic and was often made fun of, leading him to isolate himself and escape into video games, particularly the Knights of the Round series, whose protagonist Lancelot he greatly admired. A painful betrayal in high school, where a friend named Tonooka exposed his secret gaming life to their classmates, caused him to further retreat behind his social mask. When the Mankai Company is approached to produce a stage adaptation of Knights of the Round IV, Itaru confronts this past directly. He asks to play the lead role of Lancelot and is forced to deal with Tonooka again, ultimately choosing to risk his public image for the sake of the play, showing significant growth and trust in his troupe members.
Itaru possesses a few notable abilities. His greatest skill is his flawless ability to switch between his professional prince persona and his true reclusive self, a talent he honed with his sister's guidance. As a gamer, he is extremely skilled, known for completing difficult challenge runs and constraint plays that others find impossible. In direct contrast, his athletic abilities are notably poor; he is a classic indoor type and cannot handle heavy physical activity. On stage, he has taken on a variety of roles, including the fierce Tybalt in Romeo and Julius, the Mad Hatter in Alex in Wonderland, and, most significantly, Lancelot in Knights of the Round IV.
By day, Itaru is the picture of success. He works as an elite employee at Kuon Central Trading Company, where his mild manners, approachable demeanor, and competence have earned him the trust and admiration of his coworkers and superiors. He maintains a neat, refined appearance in a suit and is often referred to as a real-life prince within his office. However, this charming and reliable exterior is largely a facade. In his private life, Itaru is a passionate and hardcore gamer, spending almost all of his disposable income on mobile, console, and online games. When immersed in gaming, he becomes lazy, competitive, and is not afraid to curse or be rude, a stark departure from his professional self. This duality has earned him the nickname Fake Elite from his fellow troupe members. Online, he streams and plays under the alias Taruchi.
Itaru's primary motivation for joining the Mankai Company was practical rather than artistic. Seeking to reduce his living expenses in order to save more money for his gaming habit, he was searching for a cheaper place to live. The company's director, Izumi Tachibana, found him looking at a bulletin board and offered him a room to himself, an ideal situation as it ensured he would not be disturbed while playing. While acting initially began as a means to an end, it became a significant part of his life, forcing him to balance his hidden passion with his public duties. Within the company, he is a member of the Spring Troupe.
His relationships with other characters are varied. He has a respectful yet somewhat distant rapport with his coworker Chikage Utsuki, who later becomes his roommate; they maintain a formal air at home but understand each other's boundaries well. Within the Spring Troupe, he is close to Sakuya Sakuma, who remains unaware of Itaru’s bad habits and admires his cool, princely side, while Itaru values Sakuya for his notoriously good luck with video game gacha pulls. Masumi Usui, however, sees completely through Itaru’s charming facade, often criticizing his lazy and gaming-obsessed nature, though Itaru respects Masumi’s honesty. He also has a friendship-turned-rivalry with Banri Settsu from the Summer Troupe, as Banri is one of the few people who can challenge him in games, and they compete online under the usernames Taruchi and NEO. Kazunari Miyoshi affectionately calls him Itarun.
Itaru's personal development is closely tied to his past and his increasing openness with the troupe. In elementary school, he was unathletic and was often made fun of, leading him to isolate himself and escape into video games, particularly the Knights of the Round series, whose protagonist Lancelot he greatly admired. A painful betrayal in high school, where a friend named Tonooka exposed his secret gaming life to their classmates, caused him to further retreat behind his social mask. When the Mankai Company is approached to produce a stage adaptation of Knights of the Round IV, Itaru confronts this past directly. He asks to play the lead role of Lancelot and is forced to deal with Tonooka again, ultimately choosing to risk his public image for the sake of the play, showing significant growth and trust in his troupe members.
Itaru possesses a few notable abilities. His greatest skill is his flawless ability to switch between his professional prince persona and his true reclusive self, a talent he honed with his sister's guidance. As a gamer, he is extremely skilled, known for completing difficult challenge runs and constraint plays that others find impossible. In direct contrast, his athletic abilities are notably poor; he is a classic indoor type and cannot handle heavy physical activity. On stage, he has taken on a variety of roles, including the fierce Tybalt in Romeo and Julius, the Mad Hatter in Alex in Wonderland, and, most significantly, Lancelot in Knights of the Round IV.