Chiba Prefecture‘s very own superhero, Chibatman, has been making headlines in Japan and abroad since he began his campaign to keep Chiba’s streets safe. Often spotted zooming around on his custom-built Chibatpod (aka Batcycle), he’s also been seen making speeches at official events, and he’s even received the Chiba Police Force’s official approval to continue his activities.
Today, we’re excited to bring you an exclusive interview with Chibatman himself! We visited him at his home in Chiba to get the lowdown on the man behind the mask!
Chibatman has always been something of a secretive figure, and not too many people know much about the man himself. That’s why we were super excited when he agreed to let us visit him at his home in Chiba for a special interview!
Here’s Chibatman’s Chibatcave in Chiba Prefecture! He may be a superhero, but he’s also a regular guy too, you know. Here’s where Chibatman kicks back after a hard day of keeping the peace!
▼ Check out Chibatman’s Chibatvan! Seems like he’s a fan of Kamen Rider!
▼ And here’s Chibatman’s Chibatpod! Sweet ride!
As we approached the house, we noticed that Chibatman has a pretty nice front lawn for a Japanese domicile. We also couldn’t fail to spot the Chibatpod resting on the drive! We were feeling a bit nervous about meeting the superhero, so we may have jumped a little when a deep voice suddenly addressed us from the front door. “Welcome” he growled, “to my Secret Base.”
▼ Chibatman makes his appearance!
▼ He looks just like the real Batman!!!
Seeing Chibatman in the flesh, we were momentarily stunned. First of all, he looks extremely cool, and radiates an aura of quiet strength. We quickly followed him inside his house, whereupon he guided us to his own room to begin our interview.
Read on to find out everything you ever wanted to know about the gruff superhero with a heart of gold!
▼ Chibatman: “This way, if you please.”
▼ Inside Chibatman’s room! Dude’s got a lot of cool toys!
After taking in the sights, we sat down the with Dark Knight of Kanto to ask him how he got started on his quest to save Japan.
RocketNews24: What made you decide to become Chibatman?
Chibatman: Well, after the earthquake in 2011, people weren’t smiling as often.
RN24: What do you do for a living?
Chibatman: I work at a shipping port. I repair the shipping containers.
RN24: When do you usually go out as Chibatman?
Chibatman: Usually whenever I commute to and from work. I go like this to my work place and then get changed into work clothes before I start.
RN24: What part of being Chibatman means the most to you?
Chibatman: Getting spotted and making someone smile instantly means everything to me.
▼ Chibatman drawing the attention of passersby on the street.
RN24: Now that you’ve been featured a lot in the media, has anything changed since you’ve become famous?
Chibatman: I’m not so aware of it but I get a lot more reactions from children nowadays.
RN24: What kind of reactions?
Chibatman: Generally they chase after me.
RN24: When you’re riding around town on your bike, do you care about what people think?
Chibatman: No, I don’t really mind, I just ride in silence.
▼ The Chibatpod requires the rider to lie forward over the framework, which provides a great workout to the core muscles.
RN24: Since becoming Chibatman, what has been your happiest moment?
Chibatman: I don’t really have just one. I’m just riding around.
RN24: Have there been any downsides to becoming Chibatman?
Chibatman: No.
RN24: If you had the opportunity to go abroad as Chibatman, where would you like to ride around?
Chibatman: I’d like to ride around Times Square in New York.
RN24: If you ran into a “villain” in real life, would you fight them?
Chibatman: I think if push comes to shove, I could stop them.
RN24: So you’re a fan of Batman?
Chibatman: Yes.
RN24: Do you have a favourite Batman film?
Chibatman: I like all of them.
▼ Chibatman seems to be a fan of Star Wars and Ghostbusters as well, judging from this collection!
RN24: Out of all the various American and Japanese heroes, is there a reason Batman is your favourite?
Chibatman: I think because there’s a hint of madness there, behind fighting evil just for your own satisfaction.
RN24: There was previously news of you getting the go-ahead from the police to ride around as Chibatman, but is there usually a back and forth with the police when you run into them out in town?
Chibatman: No, when I get noticed by them, I just keep riding the same as before.
▼ Chibatman actually built the Chibatpod himself using the welding skills he learned at work. It cost him roughly 600,000 yen (US$5,000) to build.
RN24: Finally, what’s your dream from now on?
Chibatman: To make a Batmobile.
Before we left, we asked one last thing of Chibatman – that he remove his mask and show his face. And, would you believe it, he did!
▼ The moment of truth…
Behind every masked hero is a person just like you and me!
While Chibatman has been dressing up in costume and attending various events for some years now, it wasn’t until after the disaster in 2011 that he decided to begin regularly patrolling the area in costume to help cheer people up.
Chibatman also told us that the Batmobile he plans to build will be for display purposes only, and he has no plans to get it certified for driving.
We learned a lot about Chibatman from our visit to his home – not only does he have an impressive physical presence, he’s also a total gentleman with a lot of heart. The local people also seem to have a lot of love and support for him. To us, he’s a definite superhero!
▼ Here’s the video of our interview with Chibatman! Make sure to stay tuned until the end, because Chibatman has a special message for all RocketNews24 readers!
While the “Chibatman” moniker is something that was created by the media, Chibatman sees himself as the real deal: “When I ride around town, I do so not as Chibatman, but as Batman himself.”
▼ While we were taking a stroll around the neighbourhood with Chibatman, he was invited to come and visit children at a nearby elementary school.
While there was currently a game of football going on in the school grounds, both kids and adults alike were excited when Chibatman strolled up. In fact, he was pretty busy posing for photographs!
▼ Half an hour later, when he tried to make his exit…
▼ Some of the kids came running after him for one last glimpse of their hero!
▼ After all, it’s not every day you meet a real-life superhero!
Photos © RocketNews24
Original article: Daiichiro
[ Read in Japanese ]