Background

Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne (Phantom Thief Jeanne) is a mahou shoujo (magical girl) series created by Tanemura Arina. It was published in the monthly Ribon magazine from 1998-2000 with 30 chapters and compiled in 7 volumes. The series was turned into a 44 episode anime series from 1999-2000.

The Story

At the turn of the 21st century, the Maou (Devil) figured out that Kami-sama (God) could be weakened by possessing the pure souls of humans through beautiful works of art in the human world. The beautiful souls of humans are the roots of Kami-sama's powers, and by possessing these souls, Maou would become stronger than Kami-sama.

The only person who can save the world is 16 year old high school student, Kusakabe Maron, who is the reincarnation of Jeanne D'Arc (Joan of Arc). Maron, who received Kami-sama's power in her former life, is able to seal the evil within the paintings and bring the possessed people back to normal. But what happens when she falls in love with the handsome and flirtatious Nagoya Chiaki, who turns out to be the devil's advocate, Kaitou Sinbad?

The Girl

NameKusakabe Maron
Alter EgoKaitou Jeanne
BirthdayMay 30
Age16
Blood TypeA
Height154 cm
Weight43 kg
SpecialtyGymnastics
In the name of God, may the darkness which is born as evil be sealed here! Checkmate!

On the outside, Maron is the image of strength and confidence, and is always seen with a beautiful smile on her face. She excels in academics and sports, and is the star of her school's gymnastics club. She is well-respected and admired by both guys and girls alike thanks to her friendly and open personality.

However, underneath her cheerful, smiling face lies a fragile girl struggling with her insecurities and loneliness. Maron is an only child and has lived alone since she was 10 years old, because her parents are architects and their work takes them abroad. Her parents promised to call and write a letter when they return home, but it never comes, and it leaves a deep scar in her heart. She used to cry alone at night, holding the phone and waiting for that call to come, but these days, Maron has learned to mask the pain and hide her true feelings.

Throughout the series, Maron slowly begins to learn to open her heart to others. She realizes that she is not alone, because she is constantly surrounded by people protecting her, like her angel/partner-in-crime Fin Fish, her best friend Toudaiji Miyako, and the guy who stole her heart, Nagoya Chiaki.

The Fighter

As a servant of Kami-sama, Jeanne seals evil away by checkmating demons hiding within beautiful paintings. Only Maron, who received Kami-sama's powers in her former life, can seal the demons, because if anyone else were to try collect the paintings, their mind would be possessed too.

Maron transforms into Jeanne with the help of her angel, Fin. Although she is doing this to save the world, Jeanne is wanted by the police because they believe she simply steals the paintings. This is because after she checkmates, the painting vanishes. However, in its place, a painting of a beautiful angel appears, and the victim never press charges because they end up preferring this new painting that Jeanne leaves them.