Leaving aside the meta-reason, that the series is playing around with shoujo tropes, and any shoujo magical girl series needs a cute animal sidekick... the obvious explanation is that Chu-Chu is Anthy's familiar. Admittedly, that's not really an explanation, but it provides a starting point to look at things from. Glancing over the Wikipedia article on familiars, this looked interesting:

Wikipedia wrote:

Recent scholarship has become more multi-disciplinary, integrating feminist-historical and world-historical approaches. Deborah Willis' Malevolent Nurture: Witch-Hunting and Maternal Power in Early Modern England links the witch's relationship with the familiar to a bizarre and misplaced corruption of motherhood and maternal power.

Let's also look at his actions. Chu-Chu doesn't seem to carry out Anthy's bidding all that often, but he has his moments: putting on the music for the dance at the end of episode 3, eating Nanami's bento in episode 4, throwing the banana peel under Nanami's foot in episode 7... okay, so mostly he fucks with Nanami, but that's more or less all Anthy unpromptedly does for most of the series, anyway. He also facilitates Utena's first meeting with Juri, leads Utena to Nemuro Memorial Hall... basically, he presents himself as an agent of random chance or coincidence, but it's not much of a stretch to assume that every event he causes is something that Anthy wanted to happen, or at least condones. In some scenes (like the one where he interrupts Akio's photo-taking), people tend to read Chu-Chu's actions as being effectively Anthy's, so we may as well read him like that all the time, right?

Chu-Chu's big moment is episode 27, in which he is reborn in a phoenix-like process (while also fucking with Nanami). That shows us the mechanism behind his presumably eternal life at Anthy's side, if not the reason. And, of course, he mostly stays away from Akio, either entirely of his own volition or also because Anthy wants to keep him mostly under Akio's radar.

We should also try taking Anthy's claims that Chu-Chu is her friend as face value. If Chu-Chu is Anthy's friend, and not her servant or pet, what kind of friend is he? Why does Anthy want or need a friend like him: an unswervingly loyal, smarter-than-your-average-bear animal? Apparently he's not all she wants or needs, since it takes Utena to free her in the end, but he's got to help somehow, right?

Last edited by Dallbun (12-09-2009 07:31:12 AM)

One useful clarifying question might be: do you want to know what Chu Chu is doing in the show from a story perspective (how he and Anthy met, why she finds him useful, why he serves her) or from a meta-story perspective (what function he serves in SKU, why Ikuni included him)?

The forum hasn't talked much about either question.  There's this thread, which suggests Chu Chu is there to draw Utena into the duels from a story perspective; he plays the innocent and nonhuman victim of Saionji's abuse who Utena must rescue.  From a meta-story perspective, I wrote a little something here to the effect that Chu Chu is a commentary on how Anthy defines "friend" in the wake of her abandonment issues.  Really, though, I think a lot of it is "otherwise the only comic relief sidekick is Wakaba, and she's not as funny after we start taking her seriously."

BioKraze wrote:

However, it's the best explanation of Chu Chu that I've seen yet, barring forum member Reanna's explanation in her infamous "Ecchi Adventures" fic that Chu Chu is actually a Pikachu-Marill hybrid Pokemon.

That's crazy. He's clearly an Aipom.

What happened to the hand on his tail is anyone's guess.

Last edited by Dallbun (12-08-2009 10:43:52 PM)

Katieryn: I'm looking to amass some theories about Chu-Chu's existence...
I'm not sure what to think about it myself. It's been puzzling me for literally years. What is that little bugger there for?!

I have several thoughts/theories on ChuChu's purpose/s in the anime to add to the delicious mix. Some of them build a little on what has already been mentioned.

a) He exists in relation to Anthy, that is he backs up her character
Such a passive and quiet character as Himemiya Anthy needs another form of expression to get certain parts of her story across to the audience. ChuChu is that expression. So for instance he cries on Anthy's bed (and Utena confusedly comforts him) when Anthy is 'visiting' Akio, and the purpose of that is for the audience to understand that part of Anthy is crying too. She's in pain but as the rose bride she can't show pain, so ChuChu shows it. Likewise he stabs Saionji's shoe when Anthy is getting slapped around by Saionji. Anthy no doubt wants to cause Saionji pain but is curtailed from the physical variety (but gives him a dosing of emotional pain later on when Utena beats him and Anthy smiles widely in his face and congratulates him as 'senpai' instead of sama).

Think of ChuChu as a living illustration to the cryptic words Anthy likes to say. Or to her lack of saying/doing something in a certain scene.

b) He exists in relation to Utena, that is he proves she is noble
Utena's nobility is first demonstrated by her decision to duel to 'protect ChuChu'. Of course (at least in my view) this is an understated desire to protect the 'messed up girl who let's herself be abused by that crazy dude'. But Utena can't actually say that at that point - it would be weird, and she needs to believe that she is above all the rose bride nonsense. Thus ChuChu provides an excuse. Utena consistently defends (from Saionji for instance) and helps (cradles to sleep etc) ChuChu, further demonstrating what a good-hearted type person she is. Willing to protect a cute defenseless animal? Princelike!

Think of ChuChu as a living demonstration that Utena will be the prince in the end.

c) He exists as a mirror of Anthy's relationships
Utena's quickly formed and ongoing 'friendship' with ChuChu surprises Anthy and causes her to look at Utena slightly differently from other victors. ChuChu is very open to Utena's advances (they play together constantly), whereas he hates Saionji (understandably), Nanami (with vengeful glee), and apparently Akio (self protection?). This is a mirror of Anthy's opinions of all those characters.

Think of ChuChu as 'Anthy+'

d) He exists to provide comic relief
Although I see most of ChuChu's actions as fulfilling the purposes stated above (and meaning more than they appear at first glance) most of them are also pretty cute and funny. ChuChu is the requisite 'weird animal device' that shines in this genre and gives comedic relief between spurts of serious melodrama.

Think of ChuChu as bizarre! I know I thought 'wtf?!' the first time I saw him...I'll never forget that moment...

As to what ChuChu IS that gets even more involved and can be defined in terms of both his relationships and his actual being. But my theorizing above focuses on the thread's central question: What is ChuChu doing in the show?

I feel like there's a million ways you could interpret his purpose, and be right just about every time.  One way I look at it is that he sorta represents past-Anthy's behavior and personality.  I noticed how he didn't want to have anything to do with Anthy or Akio when they were sexing, and Anthy wasn't enjoying it at all, clearly.  I dunno. 

cscratch: I think Chuchu's sorrow is more that Anthy can't cry in front of Akio -- she needs to show Akio that she is strong enough to go, even though she might be scared.

I agree with this interpretation. Nicely put.

I like the the idea also that Anthy's glasses are a representation of the barrier between what she shows the world & what she is truly feeling.  It makes sense -- but if that is the case & ChuChu is the represenatation for her true feelings, why would she still need him at all after leaving Ohtori?

In my opinion it's not that simple. Sure Anthy's glasses are a barrier in a way. But they're also a sign of submission and imprisonment - like a chain if you will. Thus putting them aside is an illustration that she's choosing to follow Utena to freedom.

I think what makes SKU so confusing (and similarly so fascinating) is that every symbol can be (and imnsho should be) interpreted in multiple ways. SKU is postmodernism gone wild! Thus you can apply logic to come to some mind-spinning implications and you can enjoy them, but you shouldn't rely on them...there is no world-explaining schema that fits SKU exactly. There's not meant to be; it's not written with concrete answers in mind. To me it seems more written to provoke questions, to fill with emotion, and to inspire.

Katieryn: But he's packed his little sack (probably full of cookies again) like he did when he and Anthy first moved in with Utena. Which shows human-like forethought. This is not a characteristic of normal little monkeys.

Definitely not. And as such ChuChu doesn't follow any normal rules. I don't think entering the 'real world' to find Utena means ChuChu gives up his magical and mysterious nature - anymore than Anthy gives up hers. In a sense they become more real sure. But in a sense they are beyond being real anyway. Or 'merely real' if you will. As is Utena, since she has turned out to be the prince after all (according to at least one possible interpretation) and has achieved the power to revolutionize the world (whatever the heck that is!).