Nighthawk’s Top Ten Japanese Cartoon Characters – Part 2

In Part Two of this two part entry we enter into the final five. Rounding out the list are two cats (one with ears and one without) a yellow electric mouse, a sexy school girl who we really shouldn’t be lusting over and the father of anime.


5. Doraemon
Surveys and train art aside, if I were to just use my students as examples of what exemplifies popular Japanese cartoon characters simply by observing the contents of their backpacks then the match would have to go to Pikachu. Second place would be held not by the bread headed Anpanman but by Doraemon, a robotic cat from the future! Debuting in 1969, Doraemon started out as a comic strip that would span a series of 1,344 stories. Doraemon stories were published in six magazines that were marked to different school age groups: Yoiko (good children), Yochien (nursery school), Shogaku Ichinensei (first grade) to Shogaku Yonensei (fourth grade). The series creation is created to Fujiko Fujio, a combination of the names of two Japanese cartoonists Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko. It is Fujimoto that is given the most credit in the development of what wold become the duo’s greatest success. Since the comic strips there have been entire comic books, over 1,000 cartoon episodes a few feature films all featuring the character.

The premise is simple: The great-great grandson of a fourth grader sends a robotic cat back in time to kill him thus preventing an uprising of resistance in the future war between man and machine. No, wait, that’s the plot to the terminator and probably wouldn’t make for good children’s TV. With a name taken from the Japanese words for stray cat (dora neko) Doraemon, the robotic cat, is actually sent back to aid the fourth grader improve his lot in life so that his future generations may see better days then the one’s they are currently living. Now, who am I to question my future generations as, after all, they ARE in the future and thus should theoretically be more technologically advanced but if by any future means my great-grand children are listening to me now please do not send a giant blue robot cat, a cat without ears I might ad, to aid in your embetterment (thanks Dubbya). If you want me to listen you best send a large breasted redhead! With an arsenal of futuristic gadgets and gizmos, Doraemon tries to help the youngster but the kid, not much in the brains department, usually ends up making a larger mess of things. Doraemon lost his eyes to a robot mouse attack and because of this it turned the pussy into, well, a pussy. This cat is afraid of mice. Once a vibrant yellow, afer losing his ears Doraemon become depressed, drank a strange potion labled sadness (you should have reached for the Ben and Jerry’s, dude) and after many days of tears he lost his yellow color and turned his now familiar blue color. He loves dorayaki, a pancake version of Anpanman filled with the red bean paste (Why hasn’t anybody latched onto this and created the long awaited Doraemon vs. Anpanman vs. Predator?). Doraemon’s sister Drami often drops in from the future but mostly the no-eared blue cat goes it alone to improve the life of Nobita Nobi. Cartoons need to sell toys and Doraemon delivers the Dogu, a never-ending series of devices from the future. Some of the more interesting gadget names are memory bread, the Almighty pass, Confessor Crickets and fluffy medicine. The original television series from the early 70s did not fair well and it wasn’t until a new cartoon debuted in 1979 that Doraemon took off outside of the school readings and manga books. This series ended in 2005 but began anew one month later. In April of 2002 Time Magazine selected Doraemon as one of 22 Heroes of Asian culture and described him as “The Cuddliest Hero in Asia.”


4. Sērā Mūn
The Japanese know her as Sera Mun but to the Western World she is known as The Cartoon Character I’d Really, REALLY Like To Have Sex With. Also called Sailor Moon. This extremely popular anime ran from February 1992 and March 1997 and was marketed towards young/pre-teen girls. She was created by the manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. In short the show is about a group of teenage girls called Sailor Senshi (Sailor Soldiers) that are reincarnated heroes of a universal kingdom. The girls have the ability to transform into cosmic beings with various powers each named after a planet or, as it is with the lead character, the moon. The addition of the word Sailor comes from the school uniform designs the characters wear. Sailor Moon herself, when not in her battling evil mode, goes by the name Usagi Tsukino in Japan or Serena in the English translation. Living in Tokyo, Serena learns of her powers froma talking cat (no, not a ROBOTIC talking cat). After saving the cat from harm, Serena is given a magical brooch that allows her to transform into a “soldier for love and justice”. It isn't long before she is looking for love by daylight and fighting evil by moon light...or is that the other way around. Whatever.


She was created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi and has become one of the most recognizable figures in anime. The character is depicted to be a typical teenage girl suffering from the usual pratfalls in popularity as well as in love. She is prone to dramatic outbursts but as the show progressed Serena matured. The strength of the character was very appealing to young Japanese girls and this appeal would also be prominent in the Western World when the show was brought over and dubbed. Over the course of the series she slowly learns who she once was. Serena was Princess Serenity, heir to the throne of the Moon Kingdom. Man, I’ve tasted old cheddar less cheesy then this. She has been part of 200 episodes of the television show, all manga books and a live-action series. Seeing as how I already described the powers of a man made of bread and a robot cat from the future, I’m shagged out. Sailor Moon has moon power. That’s all you need to know. The show was slated for a short run but due to immense popularity it stuck around for five years airing every Saturday night in Japan. The legacy of the show is that it is credited with popularizing modern anime outside of Japan. Girls wanting more then Barbie turned to the Sailor Scouts but despite this the show did not fair well ratings-wise in the United States. Still, the show racked in 1.5 billion in merchandise sales in a three year period and is rated highly in lists of the greatest cartoon series. In a bizarre tie-in, 29 SeraMyu musicals have been produced since 1993 and from these productions have come releases of 20 albums.


3. Hello Kitty
If Pikachu holds the top spot of the most recognizable character on this list to the Western World then Hello Kitty has got to be number two. Created in 1974 by the Sanrio Company, the character is one of the most recognizable in Japan and adorns more merchandise then any other on this list. The origins of the character are a bit hazy. Some claim the famed feline was inspired by that “cute little bunny” Miffy, the Dutch rabbit created by Dick Bruna in 1955. Others place the inspiration even further back to the mid 1940s with the cat Musti, another Dutch character. All three characters share similar qualities and the popularity of the Dutch designs in Japan have sparked much debate on Hello Kitty plagiarism. For the first few years Hello Kitty was nameless although Kitty White was tossed around after one of Alice’s cats in the famous Lewis Carroll story. British culture was very popular in Japan during the time of the creation of Hello Kitty and because of this the fictional world of the character is located in London. Ikuko Shimizu, an employee of the Sanrio Company, is credited with designing Hello Kitty in the city of Kobe back in 1974. The company asked the artist to draw something that would appeal to young girls and seeing as how the company already had a bear and a dog Shimizu settled upon a cat. Author Marie Y. Moss states in her book Hello Kitty Hello Everything: “Shimizu wanted to create a cat that was kittenish for sure but one that would certainly prefer a catnap to catnip.” The red bow and blue overalls has been a constant on the character since the drafting table. The first picture of Hello Kitty had the cat sitting between a bottle of milk and a goldfish, head turned to one side and the image embodied the symbol of “cute” the company was looking for. The familiar mouthless white cat first appeared on a coin purse which sold for about two dollars. Other items followed as did a storm of success. Young girls took to this character and soon everything from dolls to kitchenware was out there bearing the iconic image. The character was a hit overseas from the start reaching a strange zenith in 1983 when it was made the children’s ambassador to UNICEF.


The first appearance of Hello Kitty in animated form was in 1977 and between then and 1985 the character would make several cameos in Sanrio films. It was not until 1987 when she was given her own series Hello Kitty’s Furry Tale Theatre. Although this was an American made show it was co-produced with Japan. In Japan the character had a 16 episode run in Hello Kitty’s Paradise in the early 90s. Currently in development is a Japanese clay-mation series. If you can think it up Hello Kitty is probably on it. There are magnets, stationery, posters, lipsticks, jewelry, clothing, computers and even cars and jets bearing the image of Hello Kitty. For adults there are Hello Kitty vibrators and I’ve already written of the Hello Kitty theme bondage room in Love Hotels. Hello Kitty loves apple pie, has a twin sister named Mimmy and is in love with another cat named Dear Daniel. A whack of American celebrities have embraced the character. Drew Barrymore, Mariah Carey and Cameron Diaz are just some admitted fans. Singer Lisa Lobe was granted permission to use the character on her album cover Hello Lisa. Sabrio Puroland, a theme park based around the company characters, opened in 1990 with much of the area devoted to Hello Kitty rides and games. At least five couples are married in the theme park each year. It hasn’t all be roses for the kitty. IN 1999 a case dubbed the Hello Kitty Murder shocked Hong Kong. A night club hostess was kidnapped, tortured and then dismembered by gang members. Her head was hidden inside a Hello Kitty doll. Currently the Sanrio company has over 400 lawsuits against merchandise either directly resembling Hello Kitty or bearing her image without permission. It is said that fake Kitty merchandise takes in over 800 million a year. Last month the cat made national headlines when it was revealed that Thai police officers caught committing minor crimes were forced to wear Hello Kitty armbands as punishment. I suppose it could have been worse. They could have been asked to wear Rainbow Brite panties.


2. Pikachu
You got to have something real special to be the most popular character in a cast of what has to be about three billion now and the Pokemon Pikachu has the stuff. Like Bart Simpson, the character of Pikachu has been around for what seems like decades. It has actually been ten years since the first Pokemon series debuted in Japan on April 1, 1997. What followed was one of the largest cultural phenomons in the country’s history spanning various continents and age groups producing multiple films, card games and television shows. Prior to this Pokemon was known only in video game form. The franchise was created by Satoshi Tajiri and is owned by Nintendo. The games first made for the Game Boy were the foundations of what would becoem the second largest and successful video game franchise after the Mario games. All things Pokemon take in billions of bucks each year thanks to people like my daughter and at the helm of this mega-empire is the little yellow mouse-like creature Pikachu. Now bear with me here, Pikachu is not the name of the character but the species of character in the Pokemon universe and thus there are many Pikachu and not just one but the main Pikachu featured in the show is nameless although I’d call him Pikachu Prime. The name of the character is a combination of the Japanese words pikapika (meaning electric spark) and chu (meaning mouse squeek). Because one cute little mouse thing wasn’t enough to bring in the Poka-cash, multiple evolutions of the character were created. Des please correct me if I am wrong here but Pikachu is actually an evolved form of a smaller creature called a Pichu and is actually the middle rung on the evolutionary ladder as it can also evolve into a Raichu with the usage of something called a Thunder Stone. I wonder if Thunder Stones are mentioned anywhere in the writings of Darwin?


As the story goes, Ash Ketchum, our heroic lead, was in training to be a Pokemon master. His mother really wanted him to be a lawyer. Oh well. Lower end Pokemon are called Starter Pokemon and they are used by those in training. The usual lot had been taken already when Ash arrived late for his first training session and so he was saddled with a Pikachu. At the outset their relationship was rocky which is expected when you try to pair up a boy with an electric mouse but soon they due were like Abbot and Costello, Ozzy and Harriette… Joanie and Chachi! Pikachu can’t talk or if he can talk he chooses not to. I like to think that when nobody is looking he likes to recite all of Happy’s lines from Death of a Salesman. Like most Pokemon Pikachu can only say his species name or variations thereof. This cute sound is, I’m sure, a large factor in the success of the character. The character is voiced by Ikue Otani and she has been the voice from the start although one has to wonder how many variations on “Pika pika!” there can be? Although there have been other Pikachu’s on the show, not to mention the aforementioned 10 trillion other Pokemon, Pikachu remains the most popular character in the franchise and is the series mascot. Because of this massive popularity Pikachu has been featured in pretty much everything Pokemon can dream up to remove us from our finances. Manga, cards, video games, cartoons and movies, he (or is it a she…who knows?) is in them all. Back in the West Pikachu is pretty much considered the leader of Japan. I think he makes more then the Emperor. When you get a balloon in the Macy’s Parade you’ve hit the big time! In 2002 the character was ranked #50 on TV Guide’s greatest cartoon characters of all time.


1. Tetsuwan Atom (Astro Boy)
The boy that is a father, Tetsuwan Atom, or as we know him back home, Astro Boy, debuted in manga form in 1951. Created by The God of Manga, Osamu Tezuka (others call him the Japanese Walt Disney), Tetsuwan Atom (meaning Iron-Arm Atom) aired between 1963 and 1966 and is considered to be the first cartoon to utilize the style that would eventually be called anime. It is the future and robots roam freely with human beings. Astro Boy is created by a scientist to replace a son Tobio killed in a car accident. Astro was given the features of Tobio. The robot version of his son, the scientist realized, could not fill the hole in his life and so the scientist sold off Astro Boy to a devious man named Hamegg (sounds very breakfasty). Hamegg ran a circus and there Astro was treated terribly but became a novelty due to the incredible feats he could perform. With nowhere else to go and feeling a lack of acceptance in society, Astro stayed with the circus until he was noticed by another scientist who convinced Hamegg to release him. With newfound guidance Astro Boy became a super-hero, helping those in need with his amazing gifts. Astro is able to fly using leg jets, can speak and translate over 60 languages and has super strength. Unintentionally hilarious is Astro Boy’s ability to fire machine guns and lasers from his ass. Two small guns shoot out of each butt cheek (now come to think of it I guess he doesn’t have butt cheeks but for the sake of comedy will go with robotic ass) giving Astro an awkward weapon. I mean, the guy has to shoot with his ass. Not only can he not see his intended targets but he has to bend down to properly aim. Lower targets would mean he’d have to basically have to become a quadruped. This also begs the question that if Astro Boy was created in the image of a human child why even include anal fire power? Astro also has super hearing, heightened vision and an electric heart that can distinguish evil intentions. With the success of the comics the original Astro Boy series lasted four years, 193 episodes and was watched by nearly half of the Japanese population at the height of it’s popularity.


The original series was done in black and white but a feature film was made in 1964 in full color. The English name Astro Boy was created by NBC who purchased the American Broadcast rights to the series. 104 episodes were carried over to the US market and dubbed into English and lyrics were written to go along with the original instrumental opening. This would kick off the anime music trend as the Japanese creators were so impressed by the addition that they added Japanese lyrics to the song. The show was successful enough over seas that producers in Japan decided to give Astro Boy another TV run in the 1980s. The show was now called Shin Tetsuwan Atomu and was considered a darker version of it’s 1960s counterpart. Here Astro was given a robotic family and an evil brother named Atlas. This series would only run for one year and 53 episodes were produced however this version is most commonly known in Western markets due to repeated airings in the 1980s. Two separate dubs were made for the US and Canada. The Canadian version changed character names and would include a sequence before the titles showing Astro Boy’s origins and epilogues where he would give reports to a computer about what had happened in that particular episode. Intentionally a mistake about the episode would be included in Astro’s reports and the audience would have to guess what it was. I distinctly remember watching this show with my brother and seeing who could spot the mistake the fastest. In this he would usually win and I would have to save face by finding that strange creature hidden in the She-ra episodes. Astro Boy would fly again in 2003 when a third show was created in celebration of the character being 40 years old. The animation would be the best the series has seen and 50 episodes were aired in Japan between April 2003 and March 2004. At his peak, Astro Boy could be considered the equivalent of Mickey Mouse to Japanese children. The style of the early series would give way to similar looking animation that would come to be known as anime thus Astro Boy could be considered the father of the style. A CGI feature film is currently in production and in 2004 Astro Boy was inducted into the Robot Hall of Fame. Multiple DVD releases in recent years show the character is just as popular as ever. For me, the lasting image of this show is of the end titles as a drawing of Astro Boy running takes life form a pencil test until full animation over the catchy theme song.

And a pika-pika-pika...that's all folks!