98 Fun Facts About Manga

Most manga is traditionally printed in which colour format?

Manga is traditionally printed in black and white; artists shade with ink and screentone, and weekly magazines on cheap newsprint reserve colour for a few opening pages.

Which artist is often called the 'God of Manga'?

Osamu Tezuka's prolific output and innovative storytelling, including works like 'Astro Boy,' laid the foundation for the manga and anime industries.

Which traditional Japanese scroll art form is often cited as manga's earliest ancestor?

Manga's roots can be traced back to emakimono, such as the 12th-century Chōjū-jinbutsu-giga, which are narrative scrolls depicting scenes from life and myth.

When did the word 'manga' first come into common usage in Japan?

It caught on with Santō Kyōden's 1798 picturebook Shiji no yukikai, decades before the celebrated Hokusai Manga sketchbooks began appearing in 1814.

Which demographic category of manga is primarily aimed at adolescent boys?

Shōnen manga, meaning 'boys' comics,' is the most popular demographic category in Japan, primarily targeting young males between 10 and 18 years old.

Manga aimed at young adult men, more mature than shōnen, falls under which demographic?

Seinen manga, meaning 'youth comics,' is marketed towards young adult men and often explores darker or more mature storylines, including a wider range of genres.

What term describes manga specifically aimed at adolescent girls and young adult women, often focusing on romance and personal relationships?

Shōjo manga, meaning 'girls' comics,' targets adolescent girls and young adult women, and it often features themes of romance, drama, and coming-of-age.

Which manga category is created primarily for adult women, often with realistic relationships?

Josei manga, meaning 'women's comics,' is targeted at adult women and tends to depict more realistic and complex narratives about women's everyday experiences, including romance and drama.

Manga intended for young children, typically under the age of 10, is categorized as what demographic?

Kodomomuke, literally 'aimed at children', covers manga for readers under about ten; magazines such as Shogakukan's CoroCoro Comic serialize it with simple art and moral lessons.

Which mangaka is widely recognized for creating the influential 'Dragon Ball' series?

Akira Toriyama created 'Dragon Ball', serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1984 to 1995 and collected in 42 volumes, after his earlier hit 'Dr. Slump'.

The magical girl genre was revolutionized by the manga 'Sailor Moon,' created by which artist?

Naoko Takeuchi created 'Sailor Moon', serialized in Kodansha's Nakayoshi from 1991 to 1997, growing out of her earlier 'Codename: Sailor V'.

Who created 'Galaxy Express 999' and 'Space Pirate Captain Harlock'?

Leiji Matsumoto created 'Galaxy Express 999' and 'Space Pirate Captain Harlock', both launched in 1977, space operas that made him one of Japan's most influential science-fiction mangaka.

Which mangaka created 'One Piece'?

Eiichiro Oda created 'One Piece,' one of the best-selling manga in history, known for its long-running narrative and unique character designs.

Which female mangaka created Fullmetal Alchemist?

Hiromu Arakawa created 'Fullmetal Alchemist', serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan from 2001 to 2010 and collected in 27 volumes.

Which manga began serialization in Shogakukan's Big Comic in 1968?

Golgo 13, Takao Saito's saga of a professional assassin, debuted in Big Comic in October 1968 and passed 200 volumes in 2021, earning a Guinness record for most volumes of a single manga series.

Which comedy manga ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump for exactly 40 years, September 1976 to 2016?

KochiKame ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from September 1976 to September 2016; its 200 volumes earned a 2016 Guinness World Record for most volumes of a single manga series.

Keiji Nakazawa's manga 'Barefoot Gen' is loosely based on his own survival of what event?

Nakazawa survived the Hiroshima atomic bombing as a six-year-old in 1945; he began writing about it after his mother's 1966 cremation left almost no bones, which he blamed on radiation.

Who created the dark fantasy manga "Berserk"?

Kentaro Miura created 'Berserk', which began in 1989 in Hakusensha's Monthly Animal House before moving to Young Animal; after his death in 2021 it continued under his assistants with Kouji Mori.

Which mangaka created 'Inuyasha', 'Ranma ½' and 'Urusei Yatsura'?

Rumiko Takahashi created 'Urusei Yatsura' (1978), 'Ranma ½' (1987) and 'Inuyasha' (1996), all for Shōnen Sunday's publisher; she won the Grand Prix at Angoulême in 2019.

What is the term for adult-oriented manga with complex narratives and cinematic effects, distinct from shōnen or shōjo?

Gekiga means 'dramatic pictures', a style aimed at adults with a more cinematic art style and more mature themes.

What do the Japanese call self-published works, including fan-made manga?

Dōjinshi are self-published works — magazines, novels and manga — many of them amateur parodies of existing series; Comiket, held twice a year in Tokyo since 1975, is their largest market.

Which of these themes is most characteristic of shōnen manga?

Shōnen manga is built on coming-of-age adventures and action; Weekly Shōnen Jump's editorial motto of 'friendship, effort, victory' has shaped the category since the magazine's 1968 launch.

Which 1975 shōjo manga by Kyoko Mizuki and Yumiko Igarashi follows an orphan girl?

Candy Candy, written by Kyoko Mizuki and drawn by Yumiko Igarashi, ran in Nakayoshi from 1975 to 1979 and won the first Kodansha Manga Award for shōjo in 1977.

What is the term for a manga artist in Japanese?

A 'mangaka' is the Japanese term for a manga artist or creator, often responsible for both the story and artwork.

Which major Japanese publisher is known for manga magazines like 'Weekly Shōnen Jump'?

Shueisha publishes 'Weekly Shōnen Jump', launched in 1968, which has carried 'Dragon Ball', 'One Piece' and 'Naruto'; it was founded in 1926 as an offshoot of Shogakukan.

By what name was Tokyopop, which brought 'Sailor Moon' to English readers, originally known?

Tokyopop started in 1997 as Mixx Entertainment; its magazine MixxZine serialized four Kodansha titles — Sailor Moon, Magic Knight Rayearth, Parasyte and Ice Blade — before the company took the Tokyopop name.

Which 1947 work is credited with launching Japan's postwar manga boom?

New Treasure Island (Shin Takarajima), drawn by Osamu Tezuka in 1947 from Shichima Sakai's script, reportedly sold around 400,000 copies and set off the postwar 'akahon' manga boom.

What is the typical reading direction for manga volumes?

Manga is read right-to-left because Japanese text traditionally runs in vertical columns from right to left; most English editions since 2002 keep the original page order rather than 'flipping' the art.

The robotic cat Doraemon travels back in time from how far in the future to help the boy Nobita?

Doraemon comes from the 22nd century, i.e. the 2100s: he was manufactured on 3 September 2112 and sent back by Nobita's great-great-grandson Sewashi. Fujiko F. Fujio's series began in 1969.

Which mangaka created the Viking-themed historical manga 'Vinland Saga'?

Makoto Yukimura created 'Vinland Saga', which began in Weekly Shōnen Magazine in 2005 before moving to Monthly Afternoon; it won the Kodansha Manga Award in 2012.

Whose horror manga include 'Uzumaki', about a town cursed by spirals, and 'Tomie'?

Junji Ito created both: 'Tomie', about a regenerating girl who drives admirers to murderous obsession, debuted in 1987, and 'Uzumaki' ran from 1998 to 1999 in three volumes.

Which 1972 Moto Hagio series follows the ageless vampire Edgar across the centuries?

The Poe Clan, Moto Hagio's tale of the ageless vampire Edgar and his sister Marybelle, ran in Bessatsu Shōjo Comic from 1972 to 1976 and won the 1976 Shogakukan Manga Award.

Which manga series, created by Takehiko Inoue, is a highly regarded sports manga focused on basketball?

Slam Dunk set off such a surge of basketball interest among Japanese youth that Inoue and Shueisha created a scholarship program in 2006.

What is the term for the collected volumes of a manga series?

Tankōbon are the individual collected volumes of a manga series, usually compiling chapters that were originally serialized in magazines.

Which publisher did Seiji Horibuchi found in San Francisco in 1986 to bring manga to America?

VIZ Media began in 1986 as Viz Communications, founded in San Francisco by Seiji Horibuchi with Shogakukan's backing; it became VIZ Media in 2005 after merging with ShoPro Entertainment.

The manga 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind' was created by which renowned filmmaker and animator?

While primarily known for his animation, Hayao Miyazaki also created the manga 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,' which later inspired his beloved animated film.

What visual characteristic, associated with Osamu Tezuka's influence, is prevalent in manga characters?

Osamu Tezuka is credited with pioneering the use of large, expressive eyes in manga, a style that became ubiquitous in the industry.

Which girls' magazine did the publisher Hakubunkan launch in 1906?

Shōjo Sekai was launched by Hakubunkan in 1906 as a girls' counterpart to its Shōnen Sekai and ran until 1931; Kinkōdō's Shōjo-kai (1902) had preceded it.

Which artist created 'Sazae-san', the four-panel family strip that debuted in 1946?

When the Asahi Shimbun hired her in 1949, Hasegawa moved to Tokyo and explained the move in-strip by having the family relocate from Kyūshū too.

Which artist draws the manga 'One-Punch Man'?

Yusuke Murata is the artist for 'One-Punch Man,' celebrated for his incredibly detailed and action-packed illustrations, also known for 'Eyeshield 21.'

What is the collective name for the female mangaka who revolutionized shōjo manga in the 1970s?

The Year 24 Group was never a club: critics applied the name retroactively to the generation of women who reshaped shōjo manga in the early 1970s.

Which 1982 cyberpunk manga did Katsuhiro Otomo himself turn into a 1988 anime film?

Akira ran in Young Magazine from 1982 to 1990; Otomo directed the 1988 film himself, co-writing the screenplay with Izo Hashimoto.

What does the word 'manga' literally mean?

Manga (漫画) means 'whimsical pictures': 漫 is 'whimsical' or 'impromptu' and 画 is 'pictures'; Hokusai used the word for his sketchbooks from 1814, long before it meant comics.

Which manga artist created 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure', known for its unique style and character poses?

Hirohiko Araki created 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure', which began in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1987 and is told in generational parts, each following a different 'JoJo' of the Joestar family.

What is the Japanese term for serializing manga chapters in anthology magazines before collecting them?

Rensai (連載) is serialization: chapters appear regularly in an anthology magazine before being compiled into collected volumes.

Which manga series, created by Gosho Aoyama, features a high school detective transformed into a child?

Detective Conan, known as Case Closed in English, began in 1994 and follows Shinichi Kudo, shrunk into the child Conan Edogawa by an experimental poison.

In 1990s Japan, the label 'ladies' comics' (redikomi) picked up a negative connotation through association with what?

Low-quality, pornographic manga gave the 'ladies' comics' (redikomi) label a seedy reputation in 1990s Japan; the stigma faded during the 2000s.

Which mangaka is credited with creating 'Naruto,' one of the best-selling shōnen manga series globally?

Masashi Kishimoto is the creator of 'Naruto,' a widely popular shōnen manga about a young ninja seeking recognition and to become Hokage.

Who illustrated Death Note, working from Tsugumi Ohba's scripts?

Takeshi Obata drew Death Note from Tsugumi Ohba's scripts; its 108 chapters ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from December 2003 to May 2006 and filled 12 volumes.

In Death Note, Light Yagami carries out his killings under what god-like alias?

Kira is a Japanese rendering of the English word 'killer', the name the public gives Light's killings; the notebook itself belonged to the bored shinigami Ryuk.

In Attack on Titan, how many enormous walls ring the cities where humanity hides?

Three walls — Maria, Rose and Sina — ring humanity's last territory; Hajime Isayama's series ran for 34 volumes between 2009 and 2021.

Which Bleach teenager receives Soul Reaper powers from Rukia Kuchiki?

Ichigo Kurosaki, a teenager who can see ghosts, takes on Rukia's Soul Reaper powers in chapter one; Tite Kubo's series ran 74 volumes in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2001 to 2016.

Whose Hunter × Hunter has gone on repeated long hiatuses since 2006?

Yoshihiro Togashi has paused Hunter × Hunter repeatedly since 2006 for ill health; in 2022 he said back and hip problems had stopped him sitting for two years, so he drew lying down.

In Demon Slayer, Tanjiro fights to restore the humanity of which sister?

Nezuko is the sole survivor of the attack on the Kamado family, and her transformation is what drives Tanjiro into the Corps.

Who wrote and drew Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba?

Koyoharu Gotouge wrote and drew Demon Slayer, which ran four years in Weekly Shōnen Jump, February 2016 to May 2020, and wrapped in 23 volumes.

In My Hero Academia, what are the commonplace superpowers called?

Quirks are the superpowers about 80 percent of the population has; Izuku Midoriya is born without one until All Might passes his own Quirk, One For All, to him.

In Chainsaw Man, which devil merges with Denji to become his heart?

Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil, becomes Denji's heart, letting him sprout chainsaws from his body; the first arc ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump and the second moved to the Shōnen Jump+ app.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, Yuji Itadori becomes the host of which powerful Curse?

Ryomen Sukuna, the 'King of Curses', takes up residence in Yuji after he swallows one of Sukuna's fingers; Gege Akutami's prequel was retitled Jujutsu Kaisen 0 once the main series took off.

In Fruits Basket, the cursed Sohma family transform into animals from which set?

The Sohmas turn into the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, plus the cat the legend left out; Natsuki Takaya's series ran in Hana to Yume from 1998 to 2006.

Who created Nana, about two women of the same name who move to Tokyo at 20?

Ai Yazawa created Nana, serialized in Cookie from 2000; illness halted her work in 2009 after 21 volumes, with Nana O. chasing fame and Nana K. chasing romance.

In Naoki Urasawa's Monster, neurosurgeon Kenzo Tenma works in which German city?

Tenma is a surgeon at Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf when he saves the boy Johan Liebert, who grows into a killer who manipulates others into murder.

Urasawa's 20th Century Boys takes its title from a song by which glam-rock act?

The title comes from T. Rex's 1973 single '20th Century Boy', Marc Bolan's glam-rock hit; a 16-chapter coda called 21st Century Boys followed in 2007.

Who created the cyberpunk manga Ghost in the Shell, led by Major Motoko Kusanagi?

The original 1989–90 serial fit into a single collected volume; Shirow later added the sequels Human-Error Processor and Man-Machine Interface.

In Lone Wolf and Cub, what was Ogami Ittō's job for the shōgun before his disgrace?

Ogami Ittō was the shōgun's kaishakunin — his official executioner, who beheaded condemned lords after seppuku — before the Yagyū clan framed him and he took the assassin's road with his son Daigorō.

In Kiyohiko Azuma's Yotsuba&!, who guides the green-haired girl through daily life?

Her adoptive father, the translator Koiwai, raises Yotsuba; the title means 'Yotsuba and', and nearly every chapter is named 'Yotsuba and [something]'.

Four-panel yonkoma strips traditionally follow which four-part structure?

Kishōtenketsu's four kanji — ki, shō, ten, ketsu — map onto the panels: set the scene, develop it, deliver a twist, then resolve.

At its 1995 peak, roughly how many copies a week did Weekly Shōnen Jump sell?

Jump's 1995 New Year double issue (No. 3–4) sold 6.53 million copies; by 1998 circulation had slid to 4.15 million after Dragon Ball ended in 1995.

On which day of the week does Weekly Shōnen Sunday actually go on sale?

The 'Sunday' was meant to evoke a relaxed day off; the debut 1959 issue put Yomiuri Giants star Shigeo Nagashima on the cover.

Which unfinished 12-part epic did the creator of Astro Boy call his 'life's work'?

Phoenix (Hi no Tori) has each part stand alone in a different era, leaping from prehistory to the far future with reincarnation as the thread; Tezuka was still drawing it when he died in 1989.

What is the profession of the scar-faced title character of Black Jack?

Black Jack is an unlicensed doctor, a surgeon of genius who charges enormous fees; Tezuka ran the self-contained 20-page stories in Weekly Shōnen Champion from 1973 to 1983.

Kimba the White Lion is known in Japan by what title?

Jungle Emperor (Janguru Taitei) is the Japanese title; Tezuka's 1965 anime adaptation was Japan's first colour animated television series.

Princess Knight's gender-bending heroine was inspired by which all-female musical troupe?

Tezuka grew up in Takarazuka and modelled Sapphire on the Takarazuka Revue's women who play male roles; she is born with a boy's blue heart and a girl's pink one.

The Rose of Versailles is set before and during which upheaval?

Riyoko Ikeda sets the story in the run-up to the French Revolution, pairing Marie Antoinette with the invented Oscar François de Jarjayes, a woman raised as a man who commands the Royal Guard.

Shigeru Mizuki's GeGeGe no Kitarō popularised which class of Japanese spirit-monster?

Kitarō is a yōkai boy, and the series turned Japan's folkloric yōkai into a pop-culture staple; the 'GeGeGe' comes from Mizuki's childhood mispronunciation of his own name, Shigeru, as 'Gegeru'.

'Fujiko Fujio' was a shared pen name of Hiroshi Fujimoto and which other artist?

Motoo Abiko (Fujiko Fujio A) and Hiroshi Fujimoto (Fujiko F. Fujio) debuted together in 1951 and shared the pen name until 1987, when they split partly over Fujimoto's failing health.

Who created the gentleman-thief franchise Lupin III?

Monkey Punch (Kazuhiko Katō) launched Lupin III in Weekly Manga Action in August 1967; disputes with the Maurice Leblanc estate once forced foreign releases to rename the hero 'Rupan' or 'Wolf'.

Captain Tsubasa, which ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1981, centres on which sport?

Soccer hero Tsubasa Oozora's original run filled 37 volumes, followed by a string of sequels tracking his career.

In Fist of the North Star, Kenshiro is the successor to which deadly martial art?

Hokuto Shinken strikes vital points so that opponents explode from within; the series ran 245 chapters in Weekly Shōnen Jump between 1983 and 1988.

Masami Kurumada's Saint Seiya is also known in the West by what title?

Knights of the Zodiac is a translation of the French title Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque; the Saints wear constellation-themed armour called Cloths.

In Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yugi Mutou solves which ancient Egyptian artefact?

Solving the Millennium Puzzle frees a gambling spirit who settles disputes through games; Duel Monsters only took over the plot in later arcs.

Which manga group created Cardcaptor Sakura?

Clamp, the all-woman collective, serialized Cardcaptor Sakura monthly in Nakayoshi from 1996 to 2000; Tokyopop's first English volumes were flipped to read left-to-right.

Yasuhisa Hara's Kingdom dramatises which period of Chinese history?

Kingdom is set in the Warring States period of the third century BC, as the boy Qin king Ying Zheng, the future First Emperor, sets out to unify China with the war orphan Xin as his general.

In Spy × Family, what secret does Agent Twilight's adopted daughter hide?

Anya's secret is that she is a telepath, the product of an experiment, while Loid's wife of convenience, Yor, is secretly an assassin, so nobody in the fake household knows what the others are.

Haikyu!!, by Haruichi Furudate, follows Shoyo Hinata in which sport?

Haikyū is the Japanese word for volleyball, written with the kanji 排球; Hinata's whole arc is overcoming his short stature on the court.

In Dr. Stone, humanity is mysteriously petrified for how many years?

Humanity stays petrified for 3,700 years before Senku Ishigami wakes and sets out to rebuild civilisation from scratch; the art is by the South Korean-born artist Boichi.

Which manga by the Death Note team follows two ninth-graders chasing a career in manga?

Bakuman ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 2008 to 2012; several characters resemble real Jump editors, and many of the in-story titles were actually published in the magazine.

Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond dramatises the life of which swordsman?

Vagabond adapts Eiji Yoshikawa's novel Musashi, following Musashi Miyamoto's path from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600; Inoue paused it in May 2015 after 37 volumes.

Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita is known in Japan by what title?

Gunnm (銃夢) means 'gun dream'; the heroine is called Gally in the Japanese original and was renamed Alita for Viz's English edition.

Crayon Shin-chan is set in and around which town in Saitama?

The Noharas live in Kasukabe, Saitama, which made the family honorary citizens; after creator Yoshito Usui's death in 2009, his team carried on with New Crayon Shin-chan from August 2010.

In Golden Kamuy, Sugimoto hunts for hidden gold alongside Asirpa, a girl of which people?

Asirpa is Ainu; Chiba University linguist Hiroshi Nakagawa supervised the Ainu language and culture shown throughout the series, set in Hokkaido after the Russo-Japanese War.

Which Go Nagai super-robot manga was retitled Tranzor Z in the United States?

Mazinger Z ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from October 1972 and spawned Great Mazinger and UFO Robo Grendizer; the 1985 US dub renamed it Tranzor Z.

Cyborg 009 and Kamen Rider creator Shotaro Ishinomori was known by which nickname?

Ishinomori was dubbed the 'King of Manga'; he holds a Guinness World Record for most comics published by one author, over 128,000 pages across 770 titles.

Keiko Takemiya's Kaze to Ki no Uta is an early example of which genre?

Shōnen-ai, romance between boys written for female readers, grew from works like this: it follows Gilbert and Serge at an all-boys boarding school in 19th-century France and ran from 1976 to 1984.

The Manga Taishō prize only considers series of at most how many collected volumes?

Only series of 8 or fewer collected volumes are eligible; the jury is about a hundred volunteers, mostly bookstore staff, and industry insiders are barred from voting.

In Cyborg 009, nine people are kidnapped and rebuilt by which evil organisation?

Black Ghost, led by the skull-faced Skull, rebuilt the nine as cyborgs to showcase weapons for sale; the series began in Weekly Shōnen King in 1964 and hopped between several magazines.

Who wrote and drew Kaguya-sama: Love Is War?

Aka Akasaka wrote and drew Kaguya-sama, which began in Miracle Jump in 2015, moved to Weekly Young Jump in 2016 and ended in 2022 at 28 volumes; he also writes Oshi no Ko.

The creator of Astro Boy qualified in which profession before going full-time in manga?

Medicine: Tezuka entered Osaka University's medical school in 1945 and earned a physician's licence before going full-time in manga; he later drew on that training for the surgical drama Black Jack.

Which Urasawa manga reworks Astro Boy's 'Greatest Robot on Earth' arc as a murder mystery?

Pluto takes its title from the arc's chief villain; Naoki Urasawa's 2003–09 series has Europol robot detective Gesicht investigate a string of robot and human deaths.