Dokaben

Dokaben (Japanese: ドカベン)[lower-alpha 1] is a Japanese baseball manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Mizushima. The original series ran in Akita Shoten Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine from April 24, 1972 to March 27, 1981, but it was followed by several sequel series running until 2018. Chapters of the series were published into 205 tankōbon volumes in total, making it the series with the highest number of volumes. It was also made into an anime by the same name. It was immensely popular in Japan during its original release, and is one of the most popular sports manga of all time.

Dokaben
Cover of the first manga volume
ドカベン
GenreSports
Manga
Written byShinji Mizushima
Published byAkita Shoten
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
DemographicShōnen
Original runApril 24, 1972 – March 27, 1981
Volumes48
Anime television series
StudioNippon Animation
Original networkFuji TV
Original run October 6, 1976 – December 26, 1979
Episodes163[1]
Manga
Dai Kōshien
Written byShinji Mizushima
Published byAkita Shoten
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
DemographicShōnen
Original runMarch 23, 1983 – August 7, 1987
Volumes26
Manga
Dokaben Professional Baseball
Written byShinji Mizushima
Published byAkita Shoten
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
DemographicShōnen
Original runMarch 23, 1995 – December 25, 2003
Volumes52
Manga
Dokaben Superstars
Written byShinji Mizushima
Published byAkita Shoten
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
DemographicShōnen
Original runJanuary 8, 2004 – May 8, 2012
Volumes45
Manga
Dokaben Dream Tournament
Written byShinji Mizushima
Published byAkita Shoten
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Champion
DemographicShōnen
Original runMay 29, 2012 – June 28, 2018
Volumes34

Outline

Dokaben is centered on Taro Yamada and his teammates Iwaki, Tonoma, and Satonaka and was focused mainly on their activity as a high school baseball team. At first, it focused on Yamada, Iwaki, and Sachiko and was set in Takaoka Middle School. But in Volume 8 the team is transferred to Meikun High School for their baseball skills.

The story of Dokaben continues in Dai Kōshien, Dokaben Pro Baseball Story, and Dokaben SuperStars Story.

Characters

Yamada generation
Taro Yamada (山田太郎,, Yamada Tarō)
Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka
Position: Catcher
Masami Iwaki (岩鬼正美,, Iwaki Masami)
Voiced by: Tessho Genda
Position: Third baseman
Kazuto Tonoma (殿馬一人,, Tonoma Kazuto)
Voiced by: Kaneta Kimotsuki
Position: Second baseman
Satoru Satonaka (里中智,, Satonaka Satoru)
Voiced by: Akira Kamiya
Position: Pitcher
Santaro Hohoemi (微笑三太郎,, Hohoemi Santarō)
Voiced by: Yoshito Yasuhara
Position: Catcher, Left fielder

Senior / Younger student
Sho Doigaki (土井垣将,, Doigaki Shō)
Voiced by: Katsuji Mori
Position: Catcher, First baseman
Tetsuji Yamaoka (山岡鉄司,, Yamaoka Tetsuji)
Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba
Position: Center fielder
Mitsuo Kita (北満男,, Kita Mitsuo)
Voiced by: Kazuomi Ikeda
Position: Right fielder
Koichi Ishige (石毛幸一,, Ishige Kōichi)
Voiced by: Bungo Nakano
Position: Shortstop
Keiichi Nagisa (渚圭一,, Nagisa Keiichi)
Voiced by: Toshio Furukawa
Position: Pitcher
Tomoaki Takashiro (高代智秋,, Takashiro Tomoaki)
Voiced by: Yū Mizushima
Position: Shortstop, Second baseman

Manager
Ieyasu Tokugawa (徳川家康,, Tokugawa Ieyasu)
Voiced by: Reizou Nomoto
Manager of Meikun High School baseball team

Yamada family
Sachiko Yamada (山田サチ子,, Yamada Sachiko)
Voiced by: Minori Matsushima
Taro's 9-year-old little sister
Ji-chan (じっちゃん)
Voiced by: Minoru Yada
Taro's grandfather
"Ji-chan" means grandpa in English

Kanagawa
Mamoru Shiranui (不知火守,, Shiranui Mamoru)
Voiced by: Osamu Ichikawa
Daigoro Unryu (雲竜大五郎,, Unryū Daigorō)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Ohtake
Gosuke Domon (土門剛介,, Domon Gōsuke)
Voiced by: Mugihito
Goro Tanitsu (谷津吾郎,, Tanitsu Gorō)
Voiced by: Yoku Shioya
Gonza Nankai (南海権左,, Nankai Gonza)
Voiced by: Setsuo Wakui
Shinji Kobayashi (小林真司,, Kobayashi Shinji)
Voiced by: Makio Inoue

Kantō
Gosuke Gama (賀間剛介,, Gama Gōsuke)
Voiced by: Takeshi Kuwabara
Hayato Kagemaru (影丸隼人,, Kagemaru Hayato)
Voiced by: Masane Tsukayama → Michihiro Ikemizu (ep. 82)
Jiro Kinoshita (木下次郎,, Kinoshita Jirō)
Voiced by: Haruya Kato
Chuji Kunisada (国定忠治,, Kunisada Chūji)
Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa
Fumio Ataru (中二美夫,, Ataru Fumio)
Voiced by: Ryoichi Tanaka → Takashi Tanaka

Whole Japan
Sankichi Sakata (坂田三吉,, Sakata Sankichi)
Voiced by: Yoshito Yasuhara
Kojiro Inukai (犬飼小次郎,, Inukai Kojirō)
Voiced by: Masato Ibu
Takezo Inukai (犬飼武蔵,, Inukai Takezō)
Voiced by: Shingo Kanemoto
Tsutomu Ogata (緒方勉,, Ogata Tsutomu)
Voiced by: Rokuro Naya
Ryo Inugami (犬神了,, Inugami Ryō)
Voiced by: Shun Yashiro
Kazuma Musashibo (武蔵坊数馬,, Musashibō Kazuma)
Voiced by: Osamu Saka
Hikaru Yoshitsune (義経光,, Yoshitsune Hikaru)
Voiced by: Rokuro Naya

Others
Natsuko Natsukawa (夏川夏子,, Natsukawa Natsuko)
Voiced by: Yuko Maruyama
Iwaki's girlfriend
Toshiko Kobayashi (小林稔子,, Kobayashi Toshiko)
Voiced by: Mami Koyama
Shinji Kobayashi's little sister

Manga

When Takehiko Inoue (author of Slam Dunk & Vagabond) was young, he drew a lot of spectacular scene from Tokaben, the first manga he paid.

Cultural references
  • In the "Simpsons Comics internationale" in issue #132, the Japanese supplement (Too crazy, Juvenile Prankster, BARTOMU! (serialized in "Laughing Laughing everyone is laughing")) opens as a parody of Dokaben, with Bartomu playing for the "Yokohama Li'l Ninjas", and an art style heavily based on Dokaben's highly recognised style of art.

Art style

The art style of Dokaben is very rubbery and motional, with surprisingly dynamic use of speed lines, with a heavy use of black and very straightforward body construction. The motion and Dynamics are highly retained even in reprints. In his book Reinventing Comics, Scott McCloud mentions it as the example of the sports genre, drawing high recognition to the style.

Notes
  1. A dokaben is a kind of bento which the protagonist, Taro Yamada, likes to eat.

References
  1. "Dokaben". Nippon Animation. Archived from the original on 2 December 2002. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
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