is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by Hideyasu Takahashi. The series was originally published as a one-shot, then later began serialization in

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

's ''Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic Special'', ''

CoroCoro Comic is a Japanese children's manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It was established in 1977 and several of its properties, like ''Doraemon'' and the ''Pokémon'' series of games, have gone on to be cultural phenomena in Japan. The name comes fr ...

'', and ''CoroCoro Dragon'' manga magazines. An

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

adaptation produced by Asatsu DK and animated by

Shin-Ei Animation is a Japanese animation studio owned by TV Asahi and founded in Tokyo in 1965 as A Production by Daikichirō Kusube, who was previously an animator for Toei Animation. History Shin-Ei Animation's history begins in December 1965 as by Daiki ...

aired in Japan from October 6, 2014 to December 26, 2016. The series follows the adventures of a thief named Joker, who goes around the world stealing treasures with his apprentice Hachi, while avoiding traps set by the police.

Characters

; / : :A phantom thief who performs miracles, he likes to steal treasures that have high value. When not stealing treasures, he spends his free time rolling around lazily, watching TV, reading manga, and playing video games. He hates doing laundry, cleaning up, and

cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

s. He also loves to eat

curry Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...

dishes. Before he became a phantom thief, he lived in a mansion with his parents until they died in a plane crash (shot down by Clover), and was known as Jack Jones. :Also known as the "miracle maker", "phantom thief of miracles", or "magical boy" because of his wondrous miracles and his super smart brain. :He's dressed up like a girl before, which was a success, beautiful enough to make three men fall in love (but they all found out that he is a male since Joker told them), and he is good at make up too, which he always uses to disguise the scar over his left eye without anyone knowing it was there. :In the manga, Joker marries Queen and have a son and daughter in the future. ; : :Joker's

ninja A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...

apprentice. He is happy-go-lucky and quite clumsy. He was born and raised in a ninja village, though he was a clumsy failure. He strongly adores Joker and makes sure to protect him. He refers to himself as ''Oira'' (オイラ) and tends to end his sentences with ''ssu'' (～っス), a shortened variant of '' Desu'' (です). He is very good at housework and cooking. ; / :,

Mizuki Watanabe , better known simply as Miz, is a Japanese people, Japanese pop/rock singer. Though most of her music is released in Japan, she does her work primarily from Gotland in Sweden, mainly doing promotional videos, photo shoots and recording there. She ...

(Childhood) :Joker's rival. He is a smart phantom thief who plans by collecting and researching information before acting. He is somewhat of a prankster and prideful in a different way from Joker. When he acts up too much, he often gets a fever. He trained together with Joker and Queen when they were young under Silver Heart. ; : :Silver Heart's "granddaughter". She is a phantom thief who trained alongside Joker and Spade. She is energetic, cheerful, and often gets into trouble. She is bad at cooking, but she is very skilled at using a knife. When she was a baby, she was known as Queen Emerald (クイーン・エメラルド ''Kuīn· Emerarudo'') and her parents were murdered by a minister (Professor Clover in the anime). Feeling sorry for her, Silver Heart decided to raise her and changed her name to Diamond Queen. In the manga, she ends up marrying Joker and has two children: a son and daughter, in the future. ; : :The teacher of Joker, Spade, and Diamond Queen. He is a legendary phantom thief who has been called the Silver Magician. He is a genius, but has a sketchy personality and hates anything bothersome. Sometimes, he ends up hurting his back. In truth, he thinks of Joker and the others as his own real children and grandchildren and cares about them, but he won't admit it due to him being embarrassed. Before he became a phantom thief, he was a

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

for the French government, Agent Silver. He lost his left eye on a mission and encounter with Agent Clover (Professor Clover), and has worn a

monocle A monocle is a type of corrective lens used to correct or enhance the visual perception in only one eye. It consists of a circular lens placed in front of the eye and held in place by the eye socket itself. Often, to avoid losing the monoc ...

since. He's also been on missions with a fellow agent, Agent Purple, such as taking down Jackal, before that. In the anime adaptation, he often breaks the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...

to explain certain important events in the episode, such as the tricks Joker performs. As a running gag throughout the series, it often features him breaking his back. ; / :,

Yumi Hara is a Japanese voice actress and singer. In December 2017, she had a hiatus from her singing career. Personal Life She announced her marriage on September 26, 2019. On July 17, 2020, she announced that she had given birth to a baby boy. On De ...

(Ai) :Spade's assistant. Like Hachi, he is very good at housework and cooking. He is very reliable when it comes to supporting Spade's acts. Dark Eye is actually Ai, the eldest sister of the "Shuffle Sisters", an idol group. ; : :A

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

who is always seen with Diamond Queen. Roko was part of an experiment to create

genetically modified animal Genetically modified animals are animals that have been genetically modified for a variety of purposes including producing drugs, enhancing yields, increasing resistance to disease, etc. The vast majority of genetically modified animals are at t ...

s, which resulted on his abilities to speak and emit a destructive sound wave. Although Roko hangs with Queen, he was named by Joker, and such the two are good friends. The origin of his name comes from a Corn of Japanese word being Tomorokoshi (トウモロコシ). His experiment number is 101. ; : :Also known as Akai Tsubasa, Phoenix is an alien who has been stranded on

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

for more than 10,000 years, on a quest to find his spaceship in order to return home, and in that, he often comes into contact and clashes with Joker throughout their respective attempts to find the treasure - Phoenix's spaceship. ; : :Real name Acrux, Hosshi is an alien,

-like who was the old companion of Phoenix who takes a liking to Joker and Hachi, thus accompanying them since their initial contact. ; : :The head of the police department's anti-phantom thief department. He despises Joker and tries his hardest to capture him, however, his attempts almost always backfire on him. Despite often being played for comic relief, he has his moments of seriousness. Oniyama takes his work seriously, and his dedication and strong morals have earned him Joker's respect. His last name is a pun on the Japanese yōkai ''

Oni An ( ) is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. They are believed to live in caves or deep in the mountains or in hell. Oni are known for their superhuman strength and have been associated with powers like th ...

''. He has an only daughter named Haruka Oniyama. Despite constantly being at ends with each other, Oniyama has been shown to care for Joker, such as being worried when Joker was poisoned and when he desperately called Joker to warn him as missiles were fired towards him. ; : :A police officer who assists Oniyama. ; : :A young police officer who also assists Oniyama. ; : :A genius high school student-detective who has

paraplegia Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...

. ; : :The leader of his gang of violent, criminal thieves. He often thinks up villainous deeds and is the one responsible for the murder of Joker, Spade and Queen's parents. Before becoming Professor Clover, he was an agent of the Federation, Agent Clover, who was defeated by Agent Silver (Silver Heart) 50 years before the events of the series. In that mission, he lost his right arm in an encounter with Agent Silver and has a weaponized, mechanical metal arm as a replacement since. ; : :Professor Clover's

shapeshifting In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...

cat assistant. She is extremely loyal to the Professor. ; / : :A rival phantom thief who looks similar to Joker. He once worked for Professor Clover and Lady Doubt. ; : :The representative of the Gold Group. He's very wealthy and uses most of his money to set up traps to defeat phantom thieves that come to steal his treasure, Joker and company in particular. He has a stuffed teddy bear whose nose acts like a switch and an explosive device and usually when Joker steals his treasure he accidentally punches its face making the location he is in explode, including his mansion, yacht, restaurant and hot spring. ; : :A 20-year old lady who assists Mister Kaneari. In season 3, she's revealed to be able to turn into her true self Commando Satsuko, a huge muscled warrior who has reached the full potential of her feminine virtues. ; : :Shadow Joker/Cyan's twin sister. She is actually a witch with time manipulation abilities. ; : :A hyperactive announcer who provides daily reports at the Underworld Net News (裏社会ネットニュース ''Urashakai Netto Nyūsu''). ; : :The young, peace-loving

monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

of the Saffron Kingdom. : ; : :An Indian boy Joker encounters who is known as a "miracle child" or "The Boys with the Eyes of God" and who is said to have the ability to foresee the future. President D (プレジデントD, ''President D'') : Leader of the evil organization named Devil's Fang. Spider Ace (スパイダー・A, ''Spider Ace'') : President D's minion. He has weakness that he becomes cowardly when he doesn't drink enough coffee.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Hideyasu Takahashi, the ''Mysterious Joker''

began as a one-shot. It was later serialized in

's ''Bessatsu Corocoro Comic Special'', then moved to

Corocoro Comic is a Japanese children's manga magazine published by Shogakukan. It was established in 1977 and several of its properties, like ''Doraemon'' and the ''Pokémon'' series of games, have gone on to be cultural phenomena in Japan. The name comes fr ...

. The chapters were collected into 26 ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes, which were released under Shogakukan's ''Tentōmushi Corocoro Comics'' imprint in Japan, from March 28, 2008, to September 15, 2017. There is also a sequel series set in the future after the events of the original series, centered on Joker's son Kaitou J: ''Kaitou Shounen Jokers'' (怪盗少年ジョーカーズ). A spin-off manga titled ''Mysterious Joker Encore'' began serialization on the ''Weekly Corocoro Comic'' website on April 15, 2024.

Anime

adaptation produced by Asatsu DK, animated by

, written by

Dai Satō is a Japanese screenwriter and musician. Having begun scriptwriting at a young age and writing scripts for various companies, Satō later focused his attention on writing for anime series. The first major series he worked on was the groundbreak ...

, and directed by Yukiyo Teramoto aired in Japan on

Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV (channel 9), branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent station, independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city and parts ...

from October 6, 2014, to January 5, 2015. The series has also aired on

Kids Station Kids Station ( Japanese: キッズステーション, ''Kizzu Sutēshon'') is a Japanese cable and satellite television channel that launched on April 12, 1993. It primarily airs anime and other animation-related content aimed at children during ...

since October 16, 2014. The series was simulcasted by

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

under the title ''Joker''. The series' opening theme is "Kaitō Miracle Shōnen Boy" (怪盗ミラクル少年ボーイ ''Phantom Thief Miracle Young Boy'') by Aruka Rider, and the ending theme is "Parade Illusion" (パレード・イリュージョン) by Mainya, with the Shuffle Sisters. The music in the series is composed by Yūsaku Tsuchiya. The February 2015 issue of ''Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic'' announced that the series has been green-lit for a second season, which would premiere in April 2015. The second 2015 issue of ''CoroCoro'' announced that the second season would premiere on April 6, 2015. A 3rd season aired in April 2016, while the 4th TV season aired in October 2016. An official English dub of the series premiered on Disney XD Asia on August 6, 2016. On February 24, 2021,

Cinedigm Cineverse Corp. (originally Access IT Digital Media, Inc., and later, Cinedigm) is an American entertainment company headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Cineverse’s businesses encompass digital cinema, streaming channels, content marketi ...

announced they would stream the series on their CONtv service in North America.

Video games

Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

based on the series entitled ''Kaitō Joker: Toki o Koeru Kaitō to Ushinawareta Hōseki'' (怪盗ジョーカー時を超える怪盗と失われた宝石 ''Mysterious Joker: The Phantom Thief Who Crosses Time & the Lost Gem'') was developed by

Bandai Namco Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

and released on June 25, 2015, in Japan.

Reception

The series was awarded the 58th

Shogakukan Manga Award The is one of Japan's major manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is ...

in the Children's Category. The series has received generally positive reviews, with praise for its art style, characters and unorthodox mix of light-hearted elements with dark undertones, but criticism of its pacing.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Shin-Ei TV series Children's manga Shin-Ei Animation Shogakukan manga Shogakukan franchises Tokyo MX original programming