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

Fujio Akatsuka was a Japanese manga artist. Known as the Master of Gag Manga, he created many popular manga such as ''Osomatsu-kun'', ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'', and ''Tensai Bakabon''. Biography He was born in Rehe Province, Rehe, Manchuria, the son of a Ke ...

, which began publication on April 9, 1967, in ''

Weekly Shōnen Magazine is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga magazine published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male high ...

''. It is about the misadventures of a dim-witted boy (Bakabon) and his idiotic father, the latter of whom eventually becomes the central character. It has been adapted into five

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 ...

television series. The first two series produced by

Tokyo Movie , formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation. TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as ''Detective Conan'', ''Lupin the Third'' ...

were broadcast in the 1970s for 40 and 103 episodes respectively. The third and fourth series were produced by

Studio Pierrot , previously known as until 2002, is a Japanese animation studio established in May 1979 by Yuji Nunokawa, previously an animator and director for Tatsunoko Production. Its headquarters are located in Mitaka, Tokyo. Pierrot is renowned for ...

and broadcast in 1990 and 1999–2000, for 46 and 24 episodes respectively. The fifth series was produced by Pierrot+ and broadcast for 12 episodes in 2018.

Characters

; :Bakabon's troublemaker father who eventually steals the show and becomes the central character. His catchphrase is saying "" to someone when trying to get them to go along with one of his stupid plans. A typical episode plot involves Papa either being too stupid to perform a simple task or coming up with some crazy idea to accomplish a simple task, usually asking for his son Bakabon's advice and causing tons of trouble. He was once very smart but became an idiot after an accident. He is known for always wearing his trademark

hachimaki A (headband, "helmet-scarf") is a type of Japanese headband, usually made of red or white cloth, typically featuring a design of kanji at the front. History The origin of the ''hachimaki'' is uncertain, but the most common theory states th ...

and haramaki. His favorite food is

octopus An octopus (: octopuses or octopodes) is a soft-bodied, eight-limbed mollusc of the order Octopoda (, ). The order consists of some 300 species and is grouped within the class Cephalopoda with squids, cuttlefish, and nautiloids. Like oth ...

. Papa has become an anime icon in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and was ranked number 9 in a 2002

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

Top 100 Anime Characters list. Voiced by

Masashi Amenomori was a Japanese actor and voice actor. Death Amenomori died of cirrhosis on April 9, 1984. At the time of his death he was represented by Aoni Production. Notable voice work *'' Ai Shite Knight'' (Juliano) ''final role'' *''Gatchaman'' (Debu) *' ...

(1st-2nd series),

Kōsei Tomita was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo Prefecture who was affiliated with Aoni Production and Production Baobab. He voiced Doraemon in the first half of the original 1973 ''Doraemon'' series. He voiced Shunsaku Ban, also known as Must ...

(3rd series,

pachinko is a mechanical game originating in Japan that is used as an arcade game, and much more frequently for gambling. Pachinko fills a niche in Gambling in Japan, Japanese gambling comparable to that of the slot machine in the West as a form of l ...

games), (4th series),

Arata Furuta is a Japanese theatre and film character actor. Biography Furata has a broad range that goes from playing serious salary men, to '' bushi'' in period drama roles, and even women. He works with the theatrical troupe called Otona Keikaku and of ...

(5th series). ; :A boy who enjoys causing

mischief Mischief (or malicious mischief) is the name for a class of criminal offenses that are defined differently in different legal jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a lega ...

, especially with his Papa. On the inside, though, he is kind and works a part-time job as a shoeshine boy to buy his mother a birthday present. He is known for not wearing pants underneath his

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

. At the beginning of the series he attends , which means Idiot Elementary School, but by the fourth anime it has been renamed , meaning Stupid Elementary School. Voiced by

Keiko Yamamoto was a Japanese voice actress from Osaka Prefecture. Many of her roles have been older women, young boys, or tomboyish young girls. Filmography Anime television series *'' Big X'' (1964) – Hans *''Osomatsu-kun'' (1966) – Choromatsu, Karamat ...

(1st-2nd series, pachinko),

Megumi Hayashibara is a Japanese voice actress, singer, lyricist and radio personality from Kita ward in Tokyo and is affiliated with self-founded Woodpark Office. One of the most prominent Japanese voice actresses since the 1990s, Hayashibara is best known for ...

(3rd series),

Yoshiko Kamei is a Japanese voice actress from Ibaraki Prefecture. She is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Roles Animation *'' Anime Himitsu no Hanazono'' (Bunny) *'' Atashin'chi'' (Nursing practitioner, Hanae) *'' Baby and Me'' (Tadashi Gotō, Taichi Kimu ...

(4th series),

Miyu Irino is a Japanese actor and singer. He voiced Haku in '' Spirited Away'', Shoya Ishida in '' A Silent Voice'', Sena Kobayakawa in '' Eyeshield 21'', Jinta "Jintan" Yadomi in '' Anohana'', Syaoran in '' Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle'', Yuichiro Hya ...

(5th series). ; :Bakabon's younger brother. He is a

child prodigy A child prodigy is, technically, a child under the age of 10 who produces meaningful work in some domain at the level of an adult expert. The term is also applied more broadly to describe young people who are extraordinarily talented in some f ...

, understanding words almost immediately after his birth and being capable of explaining the

Pythagorean theorem In mathematics, the Pythagorean theorem or Pythagoras' theorem is a fundamental relation in Euclidean geometry between the three sides of a right triangle. It states that the area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite t ...

and

Kepler's laws of planetary motion In astronomy, Kepler's laws of planetary motion, published by Johannes Kepler in 1609 (except the third law, which was fully published in 1619), describe the orbits of planets around the Sun. These laws replaced circular orbits and epicycles in ...

. His name means "beginning". Voiced by Takako Sasuga (1st-2nd series, pachinko),

Chika Sakamoto is a Japanese voice actress who is affiliated with Arts Vision. Filmography Television animation ;1980s *'' Captain Tsubasa'' (1983) – Sanae Nakazawa *'' Cat's Eye'' (1983) – Ai Kisugi *''Nine'' (1983) – Yukimi Yasuda *''Super Dimension ...

(3rd series),

Yukiji , formally known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with 81 Produce. Anime voice roles *Azuki-chan (Tomomi "Tomo-chan" Takahashi) *Anpanman (Crayonman) *Chocotto Sister (Takeshi (ep.14, 17)) *Duel Masters (Great Bucketman ...

(4th series),

Ai Nonaka is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She works for Aoni Production and was formerly a member of the voice actor unit Drops, which included fellow voice actor Akemi Kanda, Tomoko Kaneda, Mariko Kōda, and Ryōko Shiraishi. In high school ...

(5th series). ; :Bakabon's mother and a graduate of (a parody of

Shirayuri Women's University is a Catholic Japanese women's university in Chōfu, Tokyo. The university comprises four Departments of Literature and a graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional ...

). Despite how much trouble and mischief Papa and Bakabon cause, she is a good wife and mother. She is the only family member to have the same voice actress throughout the series. Voiced by

Eiko Masuyama was a Japanese actress and narrator. She worked for Aoni Production. She was most known for originating the roles of Fujiko Mine (''Lupin III''), Honey Kisaragi (''Cutie Honey''), and Bakabon's Mama ('' Tensai Bakabon''). Early life Eiko Masu ...

(1st-4th series), (1st series, Ep. 35 only),

Noriko Hidaka , better known by the stage name of , is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and narrator. She played Minami Asakura in ''Touch'', Akane Tendo in ''Ranma ½'', Satsuki Kusakabe in ''My Neighbor Totoro'', Near in ''Death Note'', Jean Roque ...

(5th series). ; :The Bakabon family's odd neighbor, named so for his tendency to say "rerere" (rather than ) when confused about the countless shenanigans in the series. He is almost always seen sweeping the street outside of his yard. He is bald, has a moustache but no nose, ears that extend slightly off of his head, and wears a

yukata A is an unlined cotton summer kimono, worn in casual settings such as summer festivals and to nearby bathhouses. The name is translated literally as "bathing cloth" and originally were worn as bathrobes; their modern use is much broader, and ar ...

and

geta Geta may refer to: Places *Geta (woreda), a woreda in Ethiopia's Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region *Geta, Åland, a municipality in Finland *Geta, Nepal, a town in Attariya Municipality, Kailali District, Seti Zone, Nepal *Get� ...

sandals. Voiced by

Ryūji Saikachi was a Japanese actor and voice actor, known for his roles as Matthew Cuthbert in ''Anne of Green Gables'', Grand Kai in '' Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn'' and Mole Beastman in '' Kamen Rider Amazon''. Saikachi’s unique vocal style was develop ...

(1st-2nd series),

Shigeru Chiba , known by the stage name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator, talent and sound director from Kikuchi, Kumamoto. He is affiliated with the talent management firm 81 Produce. He is most known for the roles of Yoshihiro Kira from '' Jo ...

(3rd-4th series, pachinko),

Akira Ishida is a Japanese actor who specializes in voice acting. For his portrayal of Saki Abdusha in '' Sakura Wars'', and Athrun Zala in '' Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'', '' Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny'' and '' Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom'' and M ...

(5th series). ; :The local beat cop, referred to as in the anime. He is gluttonous, lecherous, and often fires his pistol at random. He is always wishing for money or a promotion. His notable features include his huge eyes usually drawn as connected into one eyeball, his

underbite In orthodontics, a malocclusion is a misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of the upper and lower dental arches when they approach each other as the jaws close. The English-language term dates from 1864; Edward Angle (1855–1 ...

buck teeth (from the jawbone), and his one nostril in the middle of his nose. His official name from Akatsuka is . Voiced by

Isamu Tanonaka was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Taitō, Tokyo. He was best known for voicing Medama Oyaji in nearly every adaptation of Shigeru Mizuki's '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'' made during his lifetime. Career During his life he had been a ...

(1st series),

Kaneta Kimotsuki was a Japanese actor and voice actor. Career During his life he had been attached to TBS broadcast theater company and then Aoni Production, Production Baobab, he became a director of his own agency 21st century FOX; he was attached to 81 Pr ...

(2nd series), Shigeru Chiba (3rd-4th series, pachinko),

Toshiyuki Morikawa is a Japanese voice actor, narrator and singer who is the head of Axlone, a voice acting company he founded in April 2011. His name is sometimes, although incorrectly, transliterated as Tomoyuki Morikawa. In 2003, he and Fumihiko Tachiki formed ...

(5th anime). ; :An unusual animal from the neighborhood who is a cross between an

eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...

and a dog. Voiced by

Michihiro Ikemizu is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Kanagawa Prefecture and a graduate of Waseda University who works for Aoni Production. Among his many roles, he is best known for Hot Springs Emblem (''Urusei Yatsura''), Isao Ohta ('' Mobile ...

(2nd series),

Aruno Tahara is a Japanese voice actor. Filmography Television animation *'' Cat's Eye'' (1983) (Domon) *'' Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai'' (1991) (Baduck) *''YuYu Hakusho'' (1992) (Risho) *'' Magical Circle Guru Guru'' (1994) (Bajāni) *''Hikaru no G ...

(3rd series),

Kōzō Shioya is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Kagoshima Prefecture. He is represented by Aoni Production. His younger brother Yoku Shioya is also an actor and voice actor. Biography Filmography Television animation ;1980s *''Mobile Suit ...

(4th series),

Takahiro Sakurai is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His well-known roles include heroes such as Cloud Strife in '' Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'', Suzaku Kururugi in '' Code Geass'', X in '' Mega Man ...

(5th anime). ; :A goofy dog who shows up during scene changes. ; :Bakabon's classmate who always wears a helmet. For the 4th anime he was renamed . Voiced by

Rica Matsumoto is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer who was born in Yokohama, Japan. Her name is also sometimes romanized as Rika Matsumoto. She was one of the founders of the anison band JAM Project. After early stage work, she began both voice ...

(3rd series),

Kappei Yamaguchi , better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and '' rakugoka'' affiliated with Gokū and 21st Century Fox.Doi, Hitoshi"Yamaguchi Kappei" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2011. After making his ...

(4th series). ; :A reckless horse with no owner.

Minor characters

; :Bakabon's headmaster. Only appears in the first anime. Voiced by

Kōichi Kitamura , better known by the stage name , was a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor born in Osaka, Japan. Kitamura was employed by the talent management agency Mausu Promotion. He is known for dubbing roles played by Peter Cushing. He died on Oc ...

. ; :Bakabon's ill-tempered classmate. Only appears in the first anime. Voiced by Kaneta Kimotsuki.

Characters from Akatsuka's other titles

; :Originally from ''

Osomatsu-kun is a comedy manga series by Fujio Akatsuka which ran in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' magazine from 1962 to 1969. The series revolves around a group of sextuplet brothers who cause all sorts of mischief. It has been adapted in ...

'', he only appears in the Rerere no Tensai Bakabon series alongside Chibita. Voiced by

(Episodes 1, 4, 16); Kenichi Ogata (Episodes 3, 6, 11, 16, 20-21, 24) (4th series) ; :Originally from ''

'', he only appears in the Rerere no Tensai Bakabon series alongside Iyami. ; :Originally from ''

'', he only appears in the Rerere no Tensai Bakabon series. ; :Originally from ''

'', he only appears in the Rerere no Tensai Bakabon series. ; :Originally from ''Kikanpo Gen-chan''. Bakabon's girlfriend. Only appears in the first anime. Voiced by

Kazuko Sawada Kazuko (written: , , , , , or in hiragana) is primarily a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese writer and translator *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese opera composer *, Japanese astrologer and writer ...

Media

Manga

4 bilingual Japanese-English volumes have been released of the manga as ''The Genius Bakabon''.

Anime

Four anime series have been produced, with the first two series produced by

Tokyo Movie Shinsha , formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation. TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as ''Detective Conan'', ''Lupin the Third'' ...

and the second two produced by

. aired for 40 episodes on

Yomiuri TV JOIX-DTV (channel 10), branded as , is the Kansai region flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned by the , itself a subsidiary of Yomiuri Chukyo FS Broadcasting Holdings. FYCS is partially c ...

from September 25, 1971, to June 24, 1972. Three years later, aired for 103 episodes on

NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh * NTV (India), Telugu regional channel * NTV (Kenya) * NTV (Mongolia), a television channel based in Mongolia * NTV (Newport Televisio ...

from October 6, 1975, to September 26, 1977. In India this show was broadcast by

Hungama TV Hungama TV is an Indian television channel aimed at children, mainly showcasing Japanese and Indian animated series. It was launched on 26 September 2004. It is wholly owned and operated by JioStar. The channel primarily airs Japanese kids anim ...

. The original series was heavily rerun on

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX in all caps, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. Launched on July 1, 1998, Animax is the first 24-hour network in the world dedicated to anime.The Anime Biz' - ...

during its first few years on air, as it was centred around classic anime at the time. The two Studio Pierrot series aired nearly nine years apart, with airing on

Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...

for 46 episodes from January 6 to December 29, 1990, and airing on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Heisei Tensai Bakabon

Heisei Tensai Bakabon
,

(Japanese) * {{Studio Signpost 1967 manga 1971 anime television series debuts 1975 anime television series debuts 1990 anime television series debuts 1999 anime television series debuts Comedy anime and manga Fuji Television original programming Fujio Akatsuka Gag-a-day comics Kodansha manga Nippon Television original programming Pierrot (company) Studio Signpost Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga TMS Entertainment TV Tokyo original programming Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation original programming