The ''
Dr. Slump''
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 features an extensive cast of characters created by
Akira Toriyama
was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He came to be regarded as one of the most influential and important authors in the history of manga, authoring highly influential and popular series, particularly Dragon Ball (manga), ''Dra ...
. It follows the humorous adventures of the little girl robot
Arale Norimaki, her creator
Senbei Norimaki and the other residents of the bizarre Penguin Village.
While many of the characters are humans, the cast also includes
anthropomorphic animals and objects,
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one Computer program, programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions Automation, automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the robot control, co ...
s,
extraterrestrial lifeforms, and
gods
A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
. Characters that are parodies of
historical figures,
fairy tale
A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s, popular Western movies, and real people that author Toriyama knows are also common. Many of these characters make a minor appearance in Toriyama's more well-known series, ''
Dragon Ball''.
Creation and conception
Toriyama drew several short
omake manga included in the ''Dr. Slump'' ''tankōban'' volumes that supposedly depict the actual events of how he came up with the characters, although, as they are often humorous, the level of truthfulness to them is uncertain. In one he claimed that when he told his editor,
Kazuhiko Torishima, that he wanted to make a manga about a doctor, Torishima told him to add a robot.
Toriyama originally wanted a very large robot, but as it would not fit in the panels, instead made it small.
When Torishima rejected that idea, he made the robot a girl knowing Torishima would find her "cute".
Another depicts him, having wanted to give the Norimakis a pet monster and having that rejected by his editor as it was not cute, coming up with the idea of Gatchan after his sister brought her child to see him. Gatchan was based on the main character in one of Toriyama's rejected manga, called . The author stated that Torishima enjoys romance and that the relationships of Arale and
Obotchaman
The ''Dr. Slump'' manga series features an extensive cast of characters created by Akira Toriyama. It follows the humorous adventures of the little girl robot Arale Norimaki, her creator #Senbei Norimaki, Senbei Norimaki and the other residents o ...
,
Akane and
Tsukutsun, and
Taro
Taro (; ''Colocasia esculenta'') is a root vegetable. It is the most widely cultivated species of several plants in the family Araceae that are used as vegetables for their corms, leaves, stems and Petiole (botany), petioles. Taro corms are a ...
and
Tsururin in ''Dr. Slump'' were all his ideas.
Toriyama's editor Torishima was the model for the evil character
Dr. Mashirito.
Torishima later explained that when Toriyama decided to have a "mad scientist" appear, he told him the character's initial design was "too weak" and to come up with someone "nasty" to have a big impact, and to imagine the person he hates the most in the world. Having not received the manuscript until just before the deadline, Torishima did not have any time to change it with Toriyama having given the character Torishima's face and changed the name to his with the syllables reversed. The editor hoped the character would be unpopular and therefore a one-off, but everyone loved it because Toriyama had previously written about his editor and the audience knew who it was based on.
The character
Nikochan
The ''Dr. Slump'' manga series features an extensive cast of characters created by Akira Toriyama. It follows the humorous adventures of the little girl robot Arale Norimaki, her creator #Senbei Norimaki, Senbei Norimaki and the other residents o ...
, an alien species with their buttocks on their heads, was hastily created after Toriyama was pressed for time having played too many video games and was initially rejected as "filth", with him given another night to re-work it.
Having continued to play games instead, Toriyama sent in the same manuscript the next day with Torishima accepting, apparently having not noticed that it was the same.
However, in a later volume Toriyama said that Torishima thought Nikochan was disgusting, but accepted because it was too close to the deadline to change.
While thinking that Arale was too strong during a meal, Toriyama was startled by eating an
umeboshi and came up with
Suppaman.
However, because he did not enjoy the sour taste, decided to make Suppaman a weakling instead. A similar scene is given for
Bubibinman; when a fly flew into his
curry rice, he made him a weak character out of anger.
In a later volume, Toriyama revealed he had created Suppaman for a previous manga that was rejected by Torishima, and added him to ''Dr. Slump'' out of pity for the character.
The author said he designed the character's younger brother, Syoppaman, to be an "elegant prince" type, which is the exact opposite of Suppaman.
Peasuke's habit of asking people for autographs comes from Toriyama himself, who collected those of famous manga artists.
Main characters
Arale Norimaki
is a little girl robot created by Senbei Norimaki. Despite her size, she is unbelievably strong and fast. She is very naive and lacks common sense, which often causes trouble for the residents of Penguin Village.
Senbei Norimaki
is Penguin Village's goofy and lecherous genius inventor who is able to invent the most brilliant and ridiculous inventions. As a running gag, he imagines his appearance as a handsomer and taller version of himself when he is being serious. He is 28 years old and uses the unusual greeting "N'Cha", which Arale adopts. After creating Arale, he alternatively tells the village residents that she is either his younger sister or his daughter, depending on the occasion.
Senbei's name is a pun on the word for a rice cracker (
senbei) and with his family name, Norimaki Senbei, it refers to a rice cracker wrapped in
nori seaweed. He is voiced by
Kenji Utsumi in the first anime and by
Yūsaku Yara in the second and ''
Dragon Ball Super''.
In ''Dragon Ball'', he attempts to fix
Son Goku's Dragon Radar. Senbei also makes a brief non-speaking role in the ''Dragon Ball'' film ''
The Great Mystical Adventure''. In the
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
English dubs of ''Dragon Ball'' and ''Dragon Ball Super'' he is voiced by
Brice Armstrong and
R Bruce Elliot respectively.
Akane Kimidori
is a rebellious 13-year-old girl who quickly becomes Arale's best friend. She often plays pranks on Senbei who considers her a bad influence on Arale. She starts dating Tsukutsun Tsun late in the series, and a look ten years into the future shows they got married. Akane is voiced by
Kazuko Sugiyama in the first anime and by
Hiroko Konishi in the second. She has a brief appearance in the ''Dragon Ball'' series. In the Funimation English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' she is voiced by
Laura Bailey.
Taro Soramame
is Arale's older "bad boy" friend at school. The 15-year-old is usually seen smoking cigarettes and trying to act "cool." After graduating from high school, he becomes a police officer. He starts dating Tsururin Tsun, whom he eventually marries ten years in the future. Taro is voiced by
Toshio Furukawa in the first anime and by
Shinichirō Ōta in the second.
He briefly appears in ''Dragon Ball'', shown on a date with Tsururin. In the Funimation English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' he is voiced by
Eric Vale
Eric Vale (born Christopher Eric Johnson) is an American voice actor featured in numerous English versions of Japanese anime series. Some of these include Yuki Soma (Fruits Basket), Yuki Soma from ''Fruits Basket'', Sanji (One Piece), Sanji from ' ...
.
Peasuke Soramame
is Arale and Akane's classmate and Taro's little brother who always wears an
animal hat. He develops a crush on a younger but taller girl named
Hiyoko, whom he eventually marries and has a child with ten years in the future. He is voiced by
Naomi Jinbo in the first anime and by
Megumi Urawa in the second. He makes a brief appearance in ''Dragon Ball''. In the
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' he is voiced by
Sonny Strait.
Gatchan
, full name , is a green-haired,
cherub-like creature with wings, hatched from an egg brought home by Senbei from a time traveling trip to the
Stone Age
The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...
. Gatchan eats almost anything, rubber being the only exception, and particularly seems to like metal. It can also shoot rays from its antennae. Gatchan speaks in its own language, which consists primarily of sounds like "koo pee pee" that Arale (and later, Turbo) somehow seem to understand. One day, after going on an eating-spree, Gatchan spins a cocoon around itself and when it emerges two weeks later, it has split into two. It is eventually revealed that Gatchan is actually an angel sent by
Kami-sama to destroy the corrupt human civilization.
Arale named Gajira from a combination of the names
Gamera
is a fictional giant monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the Gamera, the Giant Monster, eponymous 1965 Japanese film. The character and the first film were intended to compete with the success of Toho's Godzilla (franchise), ''Godzilla'' ...
and
Gojira, the latter is known as Godzilla in the West, hence Gatchan is known as "Gadzilla" in the English version of the manga (although it is occasionally referred to as Gajira or "Gazira"). Gatchan is voiced by
Seiko Nakano in the first anime, by Chie Sawaguchi in the second,
and by
Kumiko Nishihara in ''Dragon Ball Super''.
Both Gatchans appear in ''Dragon Ball'' and the ''Dragon Ball'' movie, ''The Great Mystical Adventure'' where they help Arale fight
Taopaipai. In the
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' they are voiced by
Meredith McCoy.
Midori Yamabuki
is Arale's beautiful teacher and Senbei's dream girl. After a long period of unrequited love and nervous misunderstandings, Senbei proposes to her while thinking she is out of earshot. Surprisingly, she accepts immediately and they are married in the next manga panel, becoming Midori Norimaki. Despite Senbei not knowing how kids are made, she becomes pregnant and gives birth to
Turbo
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
. She is 23 years old at the beginning of the series. She is voiced by
Mariko Mukai in the first anime and first five films,
by
Yōko Kawanami in the sixth through ninth films,
and by
Yuko Minaguchi in the second anime and tenth film.
Midori also appears in ''Dragon Ball''. In the
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' she is voiced by
Meredith McCoy.
Tsukutsun Tsun
is the son of the
Chinese Tsun family, who practices
kung fu
Chinese martial arts, commonly referred to with umbrella terms Kung fu (term), kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (sport), wushu (), are Styles of Chinese martial arts, multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater Ch ...
. Although normally not as strong as the powerful Arale or Gatchan, when extremely angry he becomes more powerful than both. Whenever he is touched by a girl he turns into a
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...
and cannot change back unless touched by a guy. He starts dating Akane Kimidori late in the series, and a look ten years into the future shows they got married. He is voiced by
Shigeru Chiba in the first anime and
Ryōtarō Okiayu in the second. He has a brief appearance in the ''Dragon Ball'' series. In the Funimation English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' he is voiced by
Justin Cook.
Tsururin Tsun
is the daughter of the family. She has various super powers, such as
telekinesis and
teleportation. She starts dating Taro Soramame, and a look ten years into the future shows that they eventually marry. She is voiced by
Yūko Mita in the first anime and
Houko Kuwashima in the second.
She briefly appears in ''Dragon Ball'', shown on a date with Taro.
Obotchaman
is a humanoid robot based on Arale's design, with certain "annoying" qualities removed, that was built by Dr. Mashirito to destroy Arale. Initially named , he is both extremely polite and well-mannered so Mashirito tells him that Arale and Senbei are trying to take over the world, when that is actually his goal. However, Obotchaman falls in love with Arale and learns that his creator is the evil one. He ends up moving close to the Norimakis, stealing Suppaman's house for his own, and befriending Arale and the rest of the cast. Ten years in the future, Obotchaman and Arale eventually marry and have a robotic baby made by Senbei. He is voiced by
Mitsuko Horie
is a Japanese actress, Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and singer from Yamato, Kanagawa. She is known as the .
Horie has voiced several characters throughout her career, such as Shadow Galactica#Sailor Galaxia, Sailor Galaxia in ''Sailor ...
in the first anime and by
Motoko Kumai in the second.
He makes a brief appearance in ''Dragon Ball'' but has a slightly larger part in its anime adaptation, where he tries to help
General Blue fix his car (unaware that Blue is a bad guy). In the
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' he is voiced by
Kent Williams.
Turbo Norimaki
is Senbei and Midori's infant son, who is nearly killed by aliens and then revived by them, in the process accidentally imbuing him with many super powers including
teleportation, flight, and
telekinesis. Consequently, he can also speak and is a genius, the likes of which surpasses even his own father. In the seventh through ninth ''Dr. Slump'' films an older version of him is seen. His name comes from Toriyama's dog at the time, "Turbomaru". He is voiced by
Yūko Mita in both anime adaptations and by Mami Matsui in the ''Dr. Slump films''. He appears in ''Dragon Ball'', where he fixes Son Goku's Dragon Radar after Senbei was unable to figure it out. Once Arale defeats General Blue who had taken the Radar, Turbo creates a new Dragon Radar using parts from Senbei's plane. In the Funimation English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' he is voiced by
Monika Antonelli.
Supporting characters
Aoi Kimidori
is Akane's older sister, who works at the local coffee shop, the Coffee Pot. Unlike her younger sister, she is nice and behaved. She is shown to be good friends with Senbei in the beginning of the series, though she always gets his last name wrong. She is also a terrible car driver. She is 19 at the beginning of the series. She is voiced by
Naomi Jinbo in the first anime and by
Hiroko Emori in the second. She makes a cameo appearance in ''Dragon Ball''. In the
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' she is voiced by
Meredith McCoy.
Kurikinton Soramame
is the father of the Soramame family and the town barber. He is somewhat perverted – much like Senbei and Tsuruten – but does a much better job of hiding it a majority of the time. He is skilled with a gun and looks similar to
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western (genre), Western TV series ''Rawhide (TV series), Rawhide'', Eastwood rose to international fame with his role as the "Ma ...
.
He is voiced by
Kouji Totani in the first anime and
Nobuaki Kanemitsu in the second. He makes a cameo appearance in ''Dragon Ball''.
Mame Soramame
is Taro and Peasuke's short mother, who wears an animal cap like Peasuke does. She is also Murasaki Kimidori's older sister. She is voiced by Yumi Nakatani in the first anime.
Tsuruten Tsun
is the father of the Tsun family from the Chinese village . He built their spaceship, the which acts as their house, to take them to the moon, but it is shot down by Arale and crashes right next to the Norimakis' home. A fellow inventor and an even bigger pervert, he and Senbei become friends. He is voiced by
Hiroshi Ohtake in the first anime and by
Kōji Yada in the second. He makes a cameo appearance in ''Dragon Ball''.
Tsuntsunodanoteiyugoh Tsun
is the mother of the family, who also practices kung fu like her son. She tends to beat up her husband when she catches him in acts (or even thoughts) of perversion. Her name comes from an old marketing jingle of the Japanese bicycle manufacturer Tsunoda. She is voiced by
Seiko Nakano in the first anime and by
Michie Tomizawa in the second. She makes a cameo appearance in ''Dragon Ball''.
Suppaman
is a
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
parody from the planet , who has no real super powers or sense of justice. He typically "flies around" with his belly on a skateboard, throws grenades, and changes his clothes in a phone booth, eating an
umeboshi to transform. Suppaman works as a TV reporter when in disguise as , which is a Japanese pun on the name
Clark Kent
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
. He also has a younger brother, , who eats
shiokara to transform. In the first anime Suppaman is voiced by
Tesshō Genda and by
Toru Furuya in the second.
He first appeared in Toriyama's one-shot ''
Tomato the Cutesy Gumshoe'' as his secret identity Kenta Kuraaku. In ''Dragon Ball'', he attempts to stop General Blue until he sees that Blue can easily destroy a phone booth. Suppaman then gives General Blue directions to Senbei's house and even lets Blue take his car. In the Funimation English dub of ''Dragon Ball'', his name is "Sour Man" and he is voiced by
Dameon Clarke.
King Nikochan
is the king of an alien race that is always accompanied by his unnamed glasses-wearing servant. His race have their buttocks on their heads, their nostrils on the tips of their antennae, and their ears on their feet. Originally planning to destroy Earth, they become stranded on the planet after Gatchan eats their spaceship. They continue to appear performing odd jobs for money, while forever longing to acquire a spaceship to return home. When they finally do reach their small scarcely populated home planet, they find that everyone is forced into farming radishes for an evil crab-like alien, including the King's wife and two sons. However, thanks to Arale the Nikochans are saved. King Nikochan speaks in a Central
Nagoya dialect, in which a native speaker of the dialect will find distinct from the author's Northern Nagoya dialect. In the anime, he speaks in a false Nagoya dialect. Unlike King Nikochan, his servant seems to be much smarter/sensible than the King and does not speak in Nagoya dialect.
King Nikochan is voiced by
Hiroshi Ohtake in the first anime and by
Bin Shimada
Bin Shimada (; born November 20, 1954) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narratorDoi, Hitoshi.Shimada Bin. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 17, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 20, 2010. affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.
Film ...
in the second. His servant is voiced by
Shigeru Chiba in the first anime and by
Ryo Horikawa in the second. King Nikochan and his servant appear in ''
Pola & Roid'' attacking the title characters until Roid, having read ''Dr. Slump'', disguises Pola as Arale and scares them off. King Nikochan also makes a cameo appearance in ''Dragon Ball''. In its anime adaptation, he has a larger role where he and his servant collect trash on the streets (which he thinks is treasure) and before getting their ship shot down by the police (being mistaken for the Red Ribbon Army). In Funimation's English dub of ''Dragon Ball'', he is voiced by
Justin Cook and his servant by
Christopher Sabat.
Penguin Village Police Force
and are two patrolmen that constantly have their car destroyed (accidentally) by an excited running Arale. Gala is short and dark skinned and Pagos is tall with a thicker mustache. They first appeared in Toriyama's 1979 one-shot ''
Wonder Island 2'', also as policemen, though the setting was entirely different. Gala and Pagos' names appear on a banner attached to a motor scooter they ride together early in the series. Gala and Pagos were named after the
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands () are an archipelago of volcanic islands in the Eastern Pacific, located around the equator, west of the mainland of South America. They form the Galápagos Province of the Republic of Ecuador, with a population of sli ...
. In the first anime Gala is voiced by
Isamu Tanonaka and Pagos is voiced by
Masaharu Sato.
In the second Gala is voiced by
Nobuhiko Kazama and Pagos is voiced by
Michio Nakao.
is the short, balding police chief with thick sideburns connecting to his mustache. Like Gala and Pagos, his first appearance was in ''Wonder Island 2''. He is voiced by
Kouji Totani in the first anime and by
Bin Shimada
Bin Shimada (; born November 20, 1954) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narratorDoi, Hitoshi.Shimada Bin. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 17, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 20, 2010. affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production.
Film ...
in the second. is the
uzi-toting female cop. She is considered the most dangerous because of her tendency to be trigger-happy. Despite this, her male co-workers always forgive her because she is beautiful. Her name was only given as an answer to one of the special bonus quizzes found in one of the manga's ''
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 ...
'' edition. Her name is derived from the Japanese abbreviation "poribaketsu" (lit. "polyethylene bucket"). She is voiced by
Toshiko Fujita
was a Japanese actress, singer and narrator. She was affiliated with Aoni Production at the time of her death.
Biography
At the age of eight, Fujita worked in radio and television as an actress, singer and comedian. She also sang theme son ...
in the first anime and by
Masako Katsuki in the second. In the
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
English dub of ''Dragon Ball'' she is voiced by Laurie Steele. is an officer that is never seen without a slingshot or his
Stormtrooper helmet on. His name was only given in the fanbook ''Dr. Slump Special 1981''. is an overly dedicated Metropolis Island cop who joins the force late in the series. He suffers from
mysophobia and is very skilled at riding his dirtbike. He is voiced by
Ryō Horikawa in the first anime.
Kinoko Sarada
is a toddler who spends her days riding her tricycle and laughing at others for not keeping up with fashion. She lives in a mushroom-shaped house, has a buzz cut
bob haircut with two bows in her hair, and wears sunglasses. In the first anime series she is voiced by
Kazuko Sugiyama and by
Noriko Uemura in the second. She makes a cameo appearance in ''Dragon Ball''. In ''The Brief Return of Dr. Slump'', she has a younger sister named .
Dr. Mashirito
is Senbei's evil mad scientist rival. He attempts to take over the world various times and defeat Arale with his robots he calls . Due to constant failed attempts at world domination, he is forced to convert himself into a cyborg; eventually becoming several of his own Caramel Men. He was modeled after Toriyama's editor at the time,
Kazuhiko Torishima, and has the same name but with the syllables reversed.
Dr. Mashirito was voiced by
Akio Nojima for the first 37 episodes of the first anime, by
Yasuo Yamada in
the second film, by
Nachi Nozawa from episode 71 to 164 and in
the third film, and later by
Keiichi Noda from episode 198 to 236. He is voiced by
Akira Kamiya in the seventh and ninth movies. In the second anime and ''Dragon Ball Super'' he is voiced by
Ryōtarō Okiayu.
In ''Dragon Ball Super'' episode 69, Dr. Mashirito appears as a ghost and reveals that he has used a chemical to gain control over Arale, before later being obliterated by
Beerus. In the Funimation dub of ''Dragon Ball Super'' he is voiced by Barry Yandell. Dr. Mashirito is a playable character in the video games ''
Jump Super Stars'' and ''
Jump Ultimate Stars''.
Karte
is a boy from a wealthy family that moves from Metropolis Island to Penguin Village in ''The Brief Return of Dr. Slump''. He plays football, and had done work as a model when living on Metropolis Island. He admires Arale's strength, and eventually falls in love with her.
Other characters
Bubibinman
is a superhero-wannabe from Suppaman's planet, who goes to Earth after hearing that Suppaman (whom he perceives as a weakling) had become a hero there due to his flight and superhuman strength. However, he encounters Arale and Gatchan and feels inferior, and is side-tracked by his fly tendencies and diet. He is voiced by
Mugihito in the first anime series. He makes cameo appearances in the ''Dragon Ball'' anime and ''Dragon Ball Super'' episode 70, voiced by
Phil Parsons in the English dub of the latter.
Chivil
is a small
imp from Hell that travels to Penguin Village through the volcano in to obtain souls, for which he gets paid for. He eventually finds that he would much rather play with people than kill them (due in no small part to Arale's persistence), though he still takes a shot at it every once in a while. He has a pet dragon named which he rides on to get places. He also has an older witch sister named who flies on a broom and quickly develops crushes on many male members of the main cast one after the other. Chivil is voiced by
Reiko Katsura in the first anime and by
Mika Kanai in the second.
Dodongadon
is a one-eyed alligator-like monster that has two mouths. Dodongadon appears destroying Penguin Village, but gets scared off by Arale. He can shoot a rocket out of its back mouth and is not affected by bullets. In
the sixth film, Dodongadon is revealed to have a mother named Mamandagon who is significantly bigger. He is voiced by
Keiko Yamamoto in the sixth film.
Donbe
is an anthropomorphic
kitsune who likes to use his shape-shifting abilities to transform into things to scare people and cause mischief, although he becomes friends with Arale after she saves him. In the anime, he gets a love interest in the female fox named Kitsuneko. He is voiced by
Shigeru Chiba in the first anime and by
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 ...
in the second. He makes a minor appearance in the ''Dragon Ball'' anime.
Fly Milk gang
The gang are a trio of
bikers. They are led by their overweight boss who tells them to be tough manly men, although their job is to deliver milk. When his minions displease him, he punishes them by picking his nose and sticking his
boogers on their foreheads. Their rivals are the trio. When the milk business goes under, they become "real bikers", although they can only afford a tractor and not motorcycles. They end up using the tractor to plow fields and start a successful vegetable selling business.
Goronbo
is the
thunder god ogre who lives in the clouds and controls the weather as well as being the weather man. He has a girlfriend named Pikako. In the first anime he is voiced by
Kouji Totani.
Hiyoko
is Peasuke's much taller girlfriend. She lives in a house that is made out of a giant tree stump and has a little sister named who rides a magic carpet. She gets saved by Peasuke from a bug after she was hit by Senbei's Big-Small Ray Gun. She marries him in the future and they have a child named . She is voiced by
Saeko Shimazu
is a Japanese actress, Voice acting in Japan, voice actress and narrator from Isehara, Kanagawa, Isehara. Shimazu is notable for having had voice roles in all four of the major anime television series based on the works of Rumiko Takahashi - she ...
in the first anime and by
Houko Kuwashima in the second.
Joe Dunn
is a bank robber who makes his first appearance running into Arale and Gatchan, while fleeing from police after he mistakenly tried to rob the police station instead of the bank. After witnessing her super strength and Gatchan eats his gun, he runs from them trying to find the police to save himself. He reappears holding up in the Soramame barbershop using Senbei and Kurikinton as hostages. When Arale shows up he tries to surrender to the police, however, they force him back in because they never get "fun cases like this." Joe Dunn later hires the to kill her, but the assassin fails and is trapped in a book by Senbei's Fairy Tale Machine. The bank robber's name is only given in the anime. He is voiced by
Shōzō Iizuka,
Masaharu Satō, and
Yasuo Tanaka at various points.
Kami-sama
is the deity who rules over the galaxy surrounding the Earth and the creator of Gatchan. He is a bald elderly man with a
Van Dyke beard and a small star symbol on his forehead. Seeing that Gatchan failed in its mission to destroy the corrupt human civilization (due to Senbei's accidental intervention), Kami-sama resolves to destroy humanity himself. However, after seeing the life of Penguin Village and how consequently happy his little angels are, he relinquishes both Gatchan and the Earth to their own fates. Kami-sama was the inspiration for the character of
Kame-Sennin from Toriyama's subsequent series ''Dragon Ball'',
and both characters were voiced by
Kōhei Miyauchi.
Kon Kimidori
is Akane and Aoi's bespectacled father. During his first appearance he is shown coming to school with Akane cross-dressing due to a prank Akane pulled on him. He is voiced by
Banjou Ginga in the first anime and
Hideyuki Tanaka in the second.
Murasaki Kimidori
is Akane and Aoi's mother, who is always wiggling her butt and acting bubbly. She is the younger sister of Taro and Peasuke's mother, Mame Soramame.
Daigoro Kurigashira
is Arale's eighth grade teacher; he starts teaching at Penguin Village High School on her first day there. He has a huge head which is shaped like a
chestnut. (The "kuri" in his name means "chestnut" and "gashira" (kashira) means "head". "Dai" is "big", and "Daigorou" is also the Japanese given name of
Takamiyama, a popular former
Sumo
is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...
wrestler from
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
.) Initially he is surprised at the odd and stupid characters in the school, but takes teaching them on as a challenge, often giving them . He is voiced by
Tetsuo Mizutori in the first anime series and by
Nobuo Tobita in the second. He makes a cameo appearance in ''Dragon Ball'' and was used as the model of
Ryokan Kurita from ''
Eyeshield 21''.
Momotaro
, based on the character from Japanese folklore of the
same name, is seen occasionally around Penguin Village. Momotaro ends up in Penguin Village after Arale uses Senbei's invention the Fairy Tale Machine to transport her into the story "Momotaro the Peach Boy" where she messes up the story and brings him back into the real world. He was seen many times before this incident, in non-speaking background roles. In the first anime he is voiced by
Naomi Jinbo.
Nitro Norimaki
is Senbei and Midori's second child. She is only seen in the original manga briefly during Obotchaman's trip 10 years into the future, between Turbo and an unnamed younger brother, but is featured in the sequel manga series, ''The Brief Return of Dr. Slump''. She has more recurring appearances in the second anime series and in the seventh, eighth and ninth ''Dr. Slump'' films.
Koita Ojo
is a member of the Ulteeny Force who is called upon for help when the dreadful Dodongadon shows up and starts terrorizing Penguin Village. He also transforms into the superhero . He belongs to the , a parody of the ''Urutora Keibitai'' of ''
Ultra Seven''.
Parzan
is a
Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
hero wannabe with almost exactly the same face as Suppaman and Bubibinman, who claims to be the king of the jungle. He and Suppaman dislike each other and play tricks on one another. Parzan originally has a sidekick monkey named , but fires him for having a bigger penis than himself and replaces him with a large frog whom he gives the same name. He is voiced by
Kouji Totani in the first anime. He makes a minor appearance in the ''Dragon Ball'' anime.
Poop-Boy
is one of several coiled
feces
Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...
(which look much like soft ice cream) that appears occasionally. He tends to have a sense of justice in general, has feet to run around with (in Japanese children's books, a similar character with the same name appears to teach children potty training). He was the first born when Senbei had to go to the bathroom on the side of the road because there was no bathroom around. He goes on a journey to find where he belongs and makes friends with two other colored poos named and . He is voiced by
Keiko Yamamoto in the original anime and by
Chika Sakamoto in the second series. All three of the poos briefly appear in the ''Dragon Ball'' anime.
Skop
is an exchange student from Big City Island. At first he is introduced as an extremely smart and serious student that looked down on everyone as idiots, but after seeing that Arale was able to do his homework, he becomes goofy like everyone else in Penguin Village. Skop has the appearance of
Spock from ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' and lives in a house which is shaped like the
Starship Enterprise
''Enterprise'' or USS ''Enterprise'', often referred to as the Starship ''Enterprise'', is the name of Spacecraft in Star Trek, several spacecraft in the ''Star Trek'' science fiction franchise.
The ''USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), Enterprise'' ma ...
. He is voiced by
Hideyuki Tanaka in the first anime series.
The Sun
that sometimes oversleeps for unknown reasons and thus delays dawn, wears
sunglasses, eats
ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...
and complains about heat. He is voiced by
Toshio Furukawa in the first anime and by Shinichirō Ōta in the second. In the Funimation dub of ''Dragon Ball Super'' The Sun is voiced by
Phil Parsons.
Trampire
, "Trampire" in Viz's English translation, is a sexy vampire that loves blood and money. She breaks into houses to suck the residents' blood and steal their money. Despite being a monster herself, she is very put off by the strange creatures around Penguin Village. Trampire is later seen working as a part-time
grim reaper for
Enma and is sent to reap Senbei's soul but ends up getting fired due to Arale's interference. She is accompanied by a
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...
who transforms into a wolfman when he sees the moon. She is voiced by
Keiko Han in the first anime. She makes a brief background appearance in the ''Dragon Ball'' anime.
Komattachan
is an alien that took over King Nikochan's planet while he was away on Earth. He forced the inhabitants of Planet Nikochan to farm radishes for him, demanding one thousand radishes each month, and punishing them if they were not to his satisfaction. He was defeated by Arale.
Dr. Ope
is Karute's father who appears in ''The Brief Return of Dr. Slump''. He is extremely wealthy, and is known as the best doctor in the world.
Gaze
is Karute's mother who appears in ''The Brief Return of Dr. Slump''. She is a nurse, and is able to wrap a bandage quicker than any other person in the world.
Chinki
is Karute's younger sister who appears in ''The Brief Return of Dr. Slump''. She has an IQ of 200, and entered junior high school at the age of three.
Akira Toriyama and His Inner Circle
is a self-caricature of the manga's author
Akira Toriyama
was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He came to be regarded as one of the most influential and important authors in the history of manga, authoring highly influential and popular series, particularly Dragon Ball (manga), ''Dra ...
, who is depicted as a mountain-like bird (the name ''Toriyama'' means ''bird mountain''), a robot, or a man wearing a
surgical mask. As a bird or robot he is voiced by
Isamu Tanonaka, and as a human he is voiced by
Hideyuki Tanaka.
;
:Toriyama's editor and the real-life model for the villainous Dr. Mashirito, known for being a stern taskmaster to the harried Toriyama. He is voiced by
Nachi Nozawa,
Shigeru Chiba, and
Kōji Totani at various points.
;
:Toriyama's first assistant, manga artist and later Ogaki Women's University professor
Hisashi Tanaka. He is voiced by Shigeru Chiba.
;
:Toriyama's second assistant, illustrator
Takashi Matsuyama. He is voiced by Shigeru Chiba.
;
:A cook at a
takoyaki stall. The model of this character is
Akira Sakuma
(also known by the abbreviated name ''Momotetsu'') is a long-running board game-style video game series in Japan; in which players travel by rail transport, rail, ship, and airplane; attempting to acquire wealth through business transactions buyi ...
, a notable game designer and the co-author of Toriyama's book ''
Hetappi Manga Kenkyūjo''. He is voiced by
Shingo Kanemoto in the first anime.
References
''Dr. Slump'' manga
Entire series
*
Toriyama, Akira. ''Dr. スランプ
r. Slump' (in Japanese). 18 vols. Tokyo:
Shueisha
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
, 1980–1985.
*Toriyama, Akira. ''Dr. Slump''. 18 vols. San Francisco:
Viz Media
Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...
, 2005–2009.
Individual volumes
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Other sources
{{Dr. Slump
Dr. Slump
Characters