The Heroes of Renown in Manga

The Heroes of Renown in Manga How Well Do You Know These Manga Heroes? ChaptersDragon Ball: Son GokuMonkey D. Luffy: Future King of PiratesThe Enigma that is LSailor Moon: A Classic Struggle with a TwistEdward Elric: Dutiful VengeanceNaruto: The Ninja of RenownSaitama: The Bored SuperheroThe History of Manga: Astro BoySaint Seiya: a Knight of the ZodiacYugi Muto: The King of GamesThe manga universe is full of notable personalities: protagonists and antagonists who have changed both their readers and pop culture itself.What’s remarkable about these iconic figures is that they not only represent their story but fundamental Japanese culture.Manga readership is not just a Japanese phenomenon; this exquisite art form has quietly taken over the world. Every day sees initiates to the genre grow ever more hungry for the next story, the next instalment... and even the next merchandising gimmick.Have you been looking for your chance to immerse yourself into the fantastic world of manga and anime â€" what is also known as Japanese animation?If so, you’re in lu ck!Your Superprof now details the top manga characters as chosen by manga readers, according to the most popular manga of all time.Take the best Japanese lessons here.The story starts in Son Goku’s boyhood and follows him as he grows into manhood, learning martial arts and saving the world a time or two.Monkey D. Luffy: Future King of PiratesThe manga One Piece holds the record for most copies sold. That suggests that its reading community is substantial â€" that is probably the reason why there are more than 90 volumes: nobody wants the story to end!As a boy, this protagonist ate a Devil Fruit, resulting in his body becoming elastic.This serves him well on his quest to find the treasure that will make him the King of the Pirates... but it prevents him from being able to swim!What kind of pirate can’t swim???The sheer longevity of this saga demands that it be broken down into several story arcs.You might consider broaching this series when you have about two weeks off work; its capacity to draw readers in fairly guarantees that you will be utterly consumed once you start.You won’t want to stop until you’ve read all 939 chapters or watched every one of the 883 anime episodes!Other manga stories have enjoyed a long life; discover the most popular mangas of all time!Compared to the enigmatic L, Death Note's antagonist's moves are mundane Source: KanaThe Enigma that is LJapanese comics are not all kawaii (cute) and romantic.For all that the Japanese adore kawaii, this art form known as manga spans many genres: horror, fantasy... and some manga even includes pornographic elements!Death Note has gained a near-cult status for its dark themes and intrigue but the focus of our thesis is not the antihero Si Light Yagami, who attempts to create Utopia by eliminating everyone he believes is morally deficient.Our focus is on the mysterious detective who shadows him.L, as he is known, has a shady past that he cleverly wraps in ploys and schemes designed to trip up h is adversary. Their cat and mouse game, the backbone of the series, will keep you on the edge of your seat!For a relatively short series â€" only 12 volumes, we have to say that Shueisha, the publisher of Shonen manga, hit the nail on the head. It has spawned a light novel based on the anime series, four live-action films and two mini-series.Are you ready for a bit of psychological terror?Check for places where you can learn Japanese London.Sailor Moon: A Classic Struggle with a TwistOne of the most popular Shojo manga series, Sailor Moon is replete with ‘cute’ as well as controversy.For a story supposedly marketed to adolescent girls, its themes of violence, nudity and even racy references to homosexuality all put it on the edge of acceptable reading for that demographic. Granted, that was 20 years ago...But that’s not the twist we’re referring to in the segment title.Contrary to superhero stories that seem to trivialise female protagonists (Capt. America v. Ms America; Sup erman v. Supergirl...) Sailor Moon leads the pack in her search for a magical artefact.For a perfect blending of kawaii and courage, guts in battle and good at friendship, please disregard the fact that this story was meant to appeal to a certain segment of the population that you may or may not belong to.The 18 volumes that this story comprises will convince you that there is no such thing as a target audience when it comes to this manga!This would be a great manga to help you learn Japanese!Besides, younger readers might miss out on the gut-busting humour woven throughout the story: that is actually what makes this tragi-comedy a knockout hit!Curious? Interested? Discover how you too could join the legions who enjoy reading manga...The History of Manga: Astro BoyThe history of manga is said to date back to the 12th century.You may be surprised to learn that this art form has entertained for generations â€" centuries, in fact.Kibiyoshi, what many consider to be the first adult comi c book, were being printed as early at 1775... but, just because Osamu Tezuka is considered the grandfather of manga, it doesn’t mean he is centuries old!Astro Boy is indeed one of the world’s oldest manga; since its debut in 1952, it has been instrumental in shaping Japanese pop culture.You might think of Astro Boy as a futuristic Pinocchio.As the story goes, Dr Tenna created this robot to replace the son he lost. Just like the wooden boy we're familiar with, Astro soon discovers he possesses certain powers that enable him to make the world a better place.Have you already met the little robot who fights to keep the peace between man and machine?No manga has driven people to the library like Saint Seiya has! Source: Toei AnimationSaint Seiya: a Knight of the ZodiacYes, it takes fully 28 volumes of original work to lead us to the discovery of the horsemen who serve Athena and their combat against the king of Hell himself.Seiya prepared well for his adventure, spending years in Gr eece, training.Finally permitted to join the legions of knights serving Saori, the reincarnation of Athena; goddess of wisdom and war, various battles test his and other knights’ powers and magic capabilities to their limit. Those weapons include:The Pegasus Meteoralso the Pegasus Sonic Meteor, the Pegasus Comet and the Pegasus TempestThe arrow of SagittariusThe Cosmic ArrowAtomic LightningIn the same vein as Son Goku of Dragon Ball, Seiya is a cult personality that appeals to children (or the child in all of us!) because of his wistful longing for the family he never knew as well as his fervent desire to do good.Notably, this manga series has had the curious effect of driving fans of all ages to brush up on their Greek mythology so that they can better grasp the storyline.That makes Seiya a superhero in our book!Yugi Muto: The King of GamesIf this name tickles your memory but you can’t quite dredge up any associations to it, maybe this quote could help:Get your game on! - Jaden YukiDid you guess Yu gi oh!?Yugi Muto is a student who would sacrifice his school experience for a game â€" and we thought it was only human children who only wanted to play games all day...One day, Yugi’s grandfather gives him an ancient puzzle. While solving it, the spirit of a long-dead pharaoh possesses him. Soon, Yugi is able to defeat all of his foes.With his punk hairstyle and personality switches the call forth questions of schizophrenia, Yugi is a character that will stay with you â€" whether you read the manga, watch the anime or get into the spirited card game with your mates.Clearly, this list is non-exhaustive â€" but then, how could anyone create a list of the best manga characters that isn’t reams of paper long?We hope to have clued you into some manga or anime that you’ve not yet explored... if not, you can learn more about this engaging art form.To that end, you may also want to check out some of these characters:Character NameMangaLight YagamiDeath NoteSasuk e UchiwaNarutoIchigo KurosakiBleachNatsu DragneelFairy TailVegetaDragon BallItachi UchiwaNarutoErza ScarlettFairy TailAllen WalkerD. Gray-ManKuroko TetsuyaKuroko's BasketballKenshin HimuraRouroni KenshinGutsBerserkNicky LarsonCity HunterAlucardHellsingTrunksDragon BallNamiOne PieceEren YeagerAttack on TitanDo you have a particular manga hero? Why not let us know in the comments?