Tottemo! Luckyman

Tottemo! Luckyman (とっても！ラッキーマン, Tottemo! Rakkīman, lit. "Absolutely! Luckyman") is a Japanese manga series created by Hiroshi Gamō for the shōnen anthology magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump. Running between 1993 and 1997, this gag comedy series focused on the adventures of a bizarre superhero on his fights against various aliens and other enemies threatening the planet Earth. The series also was represented in an anime series created by Studio Pierrot, two separate video games (for both the Game Boy and Super Famicom) as well as representation in the cross-over games Jump Ultimate Stars and J-Stars Victory VS.

Story

Yōichi Tsuitenai was the unluckiest boy in his hometown. Until one day, his luck truly ran out when he was crushed by an alien spaceship, killing him. But, in this time of need, he was discovered by the great super hero of the cosmos, Lucky Man, who fused with him giving him the power to turn into the universe's luckiest superhero. But now Yōichi, as Luckyman, must defend the Earth from aliens invading to conquer it, with the help of his sidekick, Doryokuman, their friend Superstarman, and three others, Shoriman, Yujoman, and Tensaiman.

Main heroes/Best 16 Super Heroes (NAI NAI 16)

Luckyman, the main character.

The NAI NAI 16 (ナイナイシックスティーン), also known as the "Best 16 Super Heroes", is an elite team of 16 special heroes assembled by the chairman of the Hero Committee, an organization for super heroes, located on a hero-populated planet called the Hero Star. The team is formed up of the main team of six heroes selected by the Chairman as elites to fight aliens on earth, and 10 contestants from the 1053rd Hero Tournament that all won. "Nai-nai" is an onomatopoeia for the sound created when the 16 heroes all fire their beams at something.

Luckyman (ラッキーマン) / Yōichi Tsuitenai (追手内洋一) - Mayumi Tanaka

Luckyman is the luckiest person in the whole entire universe. Although he is a super hero, he doesn't actually have any strength or speed, but instead relies on luck alone to win his fights. All of his attacks are all super slow, but they end up doing a lot of harm because something lucky always happens. Luckyman needs the presence of a shining star, the Lucky Star, in order for his luck to happen, in other words when it is a cloudy day or when the Lucky Star's presence doesn't reach him, he gets terrible luck and ends up on the verge of death. Lucky Man's appearance is a parody of Ultraman. He has the kanji "daikichi" emblazoned on his chest (Great luck, the top lucky fortune you can get at a Buddhist temple) and has a Chabashira (standing tea stalk in a teacup) on his forehead, another Japanese symbol of great luck.

In order for Yōichi to transform into Lucky Man, he needs to swallow a "rakkyô" (a special pickled garlic clove infused with the power of good luck). "Rakkyô" sounds like "Rakki", or "Lucky".

Doryokuman (努力マン)/Doryoku Sugita (杉田努力) - Shigeru Chiba

Doryokuman is Luckyman's loyal sidekick and pupil, and always praises Luckyman's work, even though it's because of his luck. He refers to Lucky Man as "Shissho" (しっしよ), or "Master". He wears a pair of geta sandals made out of tofu, however because he concentrated over a thousand bricks of tofu, the sandals are extremely hard and heavy. Also since he wears the sandals everyday, his legs are very fast and strong. He has a red, tear-shaped container on his head which is actually an emergency blood supply, in case he loses a lot of blood. "Doryoku" means "effort".

It was later revealed that he has two big brothers, named Yūjōman and Shōriman. Together, they are commonly referred to as the Doryoku Sankyōdai (努力三兄弟). It was also later revealed that unlike Luckyman, who is an earthling, The Doryoku Sankyōdai are actually alien super heroes disguised as earthlings, who come from the Hero Planet, a planet full of floating cars and crystalline buildings entirely populated by alien super heroes, and home to the Hero Committee, and its elite team of heroes (later revealed to be called "The NAI NAI 16").

In order for Doryoku to transform into Doryokuman, he needs to write "Doryoku" ("effort") on a piece of paper and stick it on his chest.

Superstarman (スーパースターマン)/Tagaru Medachi (目立たがる) - Tetsuya Iwanaga

Superstarman, like Luckyman, is an earthing super hero, that resembles a pop star. He doesn't have any powers whatsoever, however even though he can't do anything he still tries to upstage Luckyman and Doryokuman when they are fighting aliens. He was originally a human, but when Luckyman and Doryokuman became famous for fighting aliens, he wanted a piece of the fame too, so he got himself surgery and became Superstarman. He is always beaten to a bloody pulp by enemies and friends alike when he gets too annoying, although for some reason he always recovers, and tries to upstage everyone again. It is revealed later that when he received surgery to become Superstarman, his body's cell regeneration rate got an incredible boost, and instead of his cell dividing from 1 to 2 and 2 to 4 his cells divided at a rate of 1 to 64. Because of this, he is pretty much semi-immortal, since he can heal before anyone can kill him.

In order for Tagaru to transform into Superstarman, he needs to wear a special bow tie that flips his eyes sideways, called a "Medachi Tie". "Medachi" literally means "vertical eye", although the term "Medachitai" literally means "I want fame".

Shōriman (勝利マン) /Shōri Isono (磯野勝利) - Toshiyuki Morikawa

Shōriman is the older brother of both Doryokuman and Yūjōman, making him the oldest of the Doryoku Sankyōdai. He has never lost at anything, be it a fighting match or rock, paper, scissors. He promised himself that the day he loses will be the day he dies. When Doryokuman was a child, Shōriman framed Doryokuman for cheating in a match, but that was only because he promised their mom that he will never allow Doryokuman to become a super hero. He is a great chef when it comes to making pork chops, also he has a pocket with infinite spaces on his back. He has a fear of dumplings ever since Doryokuman tried to make them. The dumplings tasted horrible, however Shōriman didn't want to hurt his feelings, so he said he liked them. After that, Doryokuman just kept making them for every meal and Shōriman just kept eating them until finally one day he collapsed, he never touched another dumpling again. There is a tiny, silver man on the winning pedestalon his head named Katsutoshi-kun(勝利くん). "Shōri" means "victory".

In order for Shōri to transform into Shōriman, he needs to make the perfect pork chops and then stick it on his ears.

Yūjōman(友情マン)/Yūjō Atsui (厚井友情) - Kazue Ikura

Yūjōman is the second oldest of the Doryoku Sankyōdai. He is extremely friendly and is able to make friends where ever he goes. He usually doesn't fight himself and gets one of his friends to do all the work for him. When he is forced into a fight he is able to switch to Demon-mode and becomes as strong as Shōriman or Tensaiman. "Yūjō" means "friendship".

In order for Yūjō to transform into Yūjōman, he needs to call up his friends and make them dress him up as his super form.

Tensaiman (天才マン) / Tensai Umaretsuki (生月天才) - Tomokazu Seki

Tensaiman, as his name suggests, is a born genius, and just as strong. He is also incredibly handsome. He has a hair cut similar to Cyborg 009, with a moon and star on the right side of his face. The moon and star have the power to completely obliterate anything in its path. He and Shōriman appear to be extreme rivals, on and off the battle field. He was also the leader of the Yubi Rangers, Oya Yubi Gunjo, and was a part of Hitman's team. "Tensai" means "genius"

In order for Tensai to transform into Tensaiman, he needs to say something really, really smart and then a beam of light hits him and he transforms.

Hero Committee Chairman (ヒーロー協会会長 Hīrō Kyōkai Kaichō) -Jōji Yanami

The chairman of the Hero Committee (An association for super heroes), and also a certified super-hero (called "Ultra Hissatsu Special Man"). His eyes, nose and mouth respectively look like the katakana symbols エ, ラ, and イ.

Ippiki Okamiman(一匹狼マン)

Ippiki Okamiman is a hero who resembles a werewolf, hence his name, which means "lonely wolf". Before he became a hero he once got talked into jumping off a cliff by someone who was heavily implied to be Luckyman. After that incident he became distrustful towards everyone around him, until he met Yūjōman. He is the fastest hero in the NAI NAI 16.

Otoko no Roman (男のロ・マン)

A completely black-and-white hero that looks like a drawing on a post card. He is considered to be the weakest member of the NAI NAI 16 besides Superstarman.

Pashiri No.1(パシリ1号), formerly Speedman (スピードマン) - Kōsuke Okano

Pashiri No.1 is a hero who resembles an anthropomorphic rocket. He used to be Koyubi Green if the Yubi Rangers. He is now the only surviving Yubi Ranger along with Tensaiman, whom he calls "Aniki" (兄貴). After he lost in a race against Ippiki Okamiman, nobody allowed him to call himself Speedman since he's not the fastest. He became Pashiri No.1 after that.

Sei Raman (聖・ラマン)

Despite her name, Sei Raman is the sole heroine of the NAI NAI 16. She has hair that looks like the ocean. Her name is a combination of "sei" (saint) and "seira", the phonetic Japanese word for "sailor". She originally entered the hero tournament disguised as a male hero called "Sailor Man", because the tournament originally didn't allow women.

Shūseiman (修正マン)

Shūseiman uses correction fluid to white out injuries on damaged heroes, and occasionally as a weapon. Because of this, he is considered to be the doctor of the NAI NAI 16. "Shūsei" means "correction".

Niceman (ナイスマン)

This hero is considered to be the "nicest guy in the universe". Niceman has a habit of pointing to the "Nice" embossed on his suit.

Topman (トップマン)

This hero signifies he is a champion by wearing crowns all over his body. He is often considered Niceman's rival, and vice versa.

Spademan (スペードマン)

He is a hero who uses cards as his weapon. He was once pitted against Yūjōman in a fight but rather than hand to hand combat, Spademan challenged him to a game of Old Maid instead. By recruiting Luckyman into his team and using his luck, Yūjōman easily won against Spademan. However, Spademan argues that the match was just practice and that the next game is the real one. Yūjōman keeps winning the following matches and Spademan keeps using the same excuse to continue the match. The match soon turned into a game of endurance where both players couldn't eat or sleep. When Yūjōman gave him the correct card he needed to win, he fell unconscious. Yūjōman lost the card game, but won the fight. Spademan can sometimes predict the future using his cards, but it rarely works.

Kyūseishuman (救世主マン)

A ninja-like hero that came from the other side of the universe. He has the ability to create black holes in which he uses to imprison opponents and as a portal for teleportations. "Kyūseishu" means "messiah".

Yonaoshiman (世直しマン)/Yotchan (よっちゃん) - Chafurin

Originally an alien that came from a poverty filled planet, his family was killed 300 million years ago. Since then, he wears an armor in order to hide the scars that he got on his home planet. He was originally a righteous hero, and was friends with who is now known today as the Hero Committee Chairman, but betrayed the Hero Committee when his friend was chosen as the chairman and he wasn't. After having a battle with Luckyman inside a rocket that hurdled towards the sun, he was killed. He was brought back to life as "Yonaoshiman SZG", and became friends with the Chairman again. "Yonaoshi" means "world reformation". Throughout half of the series, he wore a disguise and called himself "Yotchan", and claimed his place as the main super villain of the series. Yotchan has 2 different designs.

Other heroes

Lucky-Wan (ラッキーワン) - Toshiharu Sakurai

Lucky-Wan is Luckyman's pet super-dog. Like his master, he doesn't have much fighting power either, and relies on his luck to win. He only appeared for 3 comics before being permanently replaced by Doryokuman as Luckyman's sidekick.

Hishoka (ひしょ香)

The Hero Committee Chairman's secretary. She has a huge crush on Tensaiman.

Sanbonbashiraman (三本柱マン) - Chafurin

Sanbonbashiraman is the father of the Doryoku Sankyōdai. He looks like a combination between the three.

Slimeman (スライムマン)

A hero made of green slime that, like all the other members of Yotchan's team, are actually villains. He is also Kusuri Yubi Yellow of the Yubi Rangers.

Powerman (パワーマン)

A very big and strong villain who plays it rough. He is also Naka Yubi Blue of the Yubi Rangers.

Kōtetsuman (鋼鉄マン)

A rather small, cylindrical villain made out of steel, who can dig very deep for minerals. He is also Ninsashi Yubi Red of the Yubi Rangers.

Other characters

Miyo Kireida (奇麗田見代) - Naoko Matsui

Also called みっちゃん (officially romanized as "Mitchan"), Miyo is a beautiful little girl from the school Yoichi goes to. Because Yoichi is unlucky, Mitchan absolutely hates him, but loves him when he is Luckyman.

Desuyo Busaiku (不細工です代) - Urara Takano

Another girl from Yoichi's school, who is rather big and ugly in appearance, in sharp contrast to Mitchan. Also unlike Mitchan, Desuyo is absolutely in love with Yoichi. This is another sign of Yoichi's bad luck.

Ikuzou Mini (身仁育三) - Chafurin

He is a greengrocer he supports lucky man with Umatarou and Gakudai.

Umatarou Yaji (屋治馬駄朗) - Kenichi Ogata

He is owner of Ramen shop

Gakudai Ken (見学大) - Mitsuaki Madono

Gakudai is a salaryman.

But all-in-all, they are simply three old men who follow Luckyman on his adventures and watch him defeat aliens, for the majority of the anime (they did not appear in the manga).

Kuro Tsuitenai

He is father Yoichi he buys something which give luck to lucky. He is always wearing some luck clothes.

Masami Tsuitenai

She is mother and has similar habits like her husband.

Hitoshi Busaiku

He is father of Desuyo.

Ayako Busaiku

She is mother of Desuyo.

Daisuke Hitoshi

Teacher of Yoichi's School.

Otete Sentai Yubi Ranger (お手手戦隊指レンジャー)

The five villains in Yotchan's team also fight in cylindrical metal suits, each of a different color, and act as fingers for a giant hand. "Yubi" means "finger". Eventually, these characters all die, except for Tensaiman, Speedman, and Yotchan (Yonaoshiman).

Koyubi Green (小指グリーン)

Speedman/Pashiri No. 1. He has a green suit and acts as the pinky finger.

Kusuri Yubi Yellow (薬指イエロー)

Slimeman. He has a yellow suit and acts as the ring finger.

Naka Yubi Blue (中指ブルー)

Powerman. He has a blue suit and acts as the middle finger.

Hitosashi Yubi Red (人差し指レッド)

Kotetsuman. He has a red suit and acts as the index finger.

Oya Yubi Gunjō (親指グンジョー)

Tensaiman. He is the leader of the Yubi Rangers. He wears an ultramarine suit and acts as the thumb.

Chapter list

Video games

A video game entitled Tottemo! Luckyman: Everyone Loves Lucky Cookie!! (とっても！ラッキーマン　ラッキークッキーみんな大好きー！！, Tottemo! Rakkīman: Rakkī Kukkī Minna Daisukī!!, "Absolutely! Luckyman: Everyone Loves Lucky Cookie!!") for the Game Boy based on the series was released on September 22, 1994. Another video game entitled Tottemo! Luckyman: Lucky Cookie Roulette Assault!! (とっても！ラッキーマン　ラッキークッキールーレットで突撃ー！！, Tottemo! Rakkīman: Rakkī Kukkī Rūretto de Totsugekī!!, "Absolutely! Luckyman: Lucky Cookie Roulette Assault!!") for the Super Famicom was released on June 30, 1995.

Luckyman is a playable character in the Jump crossover fighting game J-Stars Victory VS for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, released March 19, 2014 in Japan, June 26, 2015 in Europe and June 30, 2015 in North America. This marks the first release of Tottemo! Luckyman material outside Japan.

References

External links

• Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived October 10, 2003) (Japanese)
• Tottemo! Luckyman (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Tottemo! Luckyman (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia