is a Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

ese manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

 written and illustrated by Atsushi Okubo

Atsushi Okubo

, also romanized as Atsushi Ohkubo, is a Japanese manga author and fantasy artist known for his work on the manga series Soul Eater, which has been adapted into an anime. Okubo worked as an assistant under Rando Ayamine, on the manga series Get Backers...

 and serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan

Monthly Shonen Gangan

is a manga imprint of Square Enix . It publishes manga in several magazines aimed at different reader demographic groups in the Japanese market. Its magazines are home to some popular manga series which were adapted into anime series, like Fullmetal Alchemist, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit,...

in 2001-2002. The series was collected in four bound volume

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

s which were released by Square Enix in Japan. The manga was licensed for distribution in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

 by Yen Press

Yen Press

Yen Press is the manga and graphic novel imprint of Hachette Book Group. In addition to their regular book releases, Yen Press produces a monthly anthology called Yen Plus. The company's varied list demonstrates an interest in publishing a wide variety of Japanese manga, Korean manhwa, and other...

, which as of August 2009 had released three volumes in the series in English with the fourth volume scheduled for September release. The creator, Atsushi Okubo, later became well known for his hit series Soul Eater

Soul Eater (manga)

is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Atsushi Ōkubo. Set at the "Death Weapon Meister Academy," the series revolves around three teams consisting of a weapon meister and human weapon...

.

Plot

Most normal humans use only 30% of their brains, but a group of people known as the "Dokeshi" can use 50 to 60% of their brains, and thus have special abilities. These powers, however, come with a price: the Dokeshi must observe certain restrictions. Ignoring these rules can lead to the loss of something precious from within. In young Shotaro's case, he has to stick to doing one good deed every day! In the central town of Toykyo, he meets a girl named Mana, and together they go on a journey to find Shotaro's childhood friend Emine. Will Shotaro be able to do good daily or will he succumb to laziness on his journey?

Characters

Main Characters

(drama CD)

A young Dokeshi known as the "Kyokotsu." His power is to gain the abilities of animals by biting animal bones; e.g., a bird bone will give him the power of flight. His condition is that he must do one good deed every day to use his power, or else he will lose something "precious" inside of him. Childish and simple-minded, he is an avid fan of the Charisma Justice TV show and even copies the main character's "Justice Blade" attack, but has trouble remembering that it comes on every Sunday at 10:30. It is later revealed that Shotaro can draw power from any bone, and even call upon the memories and personality of the deceased. He greatly values his friendship with Emine and thus diligently performs his good deeds. Even though normal people hate and despise Dokeshi, he holds nothing against them.

(drama CD)

A normal, 16-year-old human girl who accompanies Shotaro on his journey to find his missing friend Emine. She is constantly entering contests in order to get commissions. She comes from China and is skilled at the martial arts, being more than capable of fighting Dokeshi by herself. Her fighting style is Hinoki-ryu, which is only taught within her family; however, her father neglected her in favor of her brother. She enjoys fortune telling, as it helps her make decisions. She hates being called garbage as her name spelled backward in Japanese is nama which means "raw," making it raw garbage.

(drama CD)

A normal, human mechanical genius who also travels with Shotaro. He can easily make robots and other contraptions. He was once part of the Dokeshi Hunt. After his former teammates were wiped out by Nofix, he lost the ability to trust others. His weapon is the Law Abiding Silver Gun, a dog-shaped gun that can bite people and be used to watch television, among other things.

(drama CD)

A kappa

Kappa

Kappa is the 10th letter of the Greek alphabet, used to represent the voiceless velar stop, or "k", sound in Ancient and Modern Greek. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 20. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Kaph...

 who loves kiwis (a pun, as the Japanese words for cucumber and kiwi sound alike), he can understand the feelings of both people and things. He normally lives in a garbage dump, but occasionally visits the city to buy kiwis. He hates humans because he thinks they judge by appearance alone. He will chase and attack anyone who calls him "baldy," as Shotaro found out the hard way. His weapon is a giant pickax and the names of his attacks contain the names of snakes. As a Kappa, he also has the power to rip out souls, but unlike normal Kappa, he can only do it to objects.

(drama CD)

A Dokeshi known as Bai Ze

Bai Ze

Baí Zé , or in Japanese, is a fantastic beast from Chinese legend. Its name literally means "white marsh".The Baí Zé was encountered by the Yellow Emperor or Huáng Dì while he was on patrol in the east...

 and the childhood friend whom Shotaro is desperately trying to meet again. Emine's power is the ability to manipulate blood, which he turns into strange creatures that he can transform into weapons; his condition is that he must do one bad deed a day, or else lose his treasured friendship with Shotaro. Despite still caring for Shotaro, he feels the nature of his condition makes it impossible for them to get along. He works as an observer for the Masked Assembly. Like Shotaro, he is an orphan.

The Masked Assembly

(drama CD)

Emine's coworker, a Dokeshi whose condition requires him to eat apples, which he constantly offers to others as well. His ability is to bypass the limits of human athleticism, enabling him to perform superhuman feats of strength and agility.

(drama CD)

Another of Emine's coworkers, a Dokeshi whose power is the deconstruction of her physical form at will; while her condition requires her to serve people. She dresses as a maid and uses silverware as weapons. She might have a crush on Emine.

(drama CD)

An insane Dokeshi who works for the Masked Assembly because they allow him to run wild. Known as the King of Spin, he has the power to make anything that touches him spin; for example, he can stop bullets by spinning them in the opposite direction. He can also accelerate the healing process by spinning his own cells, although this greatly shortens his lifespan, and Yohei suspects that this caused his insanity. Nofix is obsessed with Yohei and swore to kill anyone who associates with him.

(drama CD)

A Dokeshi who is vice-president of the Fear Factory, a subdivision of the Makes Assembly. He ordered the creation of the Fear Robot in an attempt to take over the Masked Assembly and the world. Known as the Lightning Beast, his power is to emit light and electricity and his condition is to bathe himself in light. His bald head resembles an incandescent light bulb. He dislikes people and frequently uses the word pig as an insult.

(drama CD)

A member of the Fear Factory, he created the Fear Robot and various other robots. He appears intelligent at first, but some of his inventions are questionable. He dislikes it when his creations are insulted. He resembles a tanuki

Tanuki

is the common Japanese name for the Japanese raccoon dog . They have been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times...

and adds "correct?" to the ends of his sentences, which annoys Tool greatly.

A Dokeshi who is the chief of the Intelligence Division of the Fear Factory. His power is the ability to pick up electromagnetic waves, and his condition is to erase one of his memories every time he does so. As a result, he cannot lead a normal life or even remember his assignments without the help of his assistant, Assi. Despite being employed by the Fear Factory, he is not an evil person. According to Assi, Zuno only joined the Factory because his condition prevents him from working at a normal company. His nose hairs are noticeably long.

A normal human whose job is to help Zuno remember things. He joined the Fear Factory because he is not very smart. Like Zuno, Assi is not evil at heart. He wears strange glasses that have the letter A engraved in the lenses.

Solence

A Dokeshi employed by the Fear Factory. His ability is to produce different kinds of gasses in his body, and his condition is to take deep breaths. He was sent to capture Yohei and retrieve a vital piece of the Fear Robot.

Others

Charisma Justice

A famous superhero whom Shotaro idolizes and whose signature attack, Justice Blade, Shotaro copies. He is apparently a real person and very strong, as he was able to destroy the Fear Robot's right arm, whereas Shotaro could not even dent it. It is unknown whether he is a normal human, a Dokeshi, or something else entirely.

Tast Brothers

Two Dokeshi brothers with the same ability and condition: to manipulate the water content of their body, which allows them to change shape as well as attack with water; afterwards, they must eat dried food. They tried to take over Toykyo (Tokyo) by impersonating the governor, but were stopped by Shotaro.

Christina S. Imbroglia

A Dokeshi fortune teller whose ability and condition were not revealed, though her ability may be what enables her to predict the future.

Key Terms

Dokeshi: Humans with the ability to use 50 to 60 percent of their brain, which grants them near-magical powers. All Dokeshi must observe a condition which must be fulfilled or else the Dokeshi will lose something valuable to them.

The Masked Assembly: A federation of Dokeshi factions that was created to overthrow the government of Japon and the Dokeshi Hunt.

The Dokeshi Hunt: A secret Dokeshi suppression force created by the government of Japon to wipe out Dokeshi.