''Kimba the White Lion'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese ''
shōnen''
manga series written and illustrated by
Osamu Tezuka which was serialized in the ''
Manga Shōnen
was a monthly manga magazine published by Gakudōsha between December 1947 and October 1955. The magazine was important in forming and promoting shōnen manga in post-war Japan.
Legacy
The magazine was first published on 20 December 1947.
...
'' magazine from November 1950 to April 1954. An
anime
is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
based on the manga was created by
Mushi Production and was broadcast on
Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
from 1965 to 1967. It was the first color animated television series created in Japan. It began airing in North America from 1966. The later series was produced by
Tezuka Productions
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as ''Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property ...
.
A TV special premiered September 5, 2009, on Fuji TV. Produced in commemoration of Fuji TV's 50th anniversary, it was directed by
Gorō Taniguchi
is a Japanese anime director, writer, producer and storyboard artist, who is among Sunrise's noted directors. He was born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan.
Works Anime television series
*''Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh'' (storyboards, episode direction, bac ...
, written by novelist and
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
writer Osamu Suzuki, and featuring character designs from illustrator
Yoshitaka Amano
is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He first came into prominence in the late 1960s working on the anime adaptation of ''Speed Racer''. Amano later became ...
.
Plot
In
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
during the mid-20th century, as mankind encroaches, the
white lion
The white lion is a rare color mutation of the lion, specifically the Southern African lion. White lions in the area of Timbavati are thought to have been indigenous to the Timbavati region of South Africa for centuries, although the earliest ...
Panja (Caesar in the English dub) gives the jungle's
wild animals
Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted fo ...
a
safe haven. However, he angers nearby villagers by stealing their cattle and their food to feed the jungle carnivores (in the English dub he merely frees the cattle). A
professional hunter, Ham Egg (Viper Snakely in the English dub), is called in to stop these raids. He avoids directly attacking Panja. Instead, he records the sounds of Panja and uses them to trap his pregnant mate, Eliza, who then becomes bait in a trap for Panja. Panja is killed for his hide (but not before asking Eliza to name their child Kimba), and Eliza is put on a ship, destined for a
zoo
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...
.
Kimba (Leo in Japanese) is born on the ship. Eliza teaches him his father's ideals. As a huge tropical storm nears, she urges her cub out through the bars of her cage. The storm wrecks the ship and Kimba starts to drown in the ocean. The fish help him learn to swim. As he begins to despair, the stars in the sky form the face of his mother, who encourages him. Guided by
butterflies, he makes it to land.
Kimba lands far from his ancestral home and is found and cared for by some people. He learns the advantages of human culture, and decides that when he returns to his wild home he will bring culture to the jungle and stand for peace like his father.
The show follows Kimba's life after he returns to the wild, still a young cub, and how he learns and grows in the next year. Kimba soon learns that only communication and mutual understanding between animals and humans will bring true peace.
Media
Manga
In 1950, the original ''Jungle Emperor'' story started in ''Manga Shōnen'' (Comic Boy) magazine.
The first manga volume has been released bilingually (Japanese-English) as Jungle Emperor Leo – Leo Edition.
Anime
1965 series
The animated series was first broadcast in Japan on
Fuji Television
JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as and colloquially known as CX, is a Japanese television station based in Odaiba, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Owned and operated by the it is the key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network S ...
from October 6, 1965 to September 28, 1966. It was the first color TV anime series.
Other than the original broadcast in Japan in 1965, the series has been broadcast in many countries around the world.
In Asia, it was broadcast in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
on
Lativi,
antv and
SCTV (1995–96); in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
on
Channel 1; in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
on
ABC 5; in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
on
Saudi TV
The Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA), formerly Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and the Broadcasting Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (BSKSA), is a governmental entity of Saudi Arabia, organized under the Ministry of Media. BSKSA o ...
and in
Sri Lanka on
ART TV.
In Europe, it was broadcast in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...
on
RTVUSK; in
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
on
ATV Split/
TV Jadran
TV Jadran is a Croatian commercial television station, licensed to broadcast in Split-Dalmatia County.
It was launched in Split, Croatia, in late 1993 under the name of CATV as cable-only station. Few years later it received a broadcasting lice ...
,
Nezavisna televizija (NeT),
TV Nova Pula and
Gradska TV Zadar; in Germany 1977 in ZDF; in France on
ORTF (1972) and on
TF1; in Italy first in syndication from 1977 and lately on
Italia 1
Italia 1 (Italian pronunciation ) is an Italian free-to-air television channel on the Mediaset network, owned by MFE - MediaForEurope. It is oriented at both young and adult people.
Italia 1 was launched on 3 January 1982 and, originally, was o ...
(in 1999 and 2003 with the title ''Una giungla di avventure per Kimba''
iterally "a jungle of adventures for Kimba" and
Boing (2010) and in Spain on
TV3.
In North America, it was broadcast in Canada on
Knowledge
Knowledge can be defined as Descriptive knowledge, awareness of facts or as Procedural knowledge, practical skills, and may also refer to Knowledge by acquaintance, familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called pro ...
; in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on
Boomerang
A boomerang () is a thrown tool, typically constructed with aerofoil sections and designed to spin about an axis perpendicular to the direction of its flight. A returning boomerang is designed to return to the thrower, while a non-returning ...
. It was broadcast, with English-dubbed voices, in the United States and other English-speaking markets, beginning on September 11, 1966. It was first commissioned for U.S. development by NBC Enterprises (the original version, now part of
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Media Ventures, Inc. (formerly CBS Television Distribution, Inc. and CBS Paramount Domestic Television, Inc.) is an American television distribution company owned by CBS Studios, part of CBS Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount Glo ...
) and adapted by
Fred Ladd
Fred Laderman (February 19, 1927 – August 3, 2021),[''Tol ...](_blank)
, for syndicated broadcast, with Kimba voiced by
Billie Lou Watt
Billie Lou Watt (June 20, 1924 – September 7, 2001) was an American actress. She was best known as the original English dub voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime series ''Astro Boy'' and ''Kimba the White Lion'', the character Elsi ...
. In 2005 the original 1965 dub of ''Kimba the White Lion'' was released as an 11-disc DVD set by Madman Anime of Australia and Right Stuf International of the U.S. It was a best seller. The series was re-dubbed into English in 1993, featuring the voice of Yvonne Murray as Kimba and having a new opening, with an all new soundtrack composed by
Paul J. Zaza. In 2012 Bayview Entertainment/Widowmaker releases "Kimba the White Lion: The Complete Series" 10 DVD box set of the original 1965 series. It was broadcast several times in the United States: on
KHJ-TV (1965–67;
Billie Lou Watt
Billie Lou Watt (June 20, 1924 – September 7, 2001) was an American actress. She was best known as the original English dub voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime series ''Astro Boy'' and ''Kimba the White Lion'', the character Elsi ...
dub), on
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
(1965–77, re-runs until 1980;
Billie Lou Watt
Billie Lou Watt (June 20, 1924 – September 7, 2001) was an American actress. She was best known as the original English dub voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime series ''Astro Boy'' and ''Kimba the White Lion'', the character Elsi ...
dub), on
syndication
Syndication may refer to:
* Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system
* Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips
* Web syndication, ...
(1965–77;
Billie Lou Watt
Billie Lou Watt (June 20, 1924 – September 7, 2001) was an American actress. She was best known as the original English dub voice of the title characters of the 1960s anime series ''Astro Boy'' and ''Kimba the White Lion'', the character Elsi ...
dub; 1993, re-runs until 1995;
Yvonne Murray dub), on
Kids & Teens TV
Kids & Teens TV (KTV) was an American Christian children's television channel operated by the Dominion Foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Sky Angel's founder Robert W. Johnson. It was carried exclusively by Dish Network as part of ...
(1993 re-runs; 2005–2009) and on
Inspiration Life TV (1993 re-runs; 2005–2009).
In Oceania, it was broadcast in Australia on
ABC,
31 Brisbane and
Access 31 and on the
NZBC in New Zealand.
1966 film
The theatrical version of ''Jungle Emperor'', directed by Eiichi Yamamoto, was released in Japan on July 31, 1966.
1966 series
A sequel series, ''
Jungle Taitei: Susume Leo!'' (''Jungle Emperor: Onward, Leo!'') first aired in Japan on Fuji Television from October 5, 1966 to March 29, 1968, featuring Leo (Kimba) as an adult. It aired in the United States in 1984 as ''Leo the Lion'' on
CBN Cable Network.
1989 series
In 1989, Dr. Osamu Tezuka died at age 60 on February 9. A
remake of ''Jungle Emperor'', ''
The New Adventures of Kimba The White Lion
is an anime television series produced by Tezuka Productions that first ran from October 12, 1989, to October 11, 1990, on TV Tokyo. It is a remake of Osamu Tezuka's 1960s anime series ''Kimba the White Lion''.
Original Japanese cast
*Megumi ...
'' was broadcast in Japan from October 12, 1989 to October 11, 1990. This series bears little resemblance to the original manga or the first TV series, as the plot is extremely different and the characters have been completely reworked and changed. Several heavily edited episodes of the series were dubbed into English and released directly to video in 1998 under the name: ''The New Adventures of Kimba the White Lion'', by
Pioneer Family Entertainment
(abbreviated as NBCUEJ) is a Japanese music, anime, and home entertainment production and distribution enterprise headquartered in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. It is primarily involved in the production and distribution of anime within Japan.
The ...
. It features the voice of
Brad Swaile
Bradley Swaile is a Canadian voice actor. His major roles include Light Yagami in ''Death Note'', Rock in '' Black Lagoon'', and Nightcrawler in '' X-Men: Evolution''. In the 1990s, he voiced Mousse in ''Ranma ½'' and Teen Gohan in the Oce ...
as Kimba.
1991 OVA film
In 1991, an
original video animation film was created, using the Symphonic Poem for its audio.
1997 film
A new ''Jungle Taitei'' theatrical film, ''
Jungle Emperor Leo'', was released in Japan on August 1, 1997. Directed by Hiro Takeuchi, it is based on the second half of Dr. Tezuka's original manga story; it is not entirely faithful, however. It was dubbed into English and released on DVD in 2003 under the name ''Jungle Emperor Leo'' by Anime Works. The film was later released on Blu-ray and DVD by Discotek. In 1997 Julian Grant the head of the Fant-Asia film festival received a Cease-and-Desist from the Disney company to attempt to keep the ''Jungle Emperor Leo'' film from showing at the festival. Despite the order, the film screened to a full house. However, this is the last North American screening the film would ever receive.
The film had a distribution income of () at the Japanese box office in 1997.
2000 short film
A 9-minute anime short was released in Japan on March 18, 2000 titled ''Jungle Emperor Leo: Hon-o-ji''. It was shown at a theater at Tezuka Osamu World in Kyoto.
2009 television film
A television film, , aired in Japan on September 5, 2009 with a completely new story, different from both the previous TV shows and the original manga. The setting was an artificially created jungle in 20XX Earth. In this movie, Panja and his mate, Eliza, are still alive; Coco is an unspecified female bird; and Sylvester, the black panther, serves as an antagonist until he changes his ways when a young boy mends his leg.
In 2019, the
Japan Foundation produced an English dub of the film which was released on ''RetroCrush'' in July 2020.
An earlier English dub of the film premiered on Cartoon Network in the Philippines on November 19, 2010.
Other media
The music video for the song "A Boy" by
Leo Ieiri
is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Her song "Sabrina" was used as the third ending song of the anime television series '' Toriko'' and her song "Silly" was used as the theme song for the television adaption of popular novel "Nのために" (" ...
, which has an animated part made by
Tezuka Productions
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as ''Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property ...
, features an anime version of the singer (based on Kimba and modeled after the singer) which meets other characters from the ''Kimba the White Lion'' series.
Jungle Emperor (ジャングル大帝 Jungle Taitei) is a cancelled 1990 eight-bit platform action game that was in development by Taito for the
Nintendo Entertainment System, based on the popular manga/anime of the same name (aka Kimba the White Lion) by Osamu Tezuka. Not much is known about this game, except that it was going to be released in November 1990, but it was cancelled for unknown reasons. There was planned for the unreleased
Nintendo 64
The (N64) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo. The successor to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it was released on June 23, 1996, in Japan, on September 29, 1996, in North America, and on March 1, 1997, in Europe and ...
. Jungle Emperor/Kimba the White Lion possibles N64 game title under Emperor of the Jungle is a canceled N64 video game that was made for the
magnetic disk drive peripheral. The only known evidence of its existence is a short video clip from Space World. It was to be an action-adventure game with vast exploration, but no information regarding the plot of the game currently exists. The game had its first on-video appearance at the 1996 Tokyo Shoshinkai Show, after which the game was announced to be released in spring 1999. A little bit later only a few scenes from the game were shown at the Nintendo Space World. Later that year in an interview made on 1998's E3, Mr. Miyamoto mentioned that the project is in a bit of trouble and may take longer to complete than originally expected, due to inexperience. It was unfortunately soon followed by the cancellation.
''Jungle Emperor'' characters have cameos in the
GBA game ''
Astro Boy: Omega Factor'', as well as a chapter from the ''
Black Jack'' manga and
Naoki Urasawa
is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his professional career has created two series simultaneously. The stories to many of these were co-written in collaboration with his ...
's Pluto.
In the sixth episode of Season 2 of the
Fox TV series ''
Fringe
Fringe may refer to:
Arts
* Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe"
* Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival
* Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre
* The Fringe, the ...
'',
Earthling, Kimba had a cameo in one of the episodes.
Music
The series uses several themes. The 1966 Japanese version uses an opening theme and a closing theme. The opening is called . The end song is . For the Japanese remake, the opening song is sung by Ichiro Mizuki, and the ending is sung by Tomoko Tokugai.
The American theme was written by
Bernie Baum
Bernie Baum (October 13, 1929 – August 28, 1993) was a songwriter who worked extensively with Elvis Presley. He grew up in New York City and later worked with Harvey Zimmerman (better known as Bill Giant) and Florence Kaye. The majority of t ...
,
Bill Giant
Bill Giant (March 2, 1930 – November 26, 1987) was a songwriter whose work included over 40 songs for Elvis Presley.
Biography
Giant grew up in New York City and was known as Bill "Harvey" Zimmerman. He was part of the popular songwriting tea ...
and
Florence Kaye
Florence Kaye (January 19, 1919 - May 12, 2006) was a member of a song-writing trio that also included Harvey Zimmerman (better known as Bill Giant) and Bernie Baum. She was born in New York City. She performed a radio show in Georgia and entertai ...
and sung by Bill Giant. The opening song for the sequel series is "Go Ahead Onward Leo!" written by
Isao Tomita
, often known simply as Tomita, was a Japanese composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements. In addition to creating note-by-note realiz ...
and sung by
Mieko Hirota
was a Japanese singer. Her nickname was Mico (also spelled ''Miko'').
Hirota was born in Setagaya, Tokyo. She grew up listening to pop and jazz in places like Tachikawa, which was frequented by Occupation troops. She made her debut in 1961 at ...
. The US-English theme song known as "Leo the Lion" was written by Mark Boccaccio and Susan Brunet of Miami, Florida's SONIC-Sound International Corporation in 1984. ''Jungle Emperor Symphonic Poem'' (by
Isao Tomita
, often known simply as Tomita, was a Japanese composer, regarded as one of the pioneers of electronic music and space music, and as one of the most famous producers of analog synthesizer arrangements. In addition to creating note-by-note realiz ...
) was released on LP in 1966.
''The Lion King'' controversy
After the release of
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
's animated feature film ''
The Lion King
''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 32nd Disney animated feature film and the fifth produced during the Disney Renaissance ...
'', it was suggested by some that there were similarities in characters, plotlines, sequences and events in the
story
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
resembling those of ''Kimba''.
[ ] ''Kimba'' producer Fred Ladd referred to the parallels as "stunning". Similarities in visual sequences have also been noted, most comprehensively by animation historian
Fred Patten
Frederick Walter Patten (December 11, 1940 – November 12, 2018) was an American writer and historian known for his work in the science fiction, fantasy, anime, manga, and furry fandoms, where he gained great distinction through a substantial c ...
who published an essay on the subject.
Patten would later go on to say that allegations that ''The Lion King'' was "simply
nimitation" of Kimba were "not true", and that many fans who had not seen the show since childhood - or at all - had "exaggerated the similarities".
Upon the release of ''The Lion King'' in Japan, multiple Japanese cartoonists including
Machiko Satonaka
is a Japanese manga artist. She made her professional debut in 1964 during her second year of high school with the one-shot ''Pia no Shōzō'' ("Portrait of Pia"). She has since created nearly 500 manga in a variety of genres. Two of her most n ...
signed a letter urging
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...
to acknowledge due credit to ''The Jungle Emperor'' in the making of ''The Lion King''. 488 Japanese cartoonists and animators signed the petition, which drew a protest in Japan, where Tezuka and ''Kimba'' are cultural icons.
Addressing alleged similarities between characters, ''The Lion King'' director
Roger Allers
Roger Charles Allers (born June 29, 1949) is an American film director, screenwriter, animator, storyboard artist, and playwright. He is best-known for co-directing ''The Lion King'' (1994), the highest-grossing traditionally animated film of al ...
stated it was "not unusual to have characters like a baboon, a bird, or hyenas" in films set in Africa.
Additionally, the word is simply the Swahili word for 'lion',
[ which Fred Ladd acknowledges could account for the similarly-named protagonists;][ in fact, Leo (the protagonist's original name) was initially going to be changed in the English dub to "Simba", but an NBC executive changed the protagonist's name to Kimba during development.] According to Ladd, this was because the executive found Simba "too common", which would make it difficult to maintain rights over the character's name.
Tezuka's family and Tezuka Productions
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as ''Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property ...
have never pursued litigation against The Walt Disney Company for copyright infringement. Yoshihiro Shimizu, the company's director, stated that many of their employees saw resemblances between the two properties, but "any similarities in their plots are based in the facts of nature and therefore are two different works".[ In his book, Makoto Tezuka states that the controversy started in America and people inflated the issue because of their opposition to Disney's business practices. He also states that he refuses to participate in this denunciation of Disney and that he does not want to see his father's works being turned into a weapon for those people. Tezuka acknowledges that ''Kimba'' and ''The Lion King'' are two different stories with different themes, and if the latter was about a white lion who spoke with humans, then he would not be able to pardon the similarities.
Some reviewers have disputed the comparison. For instance, ]Lindsay Ellis
Lindsay Ellis (born 1984/1985) is an American author, film critic, video essayist, and former YouTuber. Her debut novel, '' Axiom's End'', published in July 2020, became a ''New York Times'' Best Seller.
Education and career
Ellis received he ...
argued that many claiming a comparison had not seen ''Kimba,'' and that the two had numerous differences with regard to plot, theme and inspiration, though stated some of the visuals from ''The Lion King'' may have been lifted from ''Kimba.''
Reception
In 1967, the ''Jungle Emperor'' theatrical feature was awarded the St. Mark's Silver Lion Award at the 19th Venice International Film Festival.
Commercial use
In 1978 the adult Leo character, designed by Tezuka himself, became the mascot for the Seibu Lions (current Saitama Seibu Lions
The are a professional baseball team in Japan's Pacific League based north of Tokyo in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture. Before 1979, they were based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyushu. The team is owned by a subsidiary of Seibu Railway ...
) baseball team, along with his sister Lina who was created for the baseball team. The was used on the team baseball cap
A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front.
The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant c ...
and helmet for decades Leo also appeared on the players' uniform for the 2014 season, designed by Tezuka Productions
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as ''Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property ...
.[ The Seibu conglomerate-owned team's mascot became highly visible throughout Japan on baseball caps, shirts, etc., as well as being heavily used in advertisement especially in the Tokyo area. Frederick L. Schodt makes the argument that by the 1980s, Leo the lion could hardly escape the notice of foreign visitors to the city.
Image from the ''Jungle Emperor'' manga appears on shirts made by ]Lacoste
Lacoste S.A. is a French company, founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste, and entrepreneur Mangkha. It sells clothing, footwear, sportswear, eyewear, leather goods, perfume, towels and watches. The company can be recognised by its g ...
in cooperation with Tezuka Productions
is a Japanese animation studio founded by Osamu Tezuka in 1968. It is known for animating notable works such as ''Marvelous Melmo'', the 1980 and 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series, and '' Black Jack''. It is also the holder of the intellectual property ...
for their "Lacoste Live" capsule collection "Tezuka Collection", edition Fall/Winter 2013/2014.
See also
*List of Osamu Tezuka anime
This is a list of Osamu Tezuka's notable anime work in alphabetical order. This list of anime includes all those listed on Tezuka's official site as well as others that are directly based on his work, but not listed on the site yet. The English tra ...
*List of Osamu Tezuka manga
This is a list of Osamu Tezuka's manga work in alphabetical order. The English translations of the names used are from the original names found on the official Osamu Tezuka website.
This is not a complete list of Tezuka's manga creations. While T ...
*Osamu Tezuka's Star System
is the name given to the recurring characters in manga created by manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Throughout his career, Tezuka frequently re-used the same characters in different roles across series; for example, the character Shunsaku Ban appears as ...
* ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' and ''Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'' controversy, a similar plagiarism controversy
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
* , .
* .
External links
*
*
Manga series
at Tezuka Osamu @ World (archived)
at Tezuka Osamu @ World (archived)
at Tezuka Osamu @ World (archived)
{{Authority control
1950 manga
1965 anime television series debuts
1966 anime films
1977 Japanese television series endings
2000 anime films
2009 anime films
2009 television films
2009 films
Anime series based on manga
Anime short films
Anime television films
Animated television series about lions
Animated films based on manga
Fuji TV original programming
2000s Japanese-language films
Jungle (genre) comics
Kobunsha
Kodansha manga
Manga adapted into films
Mushi Production
Osamu Tezuka manga
Osamu Tezuka anime
Shōnen manga
Tezuka Productions
TV Tokyo original programming
Fictional lions