is a Japanese

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) 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 prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series by

Fujiko Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known ...

and later

Fujiko F. Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known f ...

The series was written under "Fujiko Fujio" initially. When Fujiko F. Fujio and Fujiko A. Fujio decided to separate, Fujiko F. Fujio took over this series. about the titular ''

obake and are a class of ''yōkai'', preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean ''a thing that changes'', referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting. These words are often translated as "ghost", but primari ...

'', Q-Taro, who lives with the Ōhara family. Q-Tarō, also known as "Q-chan" or "Oba-Q", is a mischief-maker who likes to fly around scaring people and stealing food, though he is deathly afraid of dogs. The story is usually focused on the antics of Q-Tarō and his friends. The manga was drawn in 1964–1966 by the duo

(Hiroshi Fujimoto and Motoo Abiko) and in 1971–1974 by just Hiroshi Fujimoto (as Fujiko F. Fujio). An English manga volume was published in Japan as ''Q the Spook''. There are three

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, 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 Japane ...

series adaptations of ''Obake no Q-Tarō''. The first was shown on the

Tokyo Broadcasting System formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...

(TBS) in black and white, and ran from 1965 to 1967. The second series, produced in color, ran from 1971 to 1972 on

Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as , is the flagship station of the Nippon News Network and the Nippon Television Network System, owned-and-operated by the which is a subsidiary of the certified broadcasting holding company , itself a listed su ...

. The third series ran from 1985 to 1987 on

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...

. The series was broadcast in the United States in the 1970s as Little Ghost Q-Taro, making it one of only two works by Fujiko F. Fujio to be localized in English.

Characters

* :Voiced by:

Machiko Soga was a Japanese actress and voice actress. She also performed by the stage name Stella Soga. Life and career Early life and family Machiko was born on March 18, 1938, in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan. She had a humble upbringing and was raised to ...

(1965),

Junko Hori is a Japanese actress and voice actress represented by Production Baobab. She is known as the voice of the protagonists in 3 Fujiko Fujio works, ''Obake no Q-tarō'', ''Ninja Hattori-kun'', and ''Chimpui''. As a dub artist she is known for the r ...

(1971),

Fusako Amachi Fusako (written: or ) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese diver *, Japanese princess *, Japanese photographer *, Japanese diver *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese racewalker *, Japanese kidnappin ...

(1985) :The protagonist of the manga, Q-Tarō has a fear of dogs and cannot transform although he is an

. * :Voiced by:

Kazue Tagami Kazue (written: 一恵, 一枝, 和恵, 和枝, 和永, 良恵 or かずえ in hiragana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese actress *, Japanese gymnast *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese voice actress ...

(1965),

Yoshiko Ōta Yoshiko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings The name Yoshiko can have a variety of different meanings depending on which kanji characters are used to write it. Over 200 possible variations of the name exist. Some of the most commo ...

(1971),

Katsue Miwa is a Japanese voice actress from Osaka affiliated with the studio Aoni Production. She began her career in 1960 and has since starred in a number of voice-over roles for various anime, video games, films, and television commercials. Works Anime ...

(1985) :A human friend of Q-tarō, Shōta Ōhara is an elementary school student. Q-Tarō calls him and Shota calls Q-Tarō . * :Voiced by:

Masako Nozawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. Throughout her life, she has been affiliated with Production Baobab, 81 Produce and self-owned Office Nozawa; she is also affiliated with Aoni Production. Her late husband, Masaaki Tsukada, was ...

(1965),

Sumiko Shirakawa was a Japanese actress and voice actress from Shibuya, Tokyo. She was best known for her roles in Sazae-san (as Hiroshi Nakajima), Doraemon (as Hidetoshi Dekisugi from 1980 to 2005) and Space Ace (as Ace). On November 26, 2015, Shirakawa failed ...

(1971),

Yū Mizushima is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He is the Japanese voice-over for Sammo Hung, and is the Japanese voice of Wakko. In the 1980s, He proved to be a popular choice for many Japanese animation studios for the roles of male heart-thr ...

(1985) :Shota's older brother. He is a middle school student. * :Voiced by: Hiroko Maruyama (1971),

Eiko Masuyama is a Japanese actress and narrator. She works for Aoni Production. She is most known for originating the roles of Fujiko Mine (''Lupin III''), Honey Kisaragi (''Cutie Honey''), and Bakabon's Mama (''Tensai Bakabon''). Early life Eiko Masuyama w ...

(1985) :U-ko, a

judoka is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

, is Q-Tarō's girlfriend obake. * :Voiced by: Misae Kita (1965), Yoshiko Yamamoto (1971),

Fuyumi Shiraishi was a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator. Career Fuyumi was previously affiliated with Aoni Production and after she left Aoni and joined Ken Production founded by the late Kenji Utsumi until the time of her death. Death Shiraishi die ...

(1985) :Doronpa is an American obake. Q-Tarō tends to have a rivalry towards him due to the fact that U-ko idolizes Doronpa's intelligence and he likes to annoy Q-Tarō because he is ''Japanese''. * :Voiced by: Yōko Mizugaki (1965), Kazuko Sawada (1971),

Yūko Mita is a Japanese actress and voice actress from Setagaya, Tokyo. She is known for playing gentle, sexy ''bishōjo'' (such as Akemi Roppongi in ''Maison Ikkoku'') as well as many roles of young boys. Her hobbies include tennis and skiing. She is emp ...

(1985) :P-ko is Q-Tarō's younger sister. * :Voiced by:

Makoto Kōsaka is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. She is best known for voicing Hiromi Oka in ''Aim for the Ace!'', O-jirō in '' Little Ghost Q-Taro'', and Mari Sakurano in ''Brave Raideen''. Biography M ...

→

Reiko Katsura Voice acting in Japan is an industry where actors provide voice-overs as characters or narrators in media including anime, video games, audio dramas, commercials, and dubbing for non-Japanese films and television programs. In Japan, and a ...

(1971),

Keiko Yokozawa , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress. She is most known for the roles of Dorami (''Doraemon''), Mami Sakura (''Esper Mami''), Benio Hanamura ('' Haikara-san ga Tōru''), and Sheeta ('' Castle in the Sky''). Filmography ...

(1985) : O-jirō is Q-Tarō's younger brother. Although he can understand others' speech, he can only say "bakeratta." Only Q-Tarō understands what O-jirō says. * : Father of Q-Tarō, P-ko, and O-jirō. * : Mother of Q-Tarō, P-ko, and O-jirō. * :Voiced by:

Kaneta Kimotsuki was a Japanese actor and voice actor who was most known for the roles of Takeshi Goda before Suneo Honekawa in Fujiko F. Fujio's Doraemon. Career During his life he had been attached to TBS broadcast theater company and then Aoni Production ...

(1965/1971),

Hiroshi Takemura is a Japanese voice actor. He is an alumnus of the theatrical troupe Gekidan Baraza, which was directed by Nachi Nozawa. His hobbies include billiards, skiing, fishing and tennis. Takemura is employed by a talent management firm. Anime TV *''Aft ...

(1985) :Nickname:

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

. A bully in Shota's class and neighborhood. * :Voiced by: ''Mitsuko Aso'' (1965),

(1971),

(1985),

Naoki Tatsuta is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Aoni Production. He is most known for the roles of Buta Gorilla (Kiteretsu Daihyakka), Daima Jin (High School! Kimengumi), Oolong (Dragon Ball), Dr. Escargon ( Kirby: Right Back at Ya!), Ashibe's Fathe ...

(1985, stand-in) :Shota's smart classmate. * :Voiced by: ''Unknown'' (1965), Kazuko Sawada (1971),

(1985) :Shota's rich classmate who kisses up to Godzilla. His name is also similar to the rich boy in

Kaibutsu-kun is a shōnen manga and anime series by Fujiko A. Fujio named after its protagonist. The first series was broadcast on TBS from April 21, 1968 to March 23, 1969. The second series was broadcast on TV Asahi from September 2, 1980 to Sept ...

* :Voiced by: Mariko Tsukai (1965),

Michiko Nomura is a Japanese actress and voice actress. Career Nomura was previously affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society, then Aoni Production and now she is affiliated with Ken Production, an agency founded by the late Kenji Utsumi. ...

(1971),

Sanae Miyuki is a Japanese voice actress known for voicing Botan of YuYu Hakusho. Her previous stage name was . Anime roles * ''Akuma-kun'' (Hyakume) * ''Bubblegum Crash'' (Street Kid (episode 2)) * ''Chimpui'' (Hotaru Fujino) * '' Crayon Shin-chan: Henderl ...

(1985) :Shota's female classmate, always referred to as and U-ko lives with her * :Voiced by: ''Unknown'' (1965), ''Unknown'' (1971),

Yoko Asagami Yoko may refer to: People * Yoko (name), a Japanese feminine given name; variants include Yōko and Yohko * Yoko Gushiken (具志堅用高, born 1955), Japanese professional boxer * Yoko Taro (横尾太郎, born 1970), Japanese video game di ...

(1985) :Shin'ichi's girlfriend. She is a middle school student, and P-ko lives with her * :Voiced by:

Hiroshi Ōtake was a Japanese actor and voice actor, represented by 81 Produce. He was best known for his roles as Nyarome in ''Mōretsu Atarō'', Daisho in ''Himitsu no Akko-chan'', Boss in ''Mazinger Z'', Pāman 2 (Booby) in ''Pāman'', King Nikochan in ''D ...

(1965), ''Akira Shimada'' (1971),

Shingo Hiromori Shingo can refer to: Religion *Shingon Buddhism Locations *Shingō, Okayama (神郷町), a town located in Atetsu District, Okayama Prefecture, Japan *Shingō, Aomori is a village located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the village has an estima ...

(1985) :Ramen chief character, he also appears too as a ramen chief in

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

, he appears as a teacher in

Ninja Hattori-kun is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the Fujiko Fujio duo (and later by Fujiko A. Fujio) which was serialized between 1964 and 1988. It was later adapted into a television drama that aired on TV Asahi from 1966 – ...

, he appears as a Michio's father in

Ultra B ''Ultra B'' (ウルトラB, ''Urutora Bi'') is a manga series by Fujiko A. Fujio (Motoo Abiko) that first made its debut in Chuokoron-Shinsha's Fujiko Fujio Land series of tankōbon books in 1984 and was released in individual tankōbon until ...

* :Voiced by: Reizo Nomoto (1965) and (1971),

Shingo Kanemoto was a Japanese actor and voice actor originally from Fukuoka Prefecture. On February 24, 1991, he died of intra-axial hematoma at the age of 58. After his death, his ongoing roles went to Takeshi Watabe. Filmography *''Space Battleship Yamato III ...

(1985) :Ohara's neighbor and Doronpa lives with him. And he resembles from

Reception and impact

The popularity of the 1965 anime adaptation caused a cultural phenomenon called "Oba-Q boom" (オバQブーム ''Oba-Kyū būmu''), which made the series have an 30% audience rating, high popularity with children and spawn a variety of Toys, songs and clothes, as well a host of imitators. The reason of Q-Tarō's popularity was that the series was grounded in everyday Japanese life, with Q-Tarō questioning the structure of Japanese society and the comedic situations that occurred because of Q-Tarō misinterpreting it. ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

'' creator

Toru Iwatani is a Japanese video game designer who spent much of his career working for Namco. He is best known as the creator of the arcade game '' Pac-Man'' (1980). Early life Iwatani was born in the Meguro ward of Tokyo, Japan on January 25, 1955. While ...

cited the series as inspiration for the designs of the

Ghosts A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

in the ''Pac-Man'' video game series. In the manga series ''

To Love Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tank� ...

'', the ghost character

Shizu Murasame The Japanese manga series ''To Love Ru'' and its sequel ''To Love Ru Darkness'' feature an extensive cast of characters created by author Saki Hasemi and illustrator Kentaro Yabuki. After high school student #Rito Yuuki, Rito Yuuki accidentally g ...

has a fear of dogs as an homage to ''Little Ghost Q-Taro''.

Notes

References

External links

*60s *70s *80s {{Shin-Ei Animation 1960s Japanese television series 1964 manga 1965 anime television series debuts 1971 anime television series debuts 1985 anime television series debuts Anime series based on manga Children's manga Comedy anime and manga CoroCoro Comic Fictional ghosts Fujiko Fujio Japanese comedy television series Nippon TV original programming Shin-Ei Animation Shogakukan manga Shogakukan franchises Shōnen manga Shunsuke Kikuchi TMS Entertainment TBS Television (Japan) original programming TV Asahi original programming