is a fictional character and one of the main characters in the ''

Doraemon is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. First serialized in 1969, the manga's chapters were collected in 45 volumes published by Shogakukan from 1974 to 1996. The story revolves around an earless robotic ...

'' anime and manga series created by

Fujiko Fujio was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They debuted in 1951 as a duo under their real names. The Fujiko Fujio name was used for their respective works from 1953 until 1987, when Fujimoto was too ill to work consist ...

. Known as Sidney, Specky and Noby in some English localizations of the anime, Nobita is usually depicted as an elementary school student. The

title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...

, is sent back in time by Nobita's future descendants to look after Nobita. Along with Doraemon, Nobita is considered to be one of the most popular and widely recognizable manga characters due to the series' popularity, which extends beyond its native Japan. He received criticism for his amorality and lack of personal growth, deemed as a harmful

role model A role model is a person whose behaviour, example, or success serves as a model to be emulated by others, especially by younger people. The term ''role model'' is credited to sociologist Robert K. Merton, who hypothesized that individuals compa ...

to children.

Characteristics

Nobita's characterization depicts him as a lazy

underachiever An underachiever is a person who fails to achieve their potential or does not do as well as expected by their peers. Of particular interest is academic underachievement. Studies of individuals who have not realized their apparent potential have ...

, including but not limited to a lack of physical ability, predisposition to

procrastination Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there could be negative consequences for doing so. It is a common human experience involving delays in everyday chores or even putting off tasks such ...

, reluctance to engage in critical thinking and exhibiting perverted behavior. He dislikes books (excluding

manga 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 history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

) and lacks a basic grasp of knowledge expected for his age, such as being unable to understand concepts such as the definition of an

eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event which occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ...

. A

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

involves his disposition to frequent and efficient

napping A nap is a short period of sleep, typically taken during daytime hours as an adjunct to the usual nocturnal sleep period. Naps are most often taken as a response to drowsiness during waking hours or as a means to supplement before or after los ...

, infamous in the community to the point he is primarily known for his napping in nearby cities. Many chapters start with Nobita in tears, begging Doraemon to lend him a (faulty or outdated) gadget. His usual motives are to get revenge on Gian and Suneo's harassment, show off to Shizuka for her affections, solve extremely trivial problems or simply acting out his imagination. However, he is very untrustworthy when handling gadgets, frequently abusing their power to the point he causes suffering to himself or others, in part due to his poor decisions, the gadgets' own faults or interference by other characters. He envies his classmate Hidetoshi Dekisugi, a straight-A student admired by all of the girls in his class, including Shizuka, but is otherwise in good terms with him. He is friends with Shizuka, Suneo and Gian, though the latter two harass and bully him for his ineptitude or poor decisions. Even though Nobita possesses many questionable character traits, he occasionally displays redeeming qualities such as kind-heartedness, courage, and even a good work ethic. In some full-length stories he has risked his life to help save others, or even entire civilizations. In some episodes, it is implied that his poor academic grades is due to his lazy nature as opposed to a lack of intellectual ability. Nobita has consistently displayed sharp

marksmanship A marksman is a person who is skilled in precision shooting. In modern military usage this typically refers to the use of projectile weapons such as an accurized scoped long gun such as designated marksman rifle (or a sniper rifle) to shoot ...

, mastering

light gun A light gun is a pointing device for computers and a control device for arcade and video games, typically shaped to resemble a pistol. Early history The first light guns were produced in the 1930s, following the development of light-sensi ...

games and the Air Cannon with little to no difficulty. The character has also demonstrated creativity when it comes to utilizing Doraemon's gadgets in novel ways.

Appearances

The central premise of the ''Doraemon'' media franchise is grounded on the relationship between its protagonists, Doraemon and Nobita. Nobita was doomed to suffer from a life of misery, marrying Gian's sister and squandering the family's finances due to poor personal and business choices. After his death, his descendants in the 22nd century, including his great-great-grandson Sewashi Nobi, live in

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

. Sewashi was able to acquire Doraemon due to Doraemon being deemed substandard by his manufacturer. He sends Doraemon back to Nobita's time, after which he is able to live a substantially improved life. There is otherwise little to no continuity in the manga and anime's plots, allowing for Nobita's character development, if any, to be essentially negated.

In other media

Japanese actor

Satoshi Tsumabuki is a Japanese actor. His breakthrough film was '' Waterboys'' for which he was nominated for the "Best Actor" award at the Japanese Academy Awards, and won the "Newcomer of the Year" prize. He is also the bassist and lead singer of the Japanes ...

appeared as Nobita in several live-action television commercials throughout 2011 and 2016. The advertisement's were created by

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

and depict the series' characters two decades after they "grow up." Nobita has appeared in various educational manga along with other ''Doraemon'' characters. The character has been used in a public service campaign organized by the West Japan Railway Company (JR West), where posters of Doraemon, Nobita and several supporting characters from the series were distributed to promote appropriate etiquette for train travel during the ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Cultural impact

Due to the success of the ''Doraemon'' franchise, Nobita is an internationally recognized character that has attained considerable notoriety. The character's likeness has been recreated as figurines sold during festive celebrations in parts of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Nobita's family residence, a typical Japanese suburban house, is a recognizable element of the series to international audiences. Nobita's relationship with Shizuka has been referenced by an Indian television personality from the ''

Bigg Boss ''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through JioStar Network. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made internationally availabl ...

'' reality television series in a public discussion about the rivalry between his cast mates

Sidharth Shukla Sidharth Shukla (12 December 1980 – 2 September 2021) was an Indian actor, Television presenter, host and model who mostly appeared in Hindi television and films. He was known for his roles in ''Balika Vadhu'', ''Broken But Beautiful, Broken ...

and

Rashami Desai Shivani Desai (born 13 February 1986), professionally known as Rashami Desai, is an Indian television and film actress. She is the recipient of several accolades including two Indian Television Academy Awards and Gold Awards. She has establishe ...

, whereas his relationship dynamic with Doraemon had been co-opted as a satirical form of criticism against a Malaysian politician. A footprint fossil of a dinosaur species discovered in China in 2020 is named ''

Eubrontes ''Eubrontes'' is the name of fossilised dinosaur footprints dating from the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic. They have been identified from France, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Australia (Queensland), US, India, China ...

nobitai'' after Nobita.

Reception

Critics found that the character's flawed personality and modest background is considered to be a departure from other contemporary anime and manga protagonists typically portrayed as special or extraordinary, and the consistent portrayal of Nobita as being relatable and down-to-earth had been cited as reasons behind the character's appeal as well as the contrary. According to the Italian Parents Movement (Moige), in the manga, "the lazy Nobita does not know any kind of appreciable evolution", though there are still good points including "the criticism of bullying, the goodness that transpires from the little Nobita and the positive figure of Shizuka". According to an analysis by

Anne Allison Anne Allison is a professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University in the United States, specializing in contemporary Japanese society. She wrote the book '' Nightwork'' on hostess clubs and Japanese corporate culture after having worked at ...

, professor of cultural anthropology at Duke University, the strong point of the series and its heart is the relationship between Nobita and Doraemon, as opposed to the variety of the gadgets showcased by the latter. In early 2021, the character became a trending topic on social media following the international release of promotional material featuring the character marrying Shizuka in the animated film '' Stand by Me Doraemon 2''.

Criticism

In August 2016, a member of the Tehreek-i-Insaf party submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly calling for a ban on the series, alleging the show's "negative impact" on

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

children: one of the cited reasons behind the motion was the depiction of

mixed-sex education Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

, which was labelled as incompatible with

Pakistani Culture The culture of Pakistan () lies at the intersection of Turko-Persian, Arab, and North Indian cultural traditions. Over centuries, the region has developed a distinct cultural identity, shaped by a fusion of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and No ...

and

Muslim culture Islamic cultures or Muslim cultures refers to the historic cultural practices that developed among the various peoples living in the Muslim world. These practices, while not always religious in nature, are generally influenced by aspects of Islam ...

, in addition to Nobita's own undesirable character traits. Similarly, politicians and activists in neighbouring India have criticized Nobita's problematic behavioural traits for setting a bad example to children, such as answering back to their parents and refusing to do their homework. One activist blamed the character's supposed influence for a 2013 exam-fixing scandal in the state of

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...