Dokaben
Cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring Taro Yamada (bottom left)
ドカベン
Genre	Sports
Manga
Written by	Shinji Mizushima
Published by	Akita Shoten
Imprint	Shōnen Champion Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Champion
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	April 24, 1972 – March 27, 1981
Volumes	48
Anime television series
Studio	Nippon Animation
Original network	Fuji TV
Original run	October 6, 1976 – December 26, 1979
Episodes	163[1]
Manga
Dai Kōshien
Written by	Shinji Mizushima
Published by	Akita Shoten
Imprint	Shōnen Champion Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Champion
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	March 23, 1983 – August 7, 1987
Volumes	26
Manga
Dokaben Professional Baseball
Written by	Shinji Mizushima
Published by	Akita Shoten
Imprint	Shōnen Champion Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Champion
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	March 23, 1995 – December 25, 2003
Volumes	52
Manga
Dokaben Superstars
Written by	Shinji Mizushima
Published by	Akita Shoten
Imprint	Shōnen Champion Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Champion
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	January 8, 2004 – May 8, 2012
Volumes	45
Manga
Dokaben Dream Tournament
Written by	Shinji Mizushima
Published by	Akita Shoten
Imprint	Shōnen Champion Comics
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Champion
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	May 29, 2012 – June 28, 2018
Volumes	34

Dokaben (Japanese: ドカベン)^[a] is a Japanese baseball manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Mizushima. The original series was serialized in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from April 24, 1972, to March 27, 1981, but it was followed by several sequel series running until 2018. Chapters of the series were published into 205 tankōbon volumes in total, making it the series with the second highest number of volumes. It was also made into an anime by the same name. It was immensely popular in Japan during its original release, and is one of the most popular sports manga of all time.

Outline

Dokaben is centered on Taro Yamada and his teammates Iwaki, Tonoma, and Satonaka and was focused mainly on their activity as a high school baseball team. At first, it focused on Yamada, Iwaki, and Sachiko and was set in Takaoka Middle School. But in Volume 8 the team is transferred to Meikun High School for their baseball skills.

The story of Dokaben continues in Dai Kōshien, Dokaben Pro Baseball Story, and Dokaben SuperStars Story.

Characters

Meikun High School baseball team

Yamada generation

Taro Yamada (山田太郎,, Yamada Tarō)

Voiced by: Hideyuki Tanaka

Position: Catcher

Masami Iwaki (岩鬼正美,, Iwaki Masami)

Voiced by: Tessho Genda

Position: Third baseman

Kazuto Tonoma (殿馬一人,, Tonoma Kazuto)

Voiced by: Kaneta Kimotsuki

Position: Second baseman

Satoru Satonaka (里中智,, Satonaka Satoru)

Voiced by: Akira Kamiya

Position: Pitcher

Santaro Hohoemi (微笑三太郎,, Hohoemi Santarō)

Voiced by: Yoshito Yasuhara

Position: Catcher, Left fielder

Senior / Younger student

Sho Doigaki (土井垣将,, Doigaki Shō)

Voiced by: Katsuji Mori

Position: Catcher, First baseman

Tetsuji Yamaoka (山岡鉄司,, Yamaoka Tetsuji)

Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba

Position: Center fielder

Mitsuo Kita (北満男,, Kita Mitsuo)

Voiced by: Kazuomi Ikeda

Position: Right fielder

Koichi Ishige (石毛幸一,, Ishige Kōichi)

Voiced by: Bungo Nakano

Position: Shortstop

Keiichi Nagisa (渚圭一,, Nagisa Keiichi)

Voiced by: Toshio Furukawa

Position: Pitcher

Tomoaki Takashiro (高代智秋,, Takashiro Tomoaki)

Voiced by: Yū Mizushima

Position: Shortstop, Second baseman

Manager

Ieyasu Tokugawa (徳川家康,, Tokugawa Ieyasu)

Voiced by: Reizou Nomoto

Manager of Meikun High School baseball team

Yamada family

Sachiko Yamada (山田サチ子,, Yamada Sachiko)

Voiced by: Minori Matsushima

Taro's 9-year-old little sister

Ji-chan (じっちゃん)

Voiced by: Minoru Yada

Taro's grandfather

"Ji-chan" means grandpa in English

Rivals

Kanagawa

Mamoru Shiranui (不知火守,, Shiranui Mamoru)

Voiced by: Osamu Ichikawa

Daigoro Unryu (雲竜大五郎,, Unryū Daigorō)

Voiced by: Hiroshi Ohtake

Gosuke Domon (土門剛介,, Domon Gōsuke)

Voiced by: Mugihito

Goro Tanitsu (谷津吾郎,, Tanitsu Gorō)

Voiced by: Yoku Shioya

Gonza Nankai (南海権左,, Nankai Gonza)

Voiced by: Setsuo Wakui

Shinji Kobayashi (小林真司,, Kobayashi Shinji)

Voiced by: Makio Inoue

Kantō

Gosuke Gama (賀間剛介,, Gama Gōsuke)

Voiced by: Takeshi Kuwabara

Hayato Kagemaru (影丸隼人,, Kagemaru Hayato)

Voiced by: Masane Tsukayama → Michihiro Ikemizu (ep. 82)

Jiro Kinoshita (木下次郎,, Kinoshita Jirō)

Voiced by: Haruya Kato

Chuji Kunisada (国定忠治,, Kunisada Chūji)

Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa

Fumio Ataru (中二美夫,, Ataru Fumio)

Voiced by: Ryoichi Tanaka → Takashi Tanaka

Whole Japan

Sankichi Sakata (坂田三吉,, Sakata Sankichi)

Voiced by: Yoshito Yasuhara

Kojiro Inukai (犬飼小次郎,, Inukai Kojirō)

Voiced by: Masato Ibu

Takezo Inukai (犬飼武蔵,, Inukai Takezō)

Voiced by: Shingo Kanemoto

Tsutomu Ogata (緒方勉,, Ogata Tsutomu)

Voiced by: Rokuro Naya

Ryo Inugami (犬神了,, Inugami Ryō)

Voiced by: Shun Yashiro

Kazuma Musashibo (武蔵坊数馬,, Musashibō Kazuma)

Voiced by: Osamu Saka

Hikaru Yoshitsune (義経光,, Yoshitsune Hikaru)

Voiced by: Rokuro Naya

Others

Natsuko Natsukawa (夏川夏子,, Natsukawa Natsuko)

Voiced by: Hiroko Maruyama

Iwaki's girlfriend

Toshiko Kobayashi (小林稔子,, Kobayashi Toshiko)

Voiced by: Mami Koyama

Shinji Kobayashi's little sister

Manga

When Takehiko Inoue (author of Slam Dunk and Vagabond) was young, he drew a lot of spectacular scene from Dokaben, the first manga he paid.

Cultural references

• In the "Simpsons Comics internationale" in issue #132, the Japanese supplement (Too crazy, Juvenile Prankster, BARTOMU! (serialized in "Laughing Laughing everyone is laughing")) opens as a parody of Dokaben, with Bartomu playing for the "Yokohama Li'l Ninjas", and an art style heavily based on Dokaben's highly recognized style of art.

Art style

The art style of Dokaben is very rubbery and motional, with surprisingly dynamic use of speed lines, with a heavy use of black and very straightforward body construction. The motion and Dynamics are highly retained even in reprints. In his book Reinventing Comics, Scott McCloud mentions it as the example of the sports genre, drawing high recognition to the style.