Anpanman

During the Second World War, Takashi Yanase faced starvation countless times, which made him dream about eating an anpan. This inspired the creation of Anpanman. == Characters ==

In each episode, Anpanman fights with Baikinman and saves the day. He goes on daily patrols around the house of Uncle Jam. He is a symbol of justice, fighting for good every day. Anpanman has a long history, and new characters are frequently introduced, keeping the series fresh. In 2009, Anpanman was verified as a Guinness World Record Holder for the highest number of characters in an animated franchise, with a total of 1,768 characters appearing in the first 980 episodes of the TV series and the first 20 films. Heroes '' ; : : The main character of the anime, whose head is an Anpan made by Uncle Jam. His name comes from his being a man whose head is made of bread (Japanese: pan) that is filled with red bean paste (Japanese: anko) called an anpan. When translated into English, Anpanman means "Bean Bun Man." He doesn't need to eat or drink to sustain himself and has never been seen eating, as it is believed the bean jam in his head allows him to sustain himself in this manner. His weaknesses are water and anything else that makes his head dirty. In order to prevent his head from getting wet when underwater or in wet weather, he wears a bubble-like helmet to protect it. He regains his health and strength when Uncle Jam bakes him a new head and replaces the old head. Anpanman's damaged head, with his eyes turning into X's, flies off his shoulders once a new baked head replaces it. Anpanman was born when a shooting star landed in Uncle Jam's oven while he was baking an anpan. In movies and other media, the shooting stars that brought Anpanman to life were called “the stars of life”. Anpanman has two special attacks; An-punch and An-kick (with stronger variations of both). When Anpanman comes across a starving character, he lets them eat a part of his head. This can also make him weaker and causes him to replace his head to regain his strength. He also has super hearing, which allows him to respond to anyone who calls his name out in distress, anywhere in the world. ; : (1988–2019), Kōichi Yamadera (2019–present), Barry J Tarallo (Tubi), Todd Haberkorn (Netflix) (English) : The creator of Anpanman and a very kind baker. He is a skilled cook with knowledge of nearly everything in the world. ; : : Assistant to Uncle Jam. She is dedicated and hard-working but prone to forgetting things. Her name literally translates to "Butter Girl." She makes and mends the capes of Anpanman and the other heroes in the story. ; : : A dog that lives in Uncle Jam's bakery. In the manga, he became Anpanman's loyal friend after he saved his life. In the anime, a young Anpanman finds Cheese starving during his very first patrol, and gives him a part of his head to eat. Cheese tends to be an effective sidekick when he's around. ; : : Another of Anpanman's friends. His head is made from currypan, a pastry filled with red-hot curry. He is quick-tempered and hot-headed on the surface but gives way to a kind and sentimental interior. Tends to be the strongman of the trio. Wields the Curry-punch and Curry-kick, which are similar to the fighting techniques of Anpanman's other sidekicks. However, he can also use the hot curry concealed in his head as a weapon, using it to burn villains. He first appeared in episode 2b. ; : : A friend of Anpanman. His head is made from sliced white bread (Japanese: shoku pan). He is handsome and level-headed and kind, but narcissistic. Tends to be the thinker of the trio. His job when not helping Anpanman is serving lunch to the schoolchildren. Dokin-chan has a crush on him. Wields the Shoku-punch and Shoku-kick, which are similar to Anpanman's fighting techniques. He also has a multi-functional delivery van known as the Shokupanman-go with many implements to help avoid trouble. He first appeared in episode 3b. In the Tubi and Netflix dubs, he is called Bread Head Man (spelled Breadhead-Man in the Netflix dub). ; : : Anpanman's friend. Her head is made from melon bread. She is extremely softhearted, being caring and sensitive, and is sometimes clever. When she's in trouble, she usually needs Anpanman or somebody else to save her, or if there is no one available, she calls out for her sister, Rollpanna. Sometimes she likes hanging out with Cheese. Her special attack, the Melo-Melo Punch, makes bad guys woozy with affection or awakens others from a deep sleep. She first appeared in episode 200. ; : : Melonpanna's older sister who has two hearts: A red one of goodness, and thanks to Baikinman, a blue one of evil. The sight of Anpanman can trigger her evil heart while the sight of Melonpanna can trigger her good one. She started out in the series as a loner at Baikinman's beck and call, but she broke from his power and wanders the world doing good deeds, but stays away from others for fear of what she would do if her blue heart is triggered. Her nickname is "The tragic heroine". Her weapon is a gymnastics ribbon, which she can use to wrap and slap up her enemies or cause tornadoes. She first appeared in episode 300. ; : : The youngest of Anpanman's friends and the foster brother of Melonpanna and Rollpanna. He is six years old. His head is made from a cream bun and his eyes look like those of a panda's. Despite his immaturity and relative weakness as compared to Anpanman and his hero friends, he is courageous, protective of his friends, and has a "never give up" attitude. He has an immature character causes him to sometimes get into petty squabbles and competitions of one-upmanship with the other younger characters on the show. Because his head resembles a hand, he has a special headbutt attack called the "Guu-Choki-Punch" (Guu-Choki-Pa means Rock, Scissors, Paper in Japanese). Relatively powerful when it connects, it fails to connect more often than not. He first appeared in episode 469. Villains ; : : The villain from the "Germ Planet" and is the leader of the Viruses. His Japanese name means "Bacteria Man". His ambition is to destroy Anpanman and spread bacteria all over the latter's world, yet he is perfectly content to play tricks, steal, and bully those weaker than him. He and Anpanman were born at the same time, making them physical representations of moral dualism. He has a weakness to soap, which shrinks him to the size of a fly. He constructs machines and thinks of intricate plans to counteract Anpanman's strength. His two famous phrases are his battle cry, "Ha-hi-hu-he-ho!" (based on the h-row of Japanese kana); and "Bye-baikiiin!", which he utters out whenever he's sent flying by Anpanman or another character. On the English TMS Entertainment website, he was called Bacteriaman. In the English Tubi and Netflix dubs, he keeps his original Japanese name. Baikinman and his nemesis, Anpanman combine in the view of the media expert Thomas Hoeren elements of Milton's Paradise Lost, Frankenstein and Star Trek. ; : Baikinman's henchmen. They have the ability to rot Anpanman's head with mildew/mold (Japanese: kabi). They first appeared in episode 2a. In the English Tubi and Netflix dubs, they're called Rot-Rot. ; : (1988–2017), Rei Sakuma (2017 Christmas Special), Miina Tominaga (2018–present), Krystal Valdes (Tubi), Cristina Vee (Netflix) (English) : Baikinman's female partner in crime. She is selfish, demanding, childish, and greedy, but sometimes shows kindness, as demonstrated by her crush on Shokupanman. Her Japanese name is a combination of "Doki", the Japanese onomatopoeia for a quickly beating heart, "baikin" (meaning "germ", also the case for Baikinman), and the diminutive/affectionate suffix "-chan". She first appeared in episode 13a. On the English TMS Entertainment website, she was called Spark, however in the English Tubi and Netflix dubs, she is called Dokeen. ; : (1991–2016), Kazuki Yao (2017–2024), Kosuke Okamoto (2025-present) (Japanese), Rio Chavarro (Tubi), Ryan Garcia (Netflix) (English) : A skeleton who often works with Baikinman and Dokin-chan. Although he seems scary on the outside, he is very weak and often falls to pieces, and can magically put the pieces back. He is neither a hero nor a villain. His special attack is the Bone Boomerang, where he takes off one of his bones and throws it. He is also in love with Dokin-chan and often stalks her. He first appeared in Fly! Fly! Chibigon. In the English Tubi and Netflix dubs, he is called Horror. ; : (Japanese), Lia Rodriguez (English) : Dokin-chan's younger sister who can cry fake tears to make nearby people cry for no reason. She has a rivalry with her sister, mostly over their shared love for Shokupanman. Sometimes, she is not evil and helps Anapanman and the others. She first appeared in the 2006 animated short, Kokin-chan and the Blue Tears. In the English Tubi and Netflix dubs, she is called Coreen. == Media ==

Picture books The Anpanman picture book series debuted in October 1973. Froebel-kan has published over 150 picture books under different series labels consisting of a varying amount of picture books. Takashi Yanase wrote and illustrated the picture books until 2013, following his retirement from his career and eventual death. Manga Takashi Yanase created three different manga series based on the character. • January 1975 – May 1976: Nekketsu Märchen Kaiketsu Anpanman (熱血メルヘン 怪傑アンパンマン) • Serialized in Sanrio's monthly poetry magazine Shi to Märchen (詩とメルヘン) for which Yanase was the editor-in-chief. Unlike all other iterations, this one is aimed at adults. The entire series is included in the box-set Yanase Takashi Taizen (やなせたかし大全), published in 2013 by Froebel-kan. • September 1976 – July 1982: Anpanman (あんぱんまん / アンパンマン) • Serialized in Sanrio's monthly youth magazine Gekkan Ichigoehon (月刊いちごえほん). The series changed its title spelling from hiragana to katakana in January 1981 and ended when the magazine folded in July 1982. It remained commercially unavailable until 2016 when it was collected in its entirety into the volume Dare mo shiranai Anpanman (だれも知らないアンパンマン) by Fukkatsu Dotcom. • January 1, 1990 – May 29, 1994: Tobe! Anpanman (とべ!アンパンマン) • A full color comic strip serialized in the Sunday edition of Yomiuri Shinbun. In 1991 Froebel-kan published a selection of strips into three bilingual volumes, marketing them as English learning tools for children age 3+. Unlike traditional tankoubon, these volumes are presented in a vertical "Garfield Format". The rest of the series run is currently commercially unavailable. Anime The first anime adaptation of Anpanman, consisting of a single episode, aired during ''Spring Break Children's Hiroba - Picture Book'' on NHK General TV on March 13, 1979. Like the early picture books, Anpanman's name in the title was written in hiragana (あんぱんまん) instead of katakana. The anime was narrated by Meiko Nakamura. Although the character designs were closer to the picture books released under the Kinder Picture Books label, the story and the worldview were almost the same as the second anime adaptation. This version is very popular in Greece The second anime adaptation of Anpanman, entitled Soreike! Anpanman (それいけ!アンパンマン, ''Let's Go! Anpanman''), is produced by TMS Entertainment. Over 1300 episodes have aired on NTV since October 3, 1988. In April 2020, it was reported the voice recordings have had been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 2, 2020, it was announced that the voice actors will now be recording lines in separate booths in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19. They will also be taking shifts. An English dub, produced for Turner International aired on Pogo in India alongside a Hindi dub. Full-length movies There are currently a total of 36 full-length films based on the Soreike! Anpanman anime series. The films are also produced by TMS Entertainment and have been released in Japanese theaters every year since 1989, except in 2020, due to the pandemic. Since at least 1993, the films have been released concurrently with storybook versions written and illustrated by Takashi Yanase himself. Each movie has the same general plot - A person (usually a princess) comes from a foreign land. Baikinman unlocks some dark secret and controls a weapon or monster able to polymorph people. And with the help of the aforementioned person, Anpanman defeats the said weapon or monster. Sometimes the person dies but is brought back to life by a tearful song from the characters. In May 2020, it was announced that production on the thirty-first Anpanman film Soreike! Anpanman: Fuwafuwa Fuwari to Kumo no Kuni (それいけ! アンパンマン ふわふわフワリーと雲の国, ''Let's Go! Anpanman: Fluffy Fuwari and the Cloud Country'') had also been delayed due to the pandemic. The film was slated to be released on June 26, 2020. In June 2020, the film was delayed to 2021. In 2020, Tubi announced plans to exclusively stream select Anpanman films in English and Spanish through a deal with TMS Entertainment. Initially confirmed to be 6 films, the catalogue was later expanded to 10 with the first, ''Apple Boy and Everyone's Hope, added to the streaming platform on April 15, 2021. Purun, The Soap Bubble followed in July 2021. 7 more films were added in September 2021, and Twinkle! Princess Vanilla of Ice Cream Land was added later that year. Dororin & the Transformation Carnival and Fluffy Flurry & the Land of the Clouds'' were initially slated for February 2024, but later added on May 10. Ten select films have been added to Netflix on September 19, 2025 with a new English dub. • March 11, 1989: • July 14, 1990: • July 20, 1991: • March 14, 1992: • July 17, 1993: • July 16, 1994: • July 29, 1995: • July 13, 1996: • July 28, 1997: • July 25, 1998: • July 24, 1999: • July 29, 2000: • July 14, 2001: • July 13, 2002: • July 12, 2003: • July 17, 2004: • July 16, 2005: (Dubbed as Anpanman: The Adventure of Happie in English on September 10, 2021) • July 15, 2006: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Star-Spirited Dollie in English on September 10, 2021) • July 14, 2007: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Purun, the Soap Bubble in English on July 23, 2021) • July 12, 2008: (Dubbed as Anpanman: The Secret of Fairy Rin-Rin in English on September 10, 2021) • July 4, 2009: • July 10, 2010: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Blacknose and the Magical Song in English on September 10, 2021) • July 2, 2011: • July 7, 2012: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Revive Banana Island in English on September 10, 2021) • July 6, 2013: • July 5, 2014: (Dubbed as ''Anpanman: Apple Boy and Everyone's Hope'' in English on April 15, 2021) • July 4, 2015: • July 2, 2016: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Nanda and Runda from the Star of Toys in English on September 10, 2021) • July 1, 2017: • June 30, 2018: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Shine! Kulun And The Stars Of Life in English on September 10, 2021) • June 28, 2019: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Twinkle! Princess Vanilla of Ice Cream Land in English on November 12, 2021) • June 25, 2021: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Fluffy Furry and The Land of Clouds in English on May 9, 2024) • June 24, 2022: (Dubbed as Anpanman: Dororin and the Transformation Carnival in English on May 9, 2024) • June 30, 2023: • June 28, 2024: • June 27, 2025: • June 26, 2026: Animated shorts In 1990, Tokyo Movie Shinsha started producing short subject Anpanman movies. These are around 24 minutes (except the second which is a double-length short) that were shown in conjunction with the full-length movies seen above. The shorts made in 1989 and 1993 are not included as they do not involve the world of Anpanman. • , July 14, 1990 • , July 20, 1991 • , March 14, 1992 • , July 16, 1994 • , July 29, 1995 • , July 13, 1996 • , July 28, 1997 • , July 25, 1998 • , July 24, 1999 • , July 29, 2000 • , July 14, 2001 • , July 13, 2002 • , July 12, 2003 • , July 17, 2004 • , July 16, 2005 • , July 15, 2006 • , July 14, 2007 • , July 12, 2008 • , July 4, 2009 • , July 10, 2010 • , July 2, 2011 • , July 7, 2012 • , July 6, 2013 • , July 5, 2014 • , July 4, 2015 Christmas specials In December 1988, Tokyo Movie Shinsha started making Anpanman Christmas specials. A total of 32 Christmas Specials have been made. • December 19, 1988: • December 25, 1989: • December 24, 1990: • December 23, 1991: • December 21, 1992: • December 20, 1993: • December 19, 1994: • December 25, 1995: • December 13, 1996: • December 25, 1997: • December 24, 1998: • December 23, 1999: • December 21, 2000: • December 20, 2001: • December 19, 2002: • December 25, 2003: • December 24, 2004: • December 23, 2005: • December 22, 2006: • December 21, 2007: • December 19, 2008: • December 25, 2009: • December 24, 2010: • December 23, 2011: • December 21, 2012: • December 20, 2013: • December 19, 2014: • December 18, 2015: • December 23, 2016: Video games There are currently a total of 42 video games on this list based on the Soreike! Anpanman anime series, ranging from adventure games to educational games. With the exception of Soreike! Anpanman Eigo to Nakayoshi 2 Tanoshii Carnival, the video games were released only in Japan. ; Famicom • Oeka Kids: Anpanman to Oekaki Shiyou!! • Oeka Kids: Anpanman no Hiragana Daisuki • Soreike! Anpanman: Minna de Hiking Game! ; PlayStation • Kids Station: Soreike! Anpanman • Kids Station: Soreike! Anpanman 2: Anpanman to Daibouken • Kids Station: Soreike! Anpanman 3 • Kids Station: Oshaberi Oekaki Soreike! Anpanman ; Nintendo DS • Soreike! Anpanman: Baikinman no Daisakusen • Anpanman to Asobo: Aiueo Kyoushitsu • Anpanman to Asobo: ABC Kyoushitsu • Anpanman to Touch de Waku Waku Training • Anpanman to Asobu: Aiueo Kyoushitsu DX ; Nintendo 3DS • Anpanman to Asobo: New Aiueo Kyoushitsu • Anpanman to Touch de Waku Waku Training ; Nintendo Switch • Anpanman Touch de Enjoy!: Aiueo Kyoushitsu for Nintendo Switch ; Game Boy Color • Soreike! Anpanman: Fushigi na Nikoniko Album • Soreike! Anpanman: 5tsu no Tou no Ousama ; Wii • Anpanman Niko Niko Party ; Sega Pico • Soreike! Anpanman Eigo to Nakayoshi Youchiende ABC • Soreike! Anpanman no Game de Asobou Anpanman • Soreike! Anpanman no o-Hanashi Daisuki Anpanman • Soreike! Anpanman Eigo to Nakayoshi 2 Tanoshii Carnival • Soreike! Anpanman no Medalympic World • Soreike! Anpanman no Minna de Kyousou Anpanman! • Soreike! Anpanman: Anpanman to Denwa de Asobou! • Soreike! Anpanman Anpanman to Tanoshii Drive! • Soreike! Anpanman Anpanman to Kotoba Asobi • Soreike! Anpanman no Medalympic World 2 • Soreike! Anpanman: Anpanman to Suuji Asobi • Anpanman Pico Waku Waku Pan Koujou • Anpanman to PC Renshuu! • Gakken Anpanman to Chinou Up! • Soreike! Anpanman: Anpanman no Chie no World • Soreike! Anpanman Hajimete Asobu Pico Soft: Anpanman no Iro-Kazu-Katachi Nurie mo Dekichau zo! • Soreike! Anpanman: Anpanman no Hitori de Dekichatta! ; Advanced Pico Beena • Soreike! Anpanman Hajimete Kaketa yo! Oboeta yo! Hiragana Katakana ~Gojūon Board Kinō-tsuki~ • Shoku Iku Series 1 Soreike! Anpanman: Sukikirainai Ko Genki na Ko! • Anpanman no Waku Waku Game Oekaki • Anpanman o Sagase! • Soreike! Anpanman Card de Tanoshiku ♪ ABC • Soreike! Anpanman Doki Doki! Rescue Drive ~Car Navi-tsuki~ • Soreike! Anpanman o Mise ga Ippai! TV de o-Ryōri Tsukutchao • Soreike! Anpanman Waku Waku Eigo Game! ; Arcade • ''Let's Go! Anpanman: Popcorn Factory'' ; Playdia • Soreike! Anpanman: Picnic de Obenkyō == Theme music ==

Openings • Endings • • • • • • == Reception ==

In 2011, research by Bandai found Anpanman to be the most popular fictional character among people aged 0 to 12 in Japan for 10 consecutive years. Anpanman overtook Hello Kitty as Japan's top-grossing character in 2002, and was Japan's top-grossing character . Retail sales By 2006, the Anpanman books had sold over 50million copies in Japan. By the time Takashi Yanase died in 2013, the Anpanman picture books had sold 68million copies. As of February 2019, Anpanman has sold more than 80million books. , Bandai Namco has sold Anpanman PC units since 1999, including tablet computers. Retail sales of Anpanman related products grossed an annual revenue of at least consecutively for nearly 30 years. Box office == Legacy ==

There are five museums across Japan that are dedicated to Anpanman, such as the Yokohama Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall. There is also the Yanase Takashi Memorial Hall, a museum dedicated to Takashi Yanase himself. Anpanman train livery is featured on some of JR Shikoku trains, such as the JR Shikoku 2000 series DMU and the JR Shikoku 8000 series EMU. The Anpanman Official Shop Taipei, the first overseas Anpanman shop specializing in products related to the series, opened at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi shopping mall in Taipei on September 10, 2015. Anpanman inspired the manga and anime series . It is a webcomic/manga series created by One, with the title a play on the titular character. In the manga My Hero Academia, the superhero character All Might is shown to have read Anpanman as a child. The K-pop group BTS released a song in their hit album Love Yourself: Tear under the name "Anpanman" with many references to the series. File:JRS-2000-2007.jpg|Anpanman characters on a JR Shikoku 2000 series train File:130720 Kobe Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall Kobe Japan01s3.jpg|The façade of Kobe Anpanman Children's Museum & Mall == See also ==