Template:Short description Template:Nihongo is a 1934 manga written and drawn by Gajō Sakamoto. The comic features the eponymous character, a robot-like character with a round iron body who could transform into various shapes and produce anything he wanted from the hole in his belly. He fights his archenemy, Kuro Kabuto (Black Helmet).[1]
Tank Tankuro is considered one of the first robot and science fiction manga, inspiring characters like Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and Fujiko Fujio's Doraemon;[1] however it was preceded by the 1929 comic story Jinzō ningen (Artificial human) by Suihō Tagawa.[2]
Publication history
Sakamoto published Tank Tankuro's stories as a yonkoma for the Chugai Shougyou Shimbun (current Nihon Keizai Shimbun). He felt he needed a bigger space for his stories and turned to Kodansha, presenting a draft to the editor of Yonen Club magazine. The draft was accepted, and Sakamoto published Tank TankuroTemplate:'s stories in the magazine for four years.[3]
In 2010, a collection of Tank TankuroTemplate:'s stories was published in English by Presspop.[4] It was reissued in 2017 by Fantagraphics.[5]