Spartako

Frontispiece from the original serialization, featuring Kagetora and father.

**Spartako** (スパルタッコ) is a gag one-shot by Fujio Akatsuka and Fujio Pro, released in Weekly Shonen Sunday.

## Overview

With a scenario by Kai Takizawa, this feature revolves around the mysterious tough child Kagetora, who's forced into rigorous training every day by a brutal father who only wants the best, manliest child there is.

It was published during Akatsuka's then-ongoing serialization of Bukkare\*Dan, but served as a darker work in contrast. As with works like Ostess Kariko, even before the term of *transgender* would become acknowledged and used as a loanword for Japan, this one-shot would touch upon the complicated aspects of gender identity vs. one's physical biological makeup. Kagetora is considered a heroine full of conflict, for they are forced into the role of a boy by their father yet have adapted to it to the point where they are left in confusion and despair over their true gender identity throughout the events.

The character's name was inspired from that of the historical daimyo Kenshin Uesugi, whose birth name was Kagetora Nagao. This was particularly relevant at the time as a historian named Tomeo Yagiri had posited the ***Kenshin Uesugi Woman Theory*** in 1968, based off various handed down historical anecdotes about Uesugi that concluded that Uesugi was secretly a woman having posed as a man to break out of the tightly constructed gender roles of society and obtain power. Of course, with the complicated notion of gender in mind, it can also be debated as to how Uesugi personally saw themselves deep down: as a woman, or as a man? There were also those that would challenge the theory, as Yagiri was known for his unusual interpretations and conspiracy theories.

Even so, such a sensational and shocking allegation would lend itself to exploration in other manga and novels, especially the basic theme involving a woman disguising herself, but this one-shot would be considered an early adaptation and specific caricature of Yagiri's *Woman Theory*. There is not a traditionally happy ending in mind for Kagetora, who finds their whole sense of gender identity and understanding of men and women to have been manipulated and destroyed from the machinations of their parents. This murky dark comedy and psychological agony for the lead character was ultimately just one of many indications of Akatsuka's wilder turn with gag manga that would persist into the 1970s.

## Characters

### Kagetora

Our protagonist, who faces daily brutality to the point of having a shorn head. When some bullies opt to peek in on this one changing at the bathhouse, they're revealed to have been born as a girl. This leads to them angrily and brutally attacking a schoolgirl, exasperated with their father's terrible punishments and having their own rage at seeing women.

Kagetora attempts to reclaim a feminine identity and manner of dress after beating her father up, and becomes the "boss" of the family, subjecting both him and her mother to the treatment she was put through. Her attempt to flirt with a hot guy however, only gets the young man horrified at her appearance. She then attempts to assume the role of a boy to flirt with girls, but experiences similar horror.

Realizing they won't be able to be taken seriously or treated with respect as either a boy or girl, Kagetora takes revenge on the parents and drags them behind on a motorcycle.

### Father

A tough, physically threatening and abusive man who puts Kagetora through the harshest discipline and indignity. After his wife reappears but leaves him yet again, he tries to take his rage out on Kagetora again but finds his daughter to best him.

After Kagetora forces him to let her be a girl, he is left at her mercy and becomes intimidated by even a stare.

### Mother

A woman who walked out on the family with another attractive man one day, causing Kagetora's father's hatred towards femininity and women in general. She returns one day, to her husband and child's surprise, and all seems fine until she walks off with yet another man.

When she returns a second time, she's startled to see the changes within her child and is also subjected to her harsh treatment.

## Serialization

* Weekly Shonen Sunday: Merger number of #4-5 for 1971

## Reprints

* Akebono: Reprinted as extra content in "Inspector Oni". The frontispiece is replaced, doing away with the original colored one seen in the serialization.
* Shogakukan: Appears in the "Inspector Oni" volume of the Fujio Akatsuka Complete Works DVD-ROM set, and the print-on-demand version from ComicPark