Boss Kokoro

**Boss Kokoro** (ココロのボス *Kokoro no boss*) created by Fujio Akatsuka, is a supporting cast member in Extraordinary Ataro as well as a part of Akatsuka's Star System.

## Overview

Boss Kokoro is one of a few different characters Akatsuka brought in as a way to boost *Ataro*'s reader popularity ratings when he saw it continued to struggle against Osomatsu-kun in the polls.

His animalistic design and the ongoing question of whether he's truly a man, a tanuki, or something in-between remains one of the draws to his character and Fujio Pro enjoys having fun with that part.

## Physical Appearance

Boss Kokoro is a strange, tanuki-esque man with a round, earless (although these may occasionally appear) head and a furry muzzle of a mouth. He dresses in a double-breasted, checkered suit jacket and matching pants, along with having shiny black shoes and a miniature top hat.

Of course, another indication to make those doubt he's a human would be the large, furry brown tail sticking out the back of his pants.

## Personality

Although he may look like a menacing mob leader and uses a pistol in his early appearances, Boss Kokoro is actually quite ineffective and a goofy sort of man whose childish behavior presents quite a gap between expectations (including his own) and the reality. He has a thoughtful and considerate side, though, and will occasionally help out those at Yao-Batsu.

Boss Kokoro is also fond of small animals and flowers, though he will become embarrassed if strangers would catch him admiring such. He enjoys writing novels, and aims to some day be a professional writer.

As Iyami claims to have been to France, this man boasts highly of having lived in Italy and having known Al Capone.

### Speech

He tends to end his sentences in "no kokoro", but will also add in "Harpokkun" and "Kudaranai!" at times. His speech is also such to where he will substitute "b" sounds with "p" sounds, hence his henchmen being called "Kopun" instead of "Kobun" and him introducing himself with "Poku" as opposed to "Boku".

## Relationships with Other Characters

### Butamatsu

These two are great enemies and rivals to one another, and the boss daring to fall for Butamatsu's sister makes that even more of a personal problem on one occasion.

### Piyoko

A small chick adopted by the Boss as his daughter. He decided to fashion a wig for her to give her hair, by shaving other characters. He will ferociously defend her and her honor, even skinning those who cross him in punishment.

Kokoro's love for her is so much that he will put himself in pain and danger, and humiliation to make sure she is safe; this occurs in her debut when he lets a road roller iron him flat after diving in the way to get Piyoko away from the machine.

### Matsuyo

He has great feelings for this young woman and she felt about the same, but their budding love became destroyed once she saw his strange tail.

## History

As in one telling of his origin, the Boss was born to wealthy aristocrat parents, but wound up being forced into being a beggar because of the wealth being compromised by the creation of counterfeit bills.

In his college years, he fell in love with a woman named Sumire, but she broke his heart. He signed up to join the Pacific War as part of the air force and special attack squadron, and was caught and rescued during a chance time by an American soldier after plunging to apparent doom.

These days, the Boss runs his three-man team in Tokyo, but his henchmen are left having to assist or watch out for him when things go awry.

## Appearances in other works

*See also: Akatsuka's Star System*

* *Osomatsu-kun*
* *The Genius Bakabon*
* *The Flower of Dekoppachi*
* *Harenchi Masterpiece Series*
* *Oh! Great Jailbreak*
* *Introduction to Manga*
* *Nyarome's World Expo Surprise Surprise Surprise Guide*
* *Let's La Gon*
* *Inspector Oni*
* *Gag + Gag*
* *Cat's Eye News*
* *Wanpei and Mo-chan*
* *The Great Stupid Detective Kogoro Hakuchi*
* *King of Gags*
* *Nyarome*
* *Noragaki*
* *Gags with Fujio*
* *Nyarome's Fun Mathematics Classroom*
* *Nyarome's Fun Cosmology Classroom*
* *Nyarome's Fun Biology Classroom*
* *Nyarome's Fun Computer Exploration*
* *Nyarome's Fun Exploration of the Body's Mysteries*
* *Nyarome's Fun Sexual Education Classroom*
* *Nyarome's Big Blood Type Studies*
* *What Will Fujio Akatsuka Do!?*
* *Japan Laughter Story*
* *Reading Dai-sensei*
* *Ramen Great Escape*
* *Kidnapping by Willow*
* *Sheeh! Comeback*
* *Greatest in Japan, Putaro's Family*
* *Gag Shop*
* *Fujio Akatsuka's Animal Land*

## Portrayals

### Voice Acting

* 1969 series, We are Manga-ka: The Tokiwa-so Story, Hitachi Television City: Nyarome's Fun Mathematics Classroom, 1990 series- Joji Yanami
* That's How Things Should Be!! Fujio Akatsuka★The Movie- Tsuyoshi Abe

### Live Action

Boss Kokoro was portrayed by Hosei Komatsu in Fuji TV's live-action special Extraordinary Ataro: Nyarome!! What Happened to the Girl When She Learned the Secret of Her Birth!?, with his actor having no special makeup or anything to indicate the Boss being anything other than an ordinary man.

## Trivia

* Boss Kokoro remains one of the rare Akatsuka characters to keep a consistent voice actor over the decades, save for in the Fujio Akatsuka movie where all of the Star System members had their voices doubled by the live-action actors present in the film.

## External Links

* Boss Kokoro profile at Koredeiinoda (Japanese)