Tokuo Yokota

**Tokuo Yokota** (よこたとくお, October 30, 1936-April 8, 2022, credited with notation of birth name 横田徳男  and 横田 とくお  in some works ) was a manga-ka and board member of the LAC Association for learning cartoonists.

## Life and Career

Yokota was born in Tamura, Fukushima. From his youth, he aspired to emulate the success of his favorite manga-ka Noboru Baba and become a skilled cartoonist just like him. After being selected for the manga section in the Mainichi Junior High School Newspaper, Yokota kept working at his dream and posting to Manga Shonen magazine as well as Manga Study. In his young adulthood he worked at the Hirai plastic molding plant in Komatsugawa.

After meeting Fujio Akatsuka and Kunio Nagatani later on at a Manga Study rally, it was recommended he join Shotaro Ishimori's East Japan Manga Study Group and the magazine "A Drop of Ink". Yokota would quit his job and live together with Akatsuka for a time in Nishiarakawa, but would be encouraged by Yoshiharu Tsuge to enter the field of kashihon manga and made his debut in the industry in 1955. Soon after, he joined the doujinshi group of Kou-kai, who had been inspired by Osamu Tezuka.

In 1958, Yokota would move into the Tokiwa-so complex, taking the place of Shinichi Suzuki. During his tenure at the apartment (1958-1961), he would start his specialization in both shojo and shonen gag genres. Among the manga-ka that lived there, he was known as the most modest, quiet one, which lead to him not standing out very well in the group. Ultimately, he left Tokiwa-so around the same time as Akatsuka, becoming his next-door neighbor at a nearby apartment complex.

The next point of contact between these two manga-ka would be in 1963, when Yokota joined Akatsuka's "Seven Lucky Gods" manga group which would barely last a  year. Although he did not take part in the formation of Fujio Pro, Yokota would still pitch in for Akatsuka in being the author and artist for some Fujio Pro works through the mid-late 1960s.

From the 1970s and on, Yokota would become more associated with being a learning cartoonist, being one of many to assist on Shotaro Ishinomori's concepts of Earth Guard 7 and SP Halley as well as doing many of his own manga and books. He appeared to have been retired in recent years, though still present for some manga events until he passed away on April 8, 2022 with his cause of death stated to be from senility.

## List of Works

*Years and detailed serialization information must be found and determined for some works. Many Yokota works are unreprinted or hard to calculate the percentages of completion due to any tankobon being out of print for decades. There are times where some shorter works are also lumped in as extra content in some volumes, while others may be strictly unreprinted.*

### Kashihon

* **Flowers Blooming in Love** (愛に咲く花, April 25, 1957, Shimamura Publishing)
* **Cherry Blossom Storm of Revenge** (仇討花吹雪, July 10, 1957, Akebono Publishing)
* **Horror in the Rain** ( 雨中の恐怖 )
* **A Flute-Playing Maiden** (笛吹く乙女, 1957, Akebono Publishing)
* **Light of the Heart** (心の灯, 1957, Akebono Publishing)
* **White Lily of the Rainbow** (虹の白ゆり, Wakaki Shobo)
* **Two Stars of Love** (愛のふたつ星, 1958, Wakaki Shobo)
* (剣風乱れ雲, 1958, Akebono Publishing)
* **Portrait of the Red Grim Reaper** (赤い死神の絵, October 3, 1959, Wakaki Shobo)- Story appears as one segment of the Wakaki Shobo kashihon anthology "Maze 12" (迷路12) that was released on this date

### Serial Works

* **We are Mi-chan** (ミーちゃんふたり, Nakayoshi, August 1960-December 1961)
* **Ganko no Anko-san** (がんこのアンコさん, Shojo Club, December 1960 to December 1961)
* **Miss Otoko** (ミスおトコ, Shojo Club, January to ? 1962)
* **Pii-Chiku-Paa-chan** (ピイチクパアちゃん, Nakayoshi, January to August 1962)
* **Margaret-chan** (マーガレットちゃん, Weekly Margaret, May 12, 1963-October 17, 1971)- Also appeared in special edition extra number publications through August 20, 1968 to August 25, 1970.
* **Perfect Pako-chan** (ぱっちりパコちゃん, Shojo Friend, April 6th to May 25th, 1965, #15-21)
* **Suppaiko-chan** (スッパイ子ちゃん, Shojo Friend, 1965-1966?)
* **Nendo-chan** (ねんどちゃん, Bokura, 1965-1966?)- Retitled "Nendo-chan of Saturn" for reprints
* **Mean Auntie** (いじわるばあさん, Nakayoshi, January to December? 1966)
* **Nakayoshi-kun** (Nakayoshi, March to April 1967)
* **Pinboke Happy-kun** (ピンボケハッピーくん, Shonen Picture Report, 1968? to 1969?)
* **Right Side Hidari-kun** (右むけヒダリくん)
* **Robot Ponsuke** (ロボットぽん助, Bokura)
* **Ganko-chan** (ガンコちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Comic, ? 1970 to December 1972)
* **Stop! Mari-chan** (ストップ！！マリちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Comic, January to April 1973)
* **Tamaoki-kun** (タマオキくん, Weekly Shonen King, 1974? to 1975?)
* **Koketa and Takeko** (コケ太とタケ子, 1975?, Shonen and Shojo Newspaper)
* **Nemunou-kun** (ネムノウくん, Fun 6th Grader)

### Shorts

* **Daisuki Mari-chan** (だいすきマリちゃん, Nakayoshi New Years issue for January 1960)
* **Red Sweater** (赤いセーター, Shojo Club New Years issue for January 1961)
* **Very Tsuyoiko-chan** (とてもつよい子ちゃん, Nakayoshi summer special issue, September 1964)
* **Tongari-kun** (Separate Edition Shonen King, February 1966)
* **Gameko-chan** (ガメ子ちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, January, June, December 1966)
* **Mister Gon** (Bokura, November 1966)
* **Toku-chan's Manga School** (トクちゃんのまんがスクール, Nakayoshi, February 1967)
* **Mako and Mako** (Junior High Second Year Course, March 1967)
* **Yoko-chan** (Separate Edition Shojo Friend, March 1967)
* **Maruko-chan** (マル子ちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend issues for March, April,June, November, and December 1967. Also in issues of February, April, May 1968. Sometimes appears under notation "○子ちゃん" )
* **Mischievous O-kun** (いたずらいた男くん, Shonen Picture Report, January 1968)
* **Nerd-kun** (ガリベンくん, Shonen Picture Report, March 1968)
* **Pichiku School** (ピーチク学園, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, April, October 1968)
* **Bokeko-chan** (ボケ子ちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, September, October, November 1968)
* **Waruiko-chan** (わるい子ちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, January 1969, March 1969)
* **Giant=Chibiko** (ジャイアント＝チビ子, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, February 1969)
* **Kokkuri-chan** (コックリちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, April 1969)
* **Loveko-chan** (ラブ子ちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, May 1969)
* **Nikkori-chan** (ニッコリちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, June 1969)
* **Tsuyoiko-chan** (つよい子ちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, July 1969)
* **Extreme! Boy Hunt** (もうれつ！！ボーイハント, Separate Edition Shojo Friend, November 1969)
* **Guzuko-chan** (Shojo Friend, merger issue #4-5, 1970)
* **Zukkoke Teru-chan** (ずっこけテルちゃん, Separate Edition Shojo Comic, New Years' extra issue for January 1972

#### First appearance unknown

*Information will be changed when found, many of these are visible in the reprints with no original date or magazine given.*

* **Akanbesuke** (あかんべー助)
* **Ijiwaru-kun** (いじわるくん)
* **Pinch-kun** (ピンチくん)
* **Abekobe-chan** (あべこべ‎ちゃん)
* **Baketa-kun** (バケ太くん)
* **Kokkori-kun** (コックリくん)
* **Jirokichi's Rat** (ネズミのジロ吉)
* **Otobake-kun** (おとバケくん)
* **Baketa the Ghost** (おばけのバケ太)
* **Thrill Boy** (スリルぼや)
* **Super Wan** (スーパーワン)

### Collaborations with Fujio Akatsuka/Fujio Pro

* **Goldfish** ○(きんぎょ, September 15, 1959, Shojo Club summer extra number)- Collaboration with Akatsuka and Kunio Nagatani, with responsibility of drawing some of the characters.
* **The Opposites at Address 3** (Weekly Margaret)- Design of sub-characters as a collaboration with "**Fujio Akatsuka and Studio Zero**"
* **Junior High 1st Year Kosuke** (August 1966 chapter, Junior High 1st Year Course)- Filled in for Akatsuka on the series likely due to Akatsuka's busy schedule
* **Today's Leading Role Iyami!!** (November 1966 to February 1967, Elementary School 5th Grade)- Alternated between chapters with Mitsutoshi Furuya
* **Hennako-chan** (Ribon large summer special for 1968)- Story and Art (Akatsuka credited for original concept)
* **Hennako-chan** (January 1969 to December 1970, Ribon Comic)- Story and Art (Akatsuka credited for original concept)

Portions of his version of *Hennako-chan* are showcased as extra material in both the ***Akanbesuke*** and ***Pako-chan*** reprints by Akebono.

### Collaborations with Shotaro Ishimori

* **Earth Guard 7** *(unknown version)*- Story and Art
* **SP Halley** (6th Grade Science 1976 run)- Story and Art

### Learning Works

* **365-Day Encyclopedia of Japanese History**
* **The World's Greatest Manga Biography**
* **Quiz Rules**
* **Encyclopedia of Manga**
* **The Beginning of the Beginning**
* **Funny Toilet Stories**
* **Manga Proverbs Encyclopedia**
* **Secret Series: The Secrets of Electricity**
* **Secret Series: The Secrets of Nature**
* **Secret Series: Manga of Japanese History Encyclopedia 1**
* **Biography Series: Marie Curie**
* **Biography Series: Andersen**
* **Biography Series: Fabre**
* **Biography Series: Edison**
* **Biography Series: Helen Keller**
* **Kirin Brewery College's Faculty of Brewing**
* **Ministry of Justice "All Friends Think About Human Rights with Manga"**