B. Ichi

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B. Ichi
Bichi 1.jpg
Cover of the first volume of B. Ichi
B壱
GenreFantasy[1]
Manga
Written byAtsushi Ōkubo
Published byGangan Comics
English publisher
MagazineMonthly Shōnen Gangan
DemographicShōnen
Original run2001 – 2002
Volumes4
Wikipe-tan face.svg Anime and manga portal

B. Ichi (B壱, "B1") is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Atsushi Ōkubo and serialized in Monthly Shōnen Gangan in 2001–2002. Set in the city of Toykyo, the series focuses on humans known as "Dokeshi", whose abilities to use more than 50% of their brain power allows them to unleash special powers, provided they meet one unique condition each day. For the Dokeshi Shotaro, his condition requires that he do one good deed daily to gain the powers of any animal by biting its bones. After Shotaro meets the traveler Mana, they begin a partnership of journey in the name of justice!

The series was collected in four bound volumes which were released by Gangan Comics in Japan.[2][3] The manga was licensed for distribution in North America by Yen Press, which released the series in English in 2008–2009.[4] The creator, Atsushi Ōkubo, later became well known for his hit series Soul Eater and Fire Force.

Plot[]

Most normal humans use only 30% of their brains, but a group of people known as the "Dokeshi" can use 50-60% of their brains, and thus have special abilities. These powers, however, come with a price: the Dokeshi must observe certain restrictions. Ignoring these rules can lead to the loss of something precious from within. In young Shotaro's case, he has to stick to doing one good deed every single day! In the central town of Toykyo, he meets a girl named Mana, and together they go on a journey to find Shotaro's childhood friend Emine. Will Shotaro be able to do good daily or will he succumb to laziness on his journey?

Characters[]

Main Characters[]

Shotaro (将太郎, Shōtarō)
Voiced by: Mayumi Tanaka (drama CD)
A young Dokeshi known as the "Kyokotsu", Shotaro's power allows him to mimic the abilities of animals by biting animal bones (e.g. the bone of a bird will give him the power of flight) with his condition to use his power being that he must do one good deed every day or he'll lose something "precious" inside of him. Childish and simple-minded, he's an avid fan of the "Charisma Justice" TV show and even copies the main character's "Justice Blade" attack, but has trouble remembering that it comes on every Sunday at 10:30. It is later revealed that Shotaro can draw power from any bone, and even call upon the memories and personality of the deceased. He greatly values his friendship with Emine and thus diligently performs his good deeds. Even though normal people hate and despise Dokeshi, he holds nothing against them.
Mana (真夏)
Voiced by: Saeko Chiba (drama CD)
A normal, 16-year-old human girl who accompanies Shotaro on his journey to find his missing friend, Emine. She's constantly entering contests in order to get commissions. She comes from China and is a skilled martial artist, being more than capable of fighting Dokeshi by herself. Her fighting style is called "Hinoki-ryu", which is only taught within her family, but her father neglected her in favor of her brother. She enjoys fortune telling, as it helps her make decisions but she hates being called "garbage" as her name spelled backward in Japanese is "nama" which means "raw", making it "raw garbage".
Yohei Nanami (七海 陽平, Nanami Yōhei)
Voiced by: Yuto Nakano (drama CD)
A normal, human and mechanical genius who also travels with Shotaro. He can quickly and easily build robots and other kinds of contraptions with any random junk he finds lying around. He was once part of the "Dokeshi Hunt", but after his former teammates were all wiped out by Nofix, he lost the ability to trust others. His wields a special weapon known as the "Law-Abiding Silver Gun", a dog-shaped handgun that can be used to bite people and perform other useful features besides just shooting.
Tool (トゥール, Tūru)
Voiced by: Yūji Ueda (drama CD)
A kappa who loves kiwis (a pun, as the Japanese words for "cucumber" and "kiwi" sound alike), he can understand the feelings of both people and objects. He normally lives in a garbage dump, but occasionally visits the city to buy kiwis. He hates most humans because he thinks they judge others by appearance alone. He also has a complex when it comes to his lack of hair, becoming furious and hunting down anyone who calls him a "baldy", as Shotaro found out the hard way. His primary weapon is a giant pickax with a long rope attached to the end and all of his attacks are named after different kinds of snakes. As a Kappa, he also has the power to rip out souls, but unlike normal Kappa, Tool can only do it to inanimate objects.
Emine (エミネ)
Voiced by: Akira Ishida (drama CD)
A Dokeshi known as Bai Ze and the childhood friend whom Shotaro is desperately searching for. Emine's power is the ability to manipulate blood, which he turns into strange creatures and/or weapons; his condition is that he must do one bad deed a day or he'll lose his treasured friendship with Shotaro. Despite still caring for Shotaro, he feels the nature of their respective conditions makes it impossible for them to get along. He works as an observer for the Masked Assembly. Much like Shotaro, Emine is also an orphan.

The Masked Assembly[]

Apple Shinoda (アップル=シノダ, Appuru Shinoda)
Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma (drama CD)
Emine's coworker, a Dokeshi whose power grants him the ability to bypass the limits of normal human athleticism, enabling him to perform incredible feats of strength and agility. His condition requires him to eat apples, which he constantly offers to others as well.
Lin Kinpar (鈴 琴羽, Rin Kinpā)
Voiced by: Aya Hirano (drama CD)
Another of Emine's coworkers, a Dokeshi whose power allows her to deconstruct her physical form at will as long as she willingly serves another person. Due to her condition, Lin dresses as a maid and uses silverware as weaponry. It's also implied that she might have a crush on Emine.
Nofix (ノフィックス, Nofikkusu)
Voiced by: Ryuzou Ishino (drama CD)
An insane Dokeshi who works for the Masked Assembly because they allow him to run wild. Known as the "King of Spin", he has the power to make anything he touches spin, such as stopping bullets by spinning them in the opposite direction or accelerating his body's natural healing process by spinning his own cells (although this greatly shortens his lifespan, with Yohei suspecting this maybe the cause of his insanity) among other things, his daily condition is unknown as he's never shown doing or speaking about it. Besides his sadistic and bloodthirsty nature, Nofix is also completely obsessed with Yohei (possibly having a sexual or romantic attraction to him) to such a point that he sworn to murder anyone who even associates with him.
Rodigy (ロディジー, Rodijī)
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (drama CD)
A Dokeshi whose bald head resembles an incandescent light bulb, he is the vice president of one of the subdivisions of the Masked Assembly known as the "Fear Factory". He ordered the creation of the "Fear Robot" in order to take over the Masked Assembly and eventually the world. Known as the "Lightning Beast", his power allows him to emit light and electricity with his condition being that he has to bathe himself in light. He's incredibly arrogant, possessing a great distain of people in general, frequently referring to them as "pig".
Agi (アッシー, Ajjī)
Voiced by: Ken'ichi Ogata (drama CD)
A member of the Fear Factory, he created the Fear Robot and various other robots. He appears intelligent at first, but some of his inventions are questionable. He dislikes it when his creations are insulted. His appearance resembles that of a tanuki and often adds the word "correct?" to the ends of his sentences, which annoyed Tool greatly in their fight.
Zuno (ズーノ, Zūno)
A Dokeshi who's the chief of the Intelligence Division of the Fear Factory. His power allows him to pick up electromagnetic waves and his condition is to erase one of his memories every time he does so. As a result, he cannot lead a normal life or even remember his assignments without the help of his assistant, Assi. Despite being employed by the Fear Factory, he isn't evil. According to Assi, Zuno only joined the Factory because his condition prevents him from working at a normal company. His nose hairs are noticeably long.
Assi (アッシー, Asshī)
A normal human whose job is to help Zuno remember things. He joined the Fear Factory because he's not very smart. Much like Zuno, Assi isn't evil at heart. He wears strange glasses that have the letter "A" engraved in the lenses.
Solence
A Dokeshi employed by the Fear Factory. His ability is to produce different kinds of gasses in his body and his condition is that he needs to take deep breaths. He was sent to capture Yohei and retrieve a vital piece of the Fear Robot but ends up failing when Shotaro intervenes, resulting in him getting fired. He reappears later on, taking a group of people hostage (with Mana being among them) in order to draw out Yohei and Shotaro, but the duo manages to beat him again to which he's then arrested and sent off to prison.

Other characters[]

Charisma Justice
A famous superhero whom Shotaro idolizes and whose signature attack, Justice Blade, Shotaro copies. He is apparently a real person and very strong, as he was able to destroy the Fear Robot's right arm, whereas Shotaro could not even dent it. It is unknown whether he is a normal human, a Dokeshi, or something else entirely.
Tast Brothers
Two Dokeshi brothers with the same ability and condition: to manipulate the water content of their body, which allows them to change shape as well as attack with water; afterwards, they must eat dried food. They tried to take over Toykyo (Tokyo) by impersonating the governor, but were stopped by Shotaro.
Christina S. Imbroglia
A Dokeshi fortune teller whose ability and condition were not revealed, though her ability may be what enables her to predict the future.

References[]

  1. ^ "B. Ichi, Vol. 1". Yen Press. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  2. ^ "B壱 1" (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  3. ^ "B壱 4" (in Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  4. ^ "G4 Presents: Comic-Con '08 - Yen Press - G4 Presents San Diego Comic-Con 2008". Anime News Network. July 27, 2008. Retrieved August 11, 2019.

External links[]

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