Kyūkyoku Chōjin R: The Chaotic School Comedy That Crossed Over with Patlabor

With the first film of the new Patlabor trilogy now in theaters and the second installment set for August 14, 2026, fans of Yūki Masami’s mecha police series might be surprised to learn that the same creator also wrote one of the most delightfully chaotic school comedies in manga history: Kyūkyoku Chōjin R (Ultimate Superhuman R).

Serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday starting in 1985, Kyūkyoku Chōjin R is a gag-filled school comedy set at the private Harukaze High School. The story revolves around the Photography Club (Kōgabu) and its bizarre members, led by the android protagonist R. Tanaka Ichirō—always clad in his winter school uniform and with a deep love for plain white rice. The club’s antics, often instigated by the reckless Torisaka-senpai, create a never-ending cycle of chaos involving the student council, field trips, and the entire school.

Yūki Masami was a member of the creative group Headgear, which also produced Patlabor, and he served as character designer for the new Patlabor EZY. The manga originally concluded in 1987 with nine collected volumes, but Yūki later returned to the series with irregular one-shots in magazines like Big Comic Spirits, eventually releasing a tenth volume in 2018.

Note: The following contains spoilers.

A Cast of Lovable Oddballs

In 2017, a figma figure of R. Tanaka Ichirō was released, proving the character’s enduring popularity.

The cast is a gallery of eccentrics. R. Tanaka Ichirō is an android who never changes out of his winter uniform and has a vacant charm. Torisaka-senpai is a born troublemaker who lives by the motto “as long as it’s fun, anything goes.” Student council president Saionji Marii is a sharp honor student who constantly finds herself dragged into the club’s messes, vowing revenge. Heroine Ōtori Shima-sangō seems normal but joins the fun, and janitor Doku Shima is a senior club member who adds fuel to the fire.

The Unadaptable Dialogue Comedy

One memorable arc involves the club losing its room after the student council confiscates it for misusing equipment. The club’s alumni then orchestrate a wild siege using airsoft guns, leading to a school-wide survival game. After ten days, the club loses the room but discovers a sealed-off room in the old school building—haunted by a beautiful ghost. They recruit the ghost as a new member and start fresh.

The real charm, however, lies in the rapid-fire dialogue. Yūki Masami reportedly turned down multiple anime adaptation offers because he felt the manga’s timing and visual gags couldn’t be replicated in animation. Only one OVA was released in 1991, with no sequels. To truly experience Kyūkyoku Chōjin R, the manga is essential.

Crossover with Patlabor and Birdy

Fans of Yūki’s other works will find delightful crossovers. In a silhouette cameo, the Photography Club encounters a scene from Tetsuwan Birdy during a beach trip. Later, in Yūki’s manga adaptation of Patlabor, the club members appear as pedestrians, interacting with Noa and the AV-98 Ingram.

The ultimate crossover occurs in volume 10, chapter 9, where R. Tanaka Ichirō’s creator, Dr. Narihara, invents a “multidimensional phase transformation device.” This causes a fusion of worlds, bringing together characters from Kyūkyoku Chōjin R, Tetsuwan Birdy, and Patlabor in a single hilarious scene. Ingram waves, Birdy scolds R, and Torisaka-senpai drags everyone into his pace.

The series continues to resurface with new stories. Personally, I’d love to see more of R’s sister, R. Takamine Hideko (Art Deco), who has a different kind of charm—though she absolutely needs Torisaka-senpai to reach full comedic potential.

Related tweet from Yūki Masami

Kyūkyoku Chōjin R is available as e-books in nine volumes plus the tenth. The first three chapters can be read for free on manga sites like Big Comic. If you haven’t yet stepped into that “silly spacetime,” now is the perfect time.

Written by Kigasawa Masashi