Taxonomies: Exploring Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's Character Tropes - Yasuhiko's Space Captains

    Welcome to Taxonomies, a little project I have long covered in regards to exploring Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's confirmed and otherwise presumed influences on character design within the Japanese animation and manga industry. My goals with this project are to simply illuminate concepts that Yasuhiko presents to us viewers as well as tracking where they may or may nor originate from. My first deep dive will begin with tracking a particular archetype that is seldom discussed in regards to Yasuhiko's male character trope of the space faring captain.

 

Part 1 - The Inceptions of the "Bruiser"

(The last depiction of Domencio the Bruiser illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko via Haruka Takachiho's 2nd Crusher Joe Novel, Extermination! The Space Pirate's Trap.)

    As an artist who has long admired Yasuhiko's work, I find that one of his core strengths has always been imbued in his innate ability to communicate staunch emotions through the character's facial structure. The dynamism of line, action, and jaunts as I call them, belong to a very prolific language that is all is own and one that has been copied several times over by others. 

    With that in mind, the "bearded space faring captain" character, or so I've deemed it, has its inceptions within Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's design motifs beginning in the realm of sci-fi. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's forays into science fiction-based anime, even at this point, were nothing new. However, this particular trope does not appear in prior works until the late 1970s. 

    One could say this trope reared its head implicitly in 1978, via Haruka Takachiho (高千穂 遙)'s Crusher Joe light novel series. Extermination! The Space Pirate's Trap (クラッシャージョウ2―撃滅・宇宙海賊の罠), the second light novel released in January of 1978, introduces us to one of Joe's early, yet most fearsome, adversaries - the space pirate captain Domencio the Bruiser. Illustrated by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko in a segment of 14 ink and gouahce drawings spaced out within the text itself, Yasuhiko introduces the reader first to a visual interpretation of Domencio via the cover itself:

(Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's original illustration from late 1977 to early 1978 and the subsequent rework done for the September 25, 2008 re-release. The final illustration was done sometime in the 2020s. Domencio the Bruiser in all inceptions is depicted in the background overlooking Joe menacingly very very specific highlights of his character shown.)

     Visually speaking, very specific highlights of this character are revealed to catch the attention of the reader, who would have found this novel in any bookshop that catered to young men at the time. Striking and dynamic, just a mere crumb of what is being visually inferred says a whole lot - the galant hero, situated in the vast depths of space, has a looming, gangly pirate glaring right over his shoulder. However, just who is Domencio the Bruiser? 

Within Haruka's novel, Crusher Joe and his team are contracted by the president of the Talao, a nation within the solar system, to escort the Verasantella -  a rare beast known by the Talao people are the 'galaxy's treasure'. However, Domencio the Bruiser, knowing its value as well as the reason for Joe's team being selected to ferry it, engages in what is none other than a relentless high pursuit chase after them. To avoid and ultimately trick Domencio? Joe orders Alfin and the rest of his team to carry out a "diversionary operation", one that taxes heavily on their time, resources, and wits. 

As one reads along, we are shown via a slow burn method the cunning aura surrounding Domencio. His main goal, positioned as the main antagonist, is to simply cause trouble, though the manner of which his depiction unfolds is beguiling to say the very least. A summarized few excerpts from pages 105 through 106 of the light novel gives some insight that ties in accordingly not only his persona, but also plays into his appearance:

"That's right, I'm relieved! I'd like to say that I'd kill him (Ricky), but I won't. I have a big heart, after all." Joe frowned. Something strange had ensnared him. "I hear there's a goodwill envoy carrying tens of thousands of carats worth of jewels on board." Bruiser's tone was carefree, almost as if he were a child getting ready to go out to play." (Page 105)

"Don't get so upset. Its true that we're going to take on that Arena Queen. Now that our obstacle has disappeared (the Cordoba), a luxury ship without an escort is no different than a rabbit with a broken leg. There's just a twist..." As Joe listened to Bruiser's boastful stories, he felt himself become increasingly depressed." (Page 106)

    Domencio is depicted by Haruka via an onslaught of interesting, dynamic text. Sadistic, demanding, cunning, and brash, Domencio is also shown several times within the light novel to be lofty, highly educated, and even a bit romantic about his life as a space faring pirate captain. What then becomes obvious via text is then visually retranslated by way of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. This is, at the moment, the first time we see Yasuhiko create a visual representation of such a character:

(Bruiser's first depiction within the 2nd Crusher Joe novel is that of a portly, bearded space pirate. Quite notably, his scar across his face is evident. He is also captain of his own ship. The 1st scan is taken directly from my copy of the light novel whereas the 2nd is a scan taken directly from the artbook titled Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, published in 1983 by Tokuma Shoten, at the back of the original text.)

    As translated from the bylines of the second image, one can gather that Bruiser's personality is amicable yet forceful. "Nice to meet you, my brother. Well, get over here!" Bruiser invited the three of them to the console and showed the huge main screen that spread over the panel, "Look! That's our prey." The prey in question is the Arena Queen, a diversionary ship apart of Joe's plan to ultimately get rid of Domencio. 

    By Yasuhiko's hand, we see Bruiser as a portly, middle aged man; he bears a gangly, ruddy beard, a diagonal scar along his face, a Captain's hat with a skull emblazoned upon it, as well as a false eye. To some extent, while Bruiser is situated as a character within a Sci-Fi environment, he resembles a pirate captain found in Western media at the time. 

    Yasuhiko, who famously worked for Rankin-Bass via Mushi Pro during the late 1960s, is noted to have also been greatly influenced by Frank Frazetta's work. While these works by Frazetta have not been named in particular, Yas' mixing of sci-fi elements with classical depictions is apparent, and one could wonder if he took any inspiration from the latter. While presented very frankly against the grain, this archetype would later be re-translated for one of Yasuhiko's most important contributions to the realm of Showa era character design.

Part 2 - The Space Captain Transformed

   

 Furthering along past the novel, this visual archetype rears its head again only a year later. It should be noted that Haruka's novel as well as Yasuhiko's depictions of Domencio were released a whole year before the seminal Mobile Suit Gundam would air on television. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, famously appointed as character designer for the series, introduces us to ruddy depictions of masculine Zeon soldiers, though one in particular seems to pay homage to Domencio, both loosely and rather keenly - one can look to episode 31, "A Decoy in Space", for this visual interpretation.

Beyond visual interpretations, I've often found that the plot of Haruka's 2nd Crusher Joe novel somewhat mirrors that of epsiode 31. We are first introduced to the White Base crew as they head back into enemy controlled airspace, though in a manner of mere seconds, we are then introduced to Captain Tokwan. 

Tokwan, Captain of a Zanzibar class vessel and test pilot for the MA-05 Bigro, has his ship requisitioned by Char Aznable in an effort to chase the White Base crew in space. Once departed, a preemptive strike is launched against the crew, who unwittingly had carried out a diversionary operation themselves as to allow for the Earth Federation fleet to launch from Jaburo. 

(Char Aznable mentioning to Tokwan within Ep. 31 of Mobile Suit Gundam that the White Base crew is nothing more than a decoy for the now advancing Federation fleet. These scenes were more than likely drawn by Kazuo Nakamura.)

    There isn't much evidence left physically of Yoshikazu's hand on episode 31. While listed as the animation director, Yasuhiko had fallen ill with pleurisy by the time the final episode did actually air. One could assume that Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's earliest depiction of Tokwan was possibly drafted sometime in the middle of 1979 before his hospitalization, if not earlier. Gundam Archive (Media Works, 1999) situates that his settei correlates with Yoshiyuki Tomino's original script from the eponymous Gundam Memo, which can be found in the 1998 Laserdisc release of the original Mobile Suit Gundam. The upper bylines of Tokwan's settei situate it to be right on time with Tomino's original vision as described:

"Episode 31: Zanzibar Pursuit. Char is met by the new warship Zanzibar. For Amuro, battle is no longer a subject of terror. For example, he wonders why Tokwan, the enemy before him, is pursuing them so relentlessly." (via Ultimate Mark)

Tokwan, when situated in Tomino's outline, seems to be just as brash and relentless as Domencio the Bruisher. Conveniently so, Tokwan's settei sheet gives us only a small bit of information about his character - "Enemy Zeon Army Pilot, Second Lieutenant Tokwan. Mobile Armor Bigro Pilot". While short, This eventually would be retconned by episode 31 as he's depicted as Captain of the Zanzibar and is shown to be a commissioned officer. None the less, the praxis of his character is very clear - he's the key enemy.  

(Tokwan's original settei by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, possibly drafted in the middle of 1979 to correspond with Yoshiyuki Tomino's original 52 episode script for Mobile Suit Gundam. Yasuhiko's settei raptly captures Tokwan's appearance in a manner that mirrors Bruiser's.)

   

(A sliver of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's layout/genga for episode 31 of Mobile Suit Gundam. The subsequent final douga and cel were possibly drawn by Kazuo Nakamura as Yasuhiko was hospitalized by the time that the episode actually aired. Completion of episode 31 comprises of key moments as well as filler cels from prior episodes, a cycle that would be repeated towards the end of Mobile Suit Gundam's production.)

    Even down to the diversionary methods used by White Base, the plot mirrors that of Joe's evasion of Bruiser. One could speculate as to if Tomino was influenced by Haruka's novels at this point. Haruka, who hung around Tomino's camp so to speak, was very close with several animators at Sunrise at this point in time. 

 

    With that in mind, I still return to the visual aspects of Tokwan's character as depicted by Yasuhiko. Tokwan is physically older than most Zeon pilots introduced in prior episodes. While other aspects his countenance (his hair color, his depiction without his pilot helmet) were seemingly decided by staff other than Yasuhiko (we can only assume this as layouts and planning notes are currently unavailable), his physical appearance is quite on terms with Bruiser's facial structure.

    Elements Yasuhiko reintroduces within this very distinct character design lexicon are the usage of gaunt cheekbones, a diagonal scar, a beard and fierce eyes. There's a distinctive quality in regards to linework that Yasuhiko improves upon only a year later - gone are the strict, slightly stiff jaunts found in Bruiser's depiction; Yasuhiko's fierce, bearded soldier is far more polished, resolute, and distinctive than ever before via Tokwan. All the same, these ideals for the space faring Captain play out once more. 

    Moreover, these two characters were both slated to share the exact same fate. Tokwan, like Bruiser, is a character situated to die at the hands of the protagonist. Unlike most settei depicting Zeon soldiers, Tokwan implicitly has a depiction of his expression at his death that is quite striking. In fact, it seems to mirror that of Bruiser's final moments at the hands of Crusher Joe:

(Bruiser's death is striking in its overall depiction, primarily the energy within his facial structure. Yasuhiko's jaunts with ink are still very much aligned with his prior work on prior anime, including the cancelled Terrahawks proposal. Right; Captain Tokwan's last moments are strictly depicted with a death expression, in correlation to Tomino's original script and prior outline.) 

Part 3: A Unique 360 - Yasuhiko's Circling Back to Crusher Joe

    What we can already infer ultimately is that Yasuhiko had already established a very charming archetype for a fearsome, space faring captain, and one that was intended to strike a very particular emotion within the viewer or reader. Tokwan, Captain of his own ship, adopts yet also transforms what Yas feels to be a catch-all for this particular character. 

    Yasuhiko would use his same aesthetic language once again by doing a 360 - returning back to the Crusher Joe franchise for its 1983 film adaptation. As director, Yasuhiko decided once again to make the same call back for Black Beard Nero, a character that originally appeared in Haruka's side novel, Crusher Joe Extra 1: Rainbow Hell(クラッシャージョウ 別巻1 虹色の地獄 ), released on January of 1983, just two months before the film adaptation was released in theaters. 

(Black Beard Nero as depicted in the 1983 film adaptation of Crusher Joe vs Tokwan in Mobile Suit Gundam, 1979. Tokwan's original depiction bears extremely close weight to how Nero would later be depicted. Scanned from my copy of Crusher Joe Designer's Note.) 

    Nero is depicted very loosely within the Crusher Joe film as being a part of Big Murphy's pirate syndicate. He is, to some extent, a Captain of his very own gaggle of conspirators and pirates as well, respected among them in a similar manner that is noted for Tokwan by episode 32 of Mobile Suit Gundam. 

    While vastly shorter and with a hotter temper, he is also depicted as being a competent pilot and pursues Joe and Alfin alongside his teammate, Cats Eye Norma. In a manner of Tokwan shamelessly showing off the overwhelming prowess of the Bigro or to Bruiser's relentless stalking of Joe, Yasuhiko poses a dangerous slant to the very trope he develops. However, just like Tokwan and Domencio the Bruiser, he too eventually meets a gruesome fate at the hands of a beast that inhabits the terraformed planet Lagol - once more, this character archetype ultimately meets their end in death.

(Black Beard Nero as depicted in the 1983 film adaptation of Crusher Joe. These scenes mirror Nero's original settei as shown. The settei is scanned from my copy of Crusher Joe Designer's Note)

    Design wise, the character is seemingly a call back to two different individuals, cloyingly so. While cunning and viciously calculating like Domencio, Nero still seems to borrow elements of the determined charm as found in Tokwan, even down to his facial structure. A 360 back to the world building of Crusher Joe, yes, though the manner of the latter being an expy is very certain. 

Part 4: Later Changes and Re-Interpretations 

(From the upper left, Tokwan from Mobile Suit Gundam, Weedon Scott from Shiroi Kiba: White Fang no Monogatari, Skipper/The Captain from Giant Gorg, Black Beard Nero from Crusher Joe, Blex Forer from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, and Suberoa Zinnerman from Gundam Unicorn. The exit from fearsome space pirate stops at Weedon, jumps to The Skipper, and is ultimately never used again for TV purposes.)

    While these characters share very similar aspects to one another, it goes without saying that Yasuhiko's language, even in a span of a mere 5 years, changed only in how he handled the drawing of each character. In ethos? They are very much the same, though fill different roles. 

    Yas' dependence on the facial scar is exemplary in my opinion, and one that finds itself a proponent of a "marker" of the character's history. One simply can ask questions, infer upon them, and assume in a manner that leads the mind to all sorts of places. While these characters are antagonists, only two of them seem to be outwardly brash, cruel, and sadistic - to some extent, one could infer this about Tokwan, though we are not shown this as an audience in an all too obvious manner. 

    In fact, by the time he'd make another appearance in the Mobile Suit Gundam compilation film series, he is depicted as nothing other than an ambiguously placed Captain: the audience is visually given nothing as his scar, physical build, and role, are all diminished. Yasuhiko, more or less, picks and chooses when these tropes fit best:

(Tokwan as depicted in Mobile Suit Gundam: Encounters in Space, the third and final Gundam compilation film released in 1982. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, director of the film, created this scene in place of the original version as seen on TV. While layouts do not currently exist of this scene, it can be assumed that Yasuhiko had a major hand in animating it. Tokwan is without a scar, is lankier, yet is still a Captain. Later depictions of Tokwan, while brief, show him behind Gihren Zabi during the firing of the Colony Laser, or Solar Ray.)

    

    By both the early and mid 1980s, Yasuhiko's depictions of this trope would later become divested from its original usage, finding themselves reintegrated within other works, such as Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Shiroi Kiba: White Fang no Monogatari, as well as Giant Gorg. 

    From the Skipper to Blex Forer, later depictions are even more obscured within manga works and one off character designs for projects that Yasuhiko was merely loosely involved within. By the 2000s, Yasuhiko seems to make a call back briefly via Suberoa Zinnerman, whom he drafted while briefly on board as character designer for Gundam Unicorn.  

    All characters, sans for Weedon Scott, assume the role of Captain - In its annals, the trope of the fearsome pirate captain and its evolved state within Mobile Suit Gundam simply began to break away from its original inception post 1983. While this trope is unique, Yasuhiko's hand is shown to be able to transform his very own visual lexicon, allowing this character to serve several purposes whilst relying on mementos of its original inception. 

(Yasuhiko's depiction of Quasim in his manga series Star of the Kurds (クルドの星), released in 1986. This depiction, which borrows from The Skipper, would be one of the last until the 2000s via Suberoa Zinnerman. Star of the Kurds was serialized in Tokuma Shoten's monthly magazine "Shonen Captain" from May 1986 until May of 1987. Quasim, like The Skipper, is compassionate yet gruff, and is a seasoned veteran.)

(Suberoa Zinnerman as depicted originally by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, created in the 2000s. Yasuhiko did not create Suberoa as a character, though his visual interpretation makes vibrant call-backs to several Captains before him.)

    Visually striking, Yas' delineation of the space pirate's portrayal lends itself to a character trope that can seldom be replicated in this day and age - the mythos of the groundwork, however, makes for an interesting, pictorial history. 

    Beginning as a means to communicate cruelty, Yasuhiko would later use these tropes to show later depictions as being calm, compassionate, yet resolute to some extent or another. Variance becomes more important than a staccato, if not strict adherence, to its origins.