Summary
- Peow2 to release English edition of Stop!! Hibari-Kun! in Fall 2025, marking a historic moment in LGBTQ+ manga representation.
- Hibari-Kun! challenges gender norms in anime; fans debate if the character truly qualifies as a transgender protagonist.
- Despite controversies, Stop!! Hibari-Kun! remains an influential work in manga, paving the way for LGBTQ+ characters in the medium.
In 1981, Shonen Jump launched Hisashi Eguchi’s Stop!! Hibari-kun!, a romantic comedy that has attracted significant controversy over the years because of its queer main character. After four decades, an official English version will finally be available. On X and at AnimeNYC, publisher Peow2 announced their intention to publish an English edition of the historic manga in the Fall of 2025.
Stop!! Hibari-Kun! is a romantic comedy whose title character was assigned male at birth, but presents and behaves femininely. The manga follows her and a boy named Kosaku as they navigate daily life, including Hibari’s yakuza father. It’s considered a milestone work for LGBTQ+ representation in manga. Its reach has also been much broader, and even the most hardcore anime fans tend to underestimate its profound influence on showstopper franchises like Dragon Ball.
Stop!! Hibari-Kun!‘s Bold Representation Has Been A Magnet For Controversy
The Queer Classic Has Raised Eyebrows For Decades
Transgender characters are historically underrepresented in the anime and manga world, and Hibari-Kun! is a major exception. At the same time, Hibari-Kun! has been controversial with anime and manga fans, and these same controversies are resurfacing following Peow2 presenting Hibari as an “OG trans protagonist”. Although Hibari is without a doubt gender-nonconforming, many fans still question whether she can properly be labeled “transgender”. Beyond that, cultural constraints of the time led to Hibari-Kun!‘s representation to be limited and, to some, offensive.
Peow2’s upcoming edition of Stop!! Hibari-Kun! is a great chance for Western fans to get acquainted with this seminal manga, which holds great historical significance for the medium, regardless of the controversies around it.
Sources: @peowstudio (X)