Sakana

A Comedy with a side of Slice of Life, Sakana, created by Madeline Rupert, is one of the more popular webcomics hosted on Smack Jeeves. It follows the lifes of two awkward Japanese brothers working at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo. Taro, the older brother, while a Nice Guy and very protective of his younger brother, is kind of a psychopath, and the younger brother, Jiro, is a talented register worker, but terribly afraid of girls. Other important characters are their friends, family and co-workers, especially Taisei, the slightly silly and always cheerful best friend of Jiro, and Yuudai, the gruff and snarky primary register worker, who bears a constant grudge against Jiro for being better at selling fish than he [Yuudai] is.

The plot revolves mainly around the awkward, yet hilarious situations the brothers encounter, such as Jiro's misadventures with girls, but is not afraid to delve into more serious matters.

Start here!

You can find more art and info at Mad's Deviant ART account here and at her Tumblr here. -

"Taro: DATE MY BROTHER OR I'LL THROW YOU DOWN THE STAIRS!!!"
 * All There in the Manual: Like many webcomic artists, Mad often answers questions about her characters on her tumblr blog, which often leads to this. But, in an example of Tropes Are Not Bad, she keeps details which are crucial to the story to herself and answers only questions that help build the world and the characters even more, making the characters even richer than they already are in the process and giving way for lots of possible fanwork.
 * Adorkable: Most of the characters, but particularly Jiro.
 * The Alcoholic: Taisei is "drunk 50% of the time".
 * Anime Hair: Jiro has this due to it looking like a shark fin. It apparently grew this way over time, since he didn't had it as a child.
 * Animal Motifs: Each of the primary characters' design is based on some kind of seafood: Jiro has hair similar to a shark fin, Taro's design is based on a whale, Taisei's hair looks like jellyfish and Yuudai resembles an eel.
 * The Atoner: Part of the reason Cashier Girl wants to get close to Jiro is
 * B-Side Comics: SAKANA Sundays is a collection of various lighthearted short stories that don't interfere with the main storyline.
 * Backstory Horror: A lot of the comic's heartwrenching moments involve this trope.
 * Bastard Boyfriend: is pretty much a walking middle finger to this archetype,  His abuse is in no way romanticized, but shown as the nightmarishly traumatic event it really is to . As such, instead of being seen as a wholesome man swooned over by many fangirls, he's instead a repulsive bastard hated by the characters, the readers and even the author herself.
 * Because You Were Nice to Me: The reason Yuudai defends Taisei when a woman insults him. He has been nice and friendly to him even when he was been abrasive.
 * Hell, it could be argued this trope applies to him in general, considering he started to warm up to Jiro
 * Berserk Button: Don't ever try to do something bad to Jiro. Taro WILL hurt you.
 * Oh, and for those concerned, don't ever mention in front of Yuudai that Jiro is the better register worker.
 * Yuudai is pretty sensitive to people talking about his scar.
 * Jiro may be an Extreme Doormat, but he won't let others hurt his friends or associates. He can turn extremely terrifying without using violence.
 * Betty and Veronica:
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Taro is very much a Nice Guy, but don't ever piss him off, much less messing with his little brother. It will be the last thing you'll do.
 * Not that Jiro is absent from this trope as well, as he doesn't even need to use violence to scare the crap out of people. Just ask
 * Cashier Girl/. A sweet, perfectly likable young lady who can wreck your shit in less than a minute. Sam for her BFF Sango.
 * Bi the Way: Shigeru and, as of late,.
 * Big Bad Ensemble: Ryoji Nishimura and.
 * Big Beautiful Woman: Sango, who is also The Cutie.
 * Big Brother Instinct/Knight Templar Big Brother: Taro is a pretty Cool Big Bro, and cares a lot for his little brother, always there to help him out. He threatens Yuudai with a knife when he's about to say something bad about Jiro and is always concerned that Jiro may be hurt. This also applies to the time when Taro was a delinquent, but then it was taken to rather hilarious extremes:


 * In chapter 14, it shows his protectiveness extends to anyone he cares about, as seen in his conversation with Yuudai.
 * Jiro himself shows this towards Taisei, treating him as his surrogate brother.
 * Birds of a Feather: Taisei and Yuudai, surprisingly enough, turn out to have a lot of things in common, as stated by Jiro.
 * An even better example would be Taro and "Angry Lady"/. While they're frequently at odds with each other, there's quite the Ship Tease, hereby this trope.
 * Black Bead Eyes: A lot of the characters have these, unless they are shocked.
 * Subverted with Taisei, whose eyes naturally have a crazed expression about them. It's the reason for his Blinding Bangs; he doesn't like to put people off.
 * Blinding Bangs: Taisei has these, but sometimes you can see one eye or both.
 * Bloody Hilarious: In many of the comic strips featuring Taro in his job as a butcher, he cuts fish with such a vigor that the blood splatters all over the place. And it ALWAYS leads to hilarious situations.
 * Broken Bird: Yuudai and Angry Lady/.
 * Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: Taisei and Yuudai could be the ultimate example of this trope.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: Despite being the silly, adorable, naive man that he is, Taisei also is the assistent director for a pretty big company and is probably the smartest man of the cast.
 * But Not Too Foreign: Yuudai is half-swedish. He says that that's the reason for his hair.
 * Averted with Jan, who is full German.
 * Cannot Spit It Out: Jiro has been in love with "cashier girl", the girl who's working across from him for two years, and had not the courage to talk to her casually, or even ask her name. It's a good thing he has Taro and Taisei to help him out.
 * Cast of Snowflakes: Thanks to the artists style being pretty recognizable, no character looks like the other. Even Jiro and Taro, who are brothers. Also, every character has a distinct personality and their own quirks.
 * Cats Are Mean: So very averted with Hime.
 * Cerebus Retcon: While most of the cast's traits still manage to be funny after that, they get tainted due to a sad background behind them.
 * Cerebus Rollercoaster
 * Comedic Sociopathy
 * Comically Missing the Point: Taisei is a master in this.
 * Cool Old Guy: Ren Sakana treats his nephews like his favorite sons, and even gives them the afternoon off so Taro can keep an eye on Jiro while he goes on a date. There's a reason for this.
 * Crash Into Hello: Taro and the angry lady So far, she was pissed off and mistook him for a woman, and he didn't care much about her because he had his mind on how well Jiro is doing on his date. We have yet to see what comes out of it, but the author mentioned something along the lines that she's going to be a bigger character.
 * Cringe Comedy
 * Cuddle Bug: A character trait of Taisei, who is rather prone to cuddling with anything within arms reach.
 * Dark and Troubled Past: Taro, Genji and especially Yuudai have one, which affects them in the present day.
 * Date Peepers: Taisei, Taro and Yuudai do this when Jiro is finally on a date.
 * Deadpan Snarker: Yuudai has his moments. He is understandably confused when this and his general brashness doesn't work on Taisei.
 * Death Glare: The angry looking lady from the train that Taro runs into.
 * Ditzy Genius: Taisei is incredibly smart. He's also incredibly silly.
 * Domestic Abuse: A dead serious example.
 * Double In-Law Marriage: Hinted at. Jiro and Cashier Girl/ are pretty much an Official Couple, but there's the implication their older siblings Taro and Angry Lady/ are going to get involved with each other (in a rockier way, but still). The fact they're Birds of a Feather also helps.
 * Double Standard Abuse (Female on Male): Subverted.
 * Dramedy: Despite its description as a "Slice of Life Romantic Comedy", the webcomic tackles serious issues, mostly concerning some of the characters' Dark and Troubled Pasts, as well as having quite dark antagonists for a rom-com.
 * Dude Looks Like a Lady: Taro, when wearing the disguise Taisei prepared for him while spying on Jiro. Lampshaded In-Universe by Yuudai.
 * Disguised in Drag
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Not "evil" by a long shot, but Yuudai seems honestly confused why Jiro would treat him kindly despite him treating him like shit, and the same happens when Taisei is nothing but kind and sweet towards him. This is Played for Drama, as it drives home how much of a miserably broken person he really is.
 * Evil Counterpart: What would happen if we take Taisei Tachibana's most notorious traits and put them in a much darker light? The answer is The fact  just makes this all the more apparent.
 * The Fashionista: While Jiro is also interested in shoes or frequently goes shopping with Taisei, Taisei is primarily the one who loves fashion, all kinds of cool clothes and shopping. The bad thing is that he can't wear most of the clothes he likes due to his enormous height.
 * Fetish: Word of God says that Taro has a fetish for angry sex, along with big butts.
 * Fire-Forged Friends: One of the main plotlines is the main four becoming this.
 * Foreshadowing: Lots.
 * "Cashier Girl" looks eerily similar to . Unsurprisingly,
 * Jiro tended to pursue pretty but unpleasant girls who treated him like crap. This seems innocuous, until you realize In an ironic twist,
 * Yuudai Hates Being Touched, lives in constant anger and paranoia, and has a scar in his face he really doesn't want to talk about.
 * Yuudai sees every product in the market as subpar... except the octopus, which he eagerly recommends.
 * Fun with Foreign Languages: When Taro meets Jan, the german assistent sushi chef who neither speaks nor understand japanese; they, of course, don't understand each other and wacky hijinks of Taro trying to get his point across ensue.
 * Freudian Excuse: Lots.
 * Jiro's anxiety towards girls was caused by a Loving Bully decking him while claiming him as her "boyfriend". However, what really caused his shy and awkward nature was the trauma of losing his parents in a car crash when he was young, which still affects him in the present day.
 * Similarly, the aforementioned event did a number on Taro's psyche, turning him from a sweet kid into a violent teenage delinquent (exacerbated by his cousin rivalry with Genji) who even drove away his beloved brother. He did calm down in the present day, but it's clear the trauma is still there.
 * As for Yuudai, he had a sad life already, what with his sick mom, distant dad, and poverty background; yet (as shown in the side story "Help Wanted") he still was relatively well-adjusted. was the event that turned him into a perpetually angry and miserable young man.
 * "Angry Lady"/ used to be a sweet lady, but has embittered her into the Woman Scorned Broken Bird she is now.
 * This is inverted with
 * The Gambling Addict: Genji, Jiro and Taro's cousin. He's first introduced hitting his father up for money to pay off his debts.
 * Gentle Giant: Taisei is the largest member of the cast (and that's saying something), and he's also the kindest and the happiest.
 * Green Eyed Red Head: Jan is one.
 * Grew a Spine: Jiro slowly but surely grows one. Look no further when he very calmly or
 * Grumpy Bear: Nothing but his cat (and maybe Jiro being "devastated"...) seems to make Yuudai's day brighter.
 * Hate Sink: It has one in the form of, it's clear he's designed to be hated. It says a lot when you have the freaking Yakuza as side antagonists, and they still come across as more likable than this guy.
 * Hates Being Touched: A defensive mechanism of Yuudai, and he has a pretty good reason for it.
 * Hates Everyone Equally: Yuudai claims that he's this, but this is subverted since he adores his cat and seems to get along at least a little bit better with Taro than with everyone else, and even eventually befriends Jiro.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: Jiro and Tasei have been best friends since middle school, and they are practically inseparable, go shopping together and share an apartment. Oh, and after Jiro finally goes on a date with cashier girl, Taisei can't stop worrying about him getting hurt, and so he stalks their date.
 * Mad stated that Shigeru and Taro are "bros for life", and it shows.
 * Also Cashier Girl/ and Sango.
 * Hidden Depths: This applies to every character in general.
 * Horrible Judge of Character: Taisei doesn't seem to notice that Yuudai is not exactly Jiro's friend, and instead immediately sees Yuudai as part of the team, and generally takes wrong assumptions due to his naïve idealism. That said, his judgement of Yuudai isn't exactly wrong, as he is a kind person underneath his pricklishness, and it's justified due to Yuudai trying to act as nice as possible whenever he's present.
 * Yuudai is this too in the opposite way, thinking everyone is a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing who is out to get him, only to find out the vast majority are genuinely kind people who do care about him.
 * Important Haircut: Invoked, as it symbolizes the character's growth.
 * In Touch with His Feminine Side: Taisei loves to go SHOPP-ING~!
 * Yuudai apparently also likes Shoujo manga.
 * Jiro frequently watches japanese soap operas. With Taisei.
 * Ironic Echo: There's one example that establishes two characters as Not So Similar.
 * Japanese Delinquents: In his teens Taro was this, but in his childhood he Used to Be a Sweet Kid, apparently. Now he's more like a Nice Guy, though, unless you get on his bad side.
 * Jerkass: Yuudai certainly acts this way, but some panels indicate that it's actually just him being fed up with life and having no trust into people, because if someone (Read: Taisei) would strip Yuudai out of all his layers of his Jerkass-ness, then it shows he is actually just a shy and very lonely person, making this more of a Jerkass Facade.
 * The angry-looking lady from the train is mean to Taisei of all people, which quickly earned her this status. Granted, she did have a bad day.
 * Yuki, the girl Jiro really wanted to date when he was young, who brushed his off Love Confession pretty rudely.
 * The Yakuza Genji associates himself with, obviously enough. Ryoji tries to disguise it under a polite façade, his Co-Dragons don't even attempt to hide their douchebaggery.
 * is the worst of them all.
 * Jerkass Facade: Yuudai tries hard to be as cold and uncaring as possible, but it becomes clear to the characters and readers he is much kinder and awkward than he portrays himself. Jiro criticizes him for this.
 * Jerkass Has a Point: True, Michio and Kento's refusal to help Yuudai is quite harsh, but because Yuudai has been nothing but a Jerkass to them, only helping them out of pragmatism, they have absolutely no reason to return the favor.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: This is what Yuudai really is, combined with Jerkass Facade. He may be gruff and short-tempered, but he's a caring and shy man underneath who warms up to those who are really nice to him. His softer side is best displayed with his Morality Pets, his cat Hime and Taisei.
 * Taro is a mix of this and Nice Guy, as he's a pleasant, friendly and loyal person who has rage issues and is quite insane. He played this much straighter as a teen, being cold and agressive yet caring for his baby brother.
 * Also Genji, the cousin of the brothers, as he apologized (while Taro already left) to Taro after he tried to sponge off some money. Also, Word of Mad is that Genji would love to not be a raging dickhole to his family, but has no idea how not to be a raging dickhole to his family.
 * Angry Lady/ was introduced as a very rude woman, but that is more because of personal issues, and she does care about her sister and friends deeply.
 * Mura can be a dick to others (especially Yuudai), but is a softie with his family.
 * Michio and Kento are smug, brutally honest Trolls, but they can be nice and helpful to people they like.
 * Keet: Taisei, although he's rather tall.
 * Jan also qualifies.
 * Kick the Son of a Bitch: In the backstory, Jiro got rejected by a stuck-up bitch named Yuki. Cue Taro threatening and succeeding in throwing her down the stairs. You bet nobody bat an eye on that.
 * In fact, this is pretty common with Taro. True, he has a Hair-Trigger Temper that can border on Ax Crazy, but when said temper is provoked by things like Yuudai bullying his brother, Genji deliberately provoking him and acting hostile for no good reason; it's hard to blame him.
 * Much later, the Kusagawa twins throw Mura into a fish tank to get his hat, while Yuudai evilly watches. As mean-spirited as it is, Mura definitely had it coming.
 * Kindhearted Cat Lover: Yuudai, who has a cat called Hime which he loves very much, and who is pretty much his only friend.
 * Taisei likes them too! But then again, it's difficult to find something he doesn't like.
 * Knight of Cerebus: Both sides of the Big Bad Ensemble count. Nishimura and his cronies downplay this a bit since they have some funny moments that add some levity., on the other hand, is played dead seriously at all times, being the walking personification of Nightmare Fuel.
 * Living Emotional Crutch: The Sakana brothers towards each other, with good reason.
 * Hime is pretty much the main reason Yuudai hasn't lost his mind completely.
 * Jan tends to latch onto Shigeru, due to his struggle fitting in.
 * Loser Protagonist
 * Love At First Sight: More or less. was already smitten when he first saw, but his feelings were fully solidified when he showed him selfless kindness and treated him as his friend.
 * It can also apply to as well, as his crush on  took less than three days to be solidified.
 * Love Bubbles: "Cashier Girl" has them and sparkles in Jiro-Vision.
 * In chapter seven, a lovestruck Jiro is surrounded by gigantic roses and sparkles.
 * Love You and Everybody: Taisei, in contrast to Yuudai.
 * Loving a Shadow: This is the main reason why Taisei's previous relationships failed. The women he attracts are interested in his "serious salaryman" mask he puts at work, but once they learn of his cheerful and childlish true self, they dump him.
 * Luminescent Blush: Yuudai! Have some here, here, and, perhaps a more visible one due to it being coloured, here.
 * Not surprisingly, it happens to Jiro, too. In The Rant, Mad even hangs a lampshade on it, and on the aforementioned number of Luminescent Blushes Yuudai pulls off.
 * Mistaken for Gay: Yuudai thought Taisei was Jiro's boyfriend.
 * "Are you coming onto me?"
 * Nice Guy: So many people, but Taisei outshines them all.
 * Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Taro, of course.
 * No Name Given: Due to Jiro's shyness when it comes to girls, he hasn't got a chance to ask "cashier girl" for her name. This has developed into a Running Gag of sorts, since every time Jiro gets to talk to her, he always somehow fails to get her name.
 * No Sense of Personal Space: Taisei. The awkwardness level of it is especially high because he's so tall.
 * Not So Different: Jiro and Taro, despite being a Sibling Yin-Yang Red Oni, Blue Oni pair, have a few common traits, most notably being nice guys who are very protective of their loved ones and can turn terrifying |if pushed too far.
 * Oblivious to Love: Subverted.
 * Official Couple: Jiro and Cashier Girl/. are on the way to become this as well.
 * Oh Crap: Our three Date Peepers pull an epic one here.
 * Jiro also does this pretty frequently..
 * Orphan's Ordeal: The Sakana brothers' parents died long ago in a car crash, which was extremely traumatic for both of them. Even to this day, they're still very much affected by their absence.
 * Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Despite being the smallest character out of all the important characters introduced right now (5'4'' or 163 cm), Taro, former delinquent, is probably the most Badass and strong.
 * Plucky Girl: "Cashier Girl" sure has to be one when one of her jobs is training gigantic, feral-looking dogs for "companionship".
 * Recurring Extra: A guy with a cap with the phrase "THIS GUY" on it shows up frequently in the background. He seems to be a Chekhov's Gunman, because the artist revealed that he will have a bigger role in the future.
 * Relative Error: Taro confuses for a lesbian couple.  is not amused.
 * Rule 63: With official art provided by Mad herself, please enjoy Girlkana.
 * Running Gag: The brothers epically failing to get "cashier girl"'s name.
 * Taro being in awkward situations because of him being covered in blood or looking Ax Crazy due to his work as a butcher.
 * Scenery Porn: There are some rather neat and detailed drawn shots of parks, Harajuku and, of course, the Tsukiji Fish Market.
 * Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Many:
 * Brothers Jiro (sensitive) and Taro (manly).
 * Taisei (sensitive) and Yuudai (manly). Ironically enough,
 * Jan (sensitive) and Shigeru (manly).
 * Serious Business: Because he's a butcher, chopping up fish is Serious Business to Taro.
 * Shadow Archetype: Yuudai is what would happen if Jiro's issues and misfortunes were turned Up to Eleven and had nobody to pull him out of his misery, growing increasingly bitter and resentful as a result. Fittingly enough, Jiro is the one who helps Yuudai get his life back on track.
 * Yuudai has a shadow of his own in the form of
 * Ship Tease: Between Taro and Yuudai. No, really. Mad in general is very fond of this trope, both in-story and in extra materials.
 * Sibling Rivalry: Averted with his actual brother, but Taro has this with his cousin Genji. They were raised together, and they do not get along at all.
 * Sibling Yin-Yang: The Sakana brothers, Jiro and Taro. Jiro is the meek, reserved and shy younger brother while Taro is the passionate, thrill-seeking, extroverted older brother.
 * The Yamamoto sisters also fit this trope.
 * Also Taisei and his older brother Genkei. Later subverted, as Genkei proves he's just as intelligent and excitable as his brother, even sharing his trademark laugh.
 * Sickeningly Sweethearts: Jiro, in an attempt to eat on a cheap place in his date, accidentally goes to a place where everyone is this, which only furthers his embarrassment.
 * Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Cashier Girl/ is very much interested in Jiro, who is a very awkward but sweet guy. Jiro is very much this as well, as he likes her for her Nice Girl personality "Angry Lady"/ is also this, considering
 * Same-sex example: After shoves him with genuine kindness,  finds himself attracted to him in less than a day.
 * The Stoic: Shigeru is a pretty calm and cool dude.
 * And then there's Genkei, who is pretty much an Emotionless Boy.
 * Straight Gay:
 * Straw Loser: Don't tell him that, but is very obvious Yuudai is this for Jiro, whose lack of social graces are such he makes Jiro look like The Social Expert by comparison.
 * And he's still outdone when compared to Genji.
 * Strong Family Resemblance: Once he takes off his glasses, Genkei is pretty much identical to his younger brother Taisei.
 * Sugar and Ice Personality: Shigeru and Genkei.
 * Sweet Tooth: Yuudai likes donuts. And Pocky.
 * Talking in Your Sleep: A common thing for Taisei. He's also described as a "traveling sleeper", meaning he tends to roll around in his sleep, sometimes crushing or coming too close to his poor roommates by doing so.
 * Tall, Dark and Handsome: This seems to be Yuudai's type, as all fit the stereotype.
 * Thicker Than Water: Viciously deconstructed. It's Genji's exploit of this trope in his cousin feud that led to Taro's anger issues.
 * Tomboy and Girly Girl: Cashier Girl and Angry Lady, respectively, though they each have traits of the other.
 * Tranquil Fury: If there's something Jiro and Taro have in common, is that they show this trope when they're angry, and it's not a pretty sight.
 * Trapped by Gambling Debts: Heavily implied about Jiro and Taro's cousin Genji. And his dad Ren is getting sick of bailing him out, so he's gearing up to cut Genji off...
 * Tsundere: Yuudai is very tsun around his co-workers, and very dere around his cat. The moments where he actually shows his kind side to them are rare indeed. He is not a bad guy, though.
 * He is also notably flustered whenever Taisei invades Yuudai's normally well-protected comfort zone just by being friendly.
 * Tsunshun: Yuudai per Word of God. Also Angry Lady/.
 * Turn the Other Cheek: Jiro does this to Yuudai, which makes him confused.
 * Used to Be a Sweet Kid:
 * Taro zig-zags this trope. He used to be a nice child, grew into a japanese delinquent in his teens due to heavy personal trauma, and he has mellowed out into a Nice Guy as an adult, albeit one who can wreck shit if trifled with.
 * Played straight with Yuudai and "Angry Lady"/. Yuudai was still very quiet and antisocial, but nowhere near the angry mess he is now. "Angry Lady"/'s has become her own antithesis over the years. Of course, there's very good reasons behind their changes in attitude.
 * Inverted completely with "Cashier Girl"/. A far cry from the Nice Girl she is in the present.
 * Absolutely averted with . He was a disgusting asshole even as a child (though he obviously got worse as an adult)
 * Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: For a Slice of Life Romantic Comedy, Sakana has genuinely dark antagonists in its Big Bad Ensemble.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Taro and Yuudai, due to the latter's prickly personality. Later on, Yuudai becomes this with his former Sitcom Arch Nemesis Jiro (though "best buds" it's still a bit of a stretch)
 * Wham! Line: Ohoho. And what a Wham! Line it was.
 * Wham! Line: Ohoho. And what a Wham! Line it was.


 * X Marks the Hero: Subverted, while Yuudai is a main character, he's not really heroic (he would be a Byronic Hero at best).