Sukeban Deka



A manga by Shinji Wada first published in 1976, Sukeban Deka subsequently entered the Japanese cultural meme pool. It was adapted as a live-action series in 1985, two subsequent feature films, and a 1992 OAV. A third feature film came out in 2006.

Our heroine, subsequently called "Saki Asamiya," is an incarcerated juvenile delinquent whose mother (in said OAV) is an incarcerated criminal herself. One day, "Saki" is recruited from prison by the government and is allowed freedom if she agrees to become an undercover cop for them. She complies, and with her Killer Yoyo, is sent to curb crime activity in high schools across the country.


 * Action Girl: Saki
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Remi Mizuchi; she seems to be the Ojou in Princess Curls, and seems like the White Sheep of the family compared to her Obviously Evil siblings. Then, in the OVA she suddenly leaps into full-fledged terrorism, and she becomes a major recurring villain in the manga.
 * Boxed Crook
 * Cameo: In the 2006 movie, Saki's mother is played by Yuki Saitô -- who played Saki in the 1985 TV series.
 * Delinquents
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": "Saki Asamiya" is her codename; her name before that wasn't given.
 * The Family That Slays Together: The Mizuchi family.
 * The Film of the Series: Three of them.
 * Good Eyes, Evil Eyes: The main villainess' pupils usually completely fill out her eyes (because, you know, she's beautiful and this is a shojo manga). But when her pupils narrow down to small little dots you know you should run for your life.
 * Heroic Lineage: A bit averted. Sure in the third movie, there is a delinquent Saki. But this time, her origins
 * Important Haircut: In the OAV, Saki rejects the advances of a classmate by saying that she hates guys with long hair. In response, the boy whips out a set of clippers and shaves himself bald right there in front of her. He doesn't graduate to love interest, but he does become one of Saki's allies.
 * In the Name of the Moon
 * Killer Yoyo: "Saki"'s trademark weapon; it's also her badge.
 * Legacy Character:
 * Saki in the 2006 movie is also the daughter of an earlier "yo-yo girl cop" (played by the actress who was Saki in the 1985 series, and implied to be the same character).
 * Live Action Adaptation
 * Missing Mom: For a few characters, but not Saki Asamiya IV.
 * Quirky Miniboss Squad: Ayumi Mizuchi's Four Devas.
 * Shout-Out: The recipient of so many in the years since its debut.
 * Shown Their Work: In the 2006 movie, Saki's mother lives in New York City.  There is an extremely brief scene where we see her in her apartment -- which looks exactly like a small, cheap NYC apartment would look, right down to the boxes of American cereal on her counter.
 * Teen Super Cop
 * This Is Unforgivable!: "Saki's" catchphrase is "Omaera, Yurusansezore!" (You Won't Be Forgiven!)