The Idiot From Osaka

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

In anime and manga, a comedy-relief character who is intended to be perceived as a foil for the protagonist will almost always be an idiot, may enjoy drinking and fighting, and will almost always speak with a Kansai Regional Accent instantly recognizable to native speakers of Japanese. (In North American dubs, a Kansai/Osaka accent is usually rendered as either a Deep South/Redneck accent or a heavy Brooklyn accent—the cultural connotations overlap sufficiently in either case that this works.)

How this stereotype arose is uncertain, but in anime it is not merely a trope but a cliche. This is, however, Truth in Television. Usually, when someone from Kansai comes to Tokyo, he adopts a Tokyo accent. Someone who insists on speaking Kansai in Tokyo will be looked at as if he were some sort of idiot.

Alternately, an Osakan character may be a jokester. This character may actually be quite intelligent, but presents to the world a comedic face.

Compare the Corrupt Hick.

Examples of The Idiot From Osaka include:

Anime and Manga

  • Sumiyoshi in Excel Saga. Compared to his roommates Watanabe and Iwata, however, he's the smartest of Excel's neighbors.
    • Unusually, his accent is rendered in English (in the translation of the manga) as a Geordie accent, which doesn't quite carry the same connotations (it's more associated with crudeness). Also, in the manga version of the story, he is not from Kansai proper, but instead is from Okayama prefecture (which is slightly to the west of the Kansai region).
    • If we want to be REALLY fair, Sumiyoshi is probably the most normal character in the entire series.
  • Sasshi in Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi.
    • Sasshi isn't just from Osaka—he lives in Osaka. When not hopping worlds back and forth, that is. He's still an idiot though.
  • Osaka (of course) in Azumanga Daioh. Her name isn't even Osaka; it's Ayumu Kasuga, but Tomo branded her with the nickname for being from Osaka. (Like Sakaki the Not Quite Tall, Dark and Bishoujo, however, the humor in Osaka's character lay in how she doesn't act like her required stereotype; she's still not exactly bright, but she's an earnest, daydreaming airhead, not a brash money-grubber. Osaka is often teased for not saying things that a stereotypical person from Osaka should say.)
    • She's actually quite smart when it comes to lateral thinking. In an episode when she was able to answer some punny riddles, they suggested that she become a teacher. So when she told the teacher that that was her chosen career, the teacher was offended that the other students thought she was stupid! Poor, poor Osaka...
    • This is a subverted trope, as Osaka isn't actually from Osaka- she was born in Wakayama, raised in Kobe and just lived in Osaka for a bit. Tomo, who doesn't know where Wakayama is, tells Ayumu to "just be Osaka".
      • She's from Osaka the same way you say you're from New York if you're from Queens. Un-subverted.
    • They even lampshade the naming in the show. She is actually listed in school under the name "Osaka", and laments that people keep viewing her that way.
  • Aiko Senoo in Ojamajo Doremi.
  • Kinnosuke from Itazura na Kiss.
  • Toji Suzuhara in Neon Genesis Evangelion.
  • Kyousuke Kawachi in Yakitate!! Japan. He is occasionally referred to simply as "Kansai-ben" ("Kansai dialect") and is at one point openly mocked as being a comical side character only good for being excessively shocked at every little surprise.
  • Sakura the kyuubi-fox in Hyper Police is both a trickster, since she is a kitsune, and moneygrubbing (homeless solely because it saves money). She also speaks with one of the thickest Kansei accents in anime. Even non-Japanese speakers can notice the accent.
  • Kero-chan in Cardcaptor Sakura, despite being an ancient magical guardian, speaks in an Osakan accent and has many of the mannerisms. Sakura points this out to him the first time they meet and he claims it is because the Clow book was left in an Osaka library for thirty years.
  • Ken-chan and Meirin in Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. The two even have a Lampshade Hanging moment over how great it is to meet other Kansai people, even though neither of them comes from our actual universe.
    • Later, Tamamonomae, who even has her Fan Nickname "Chichi kitsune" come from the Kansai dialect for breasts.
  • Played with in The Prince of Tennis. Kintarou Touyama is a very naive and over-imaginative Wild Child who's also an excellent tennis player with fearsome physical strength and enough charm to befriend almost everyone he meets up with. The kid can even lift up small motorcycles with his bare hands, for crying it loud!
    • On the other hand, this is subverted with the Oshitari cousins. Both Yuushi (from Hyoutei) and Kenya (from Shitenhouji, meaning he's Kintarou's sempai) are from the Kansai area... but they're fairly smart and more-or-less serious guys. Lampshaded when local Plucky Comic Relief Hikaru "Dabide" Amane tries to get Yuushi roped ino the typical Osaka humor routines with him, but Oshitari is VERY peeved. (Though it's highly likely that Yuushi was just playing along, as the tsukkomi to Dabide's bokke.)
      • And on the other other hand, Atobe does treat Yuushi as The Idiot From Osaka quite often (for instance, when he overheard Yuushi and Kenya getting into an extremely silly argument over the phone). In the spirit of fairness, other times Atobe turns around and acts as if he (grudgingly) respects Yuushi's intelligence.
    • Two of Kintarou's sempais, Data player Koharu Konjiki and his partner Yuuji Hitouji, actually use the "Osaka jokester" stereotype to their advantage in the courts; with their "Comedy Tennis" tactics, they manage to disrupt their rivals' concentration and get the upper hand.
  • Shizuma Kusanagi from Real Bout High School is a pompous, Hot-Blooded showboat and is actually a little dim... however, he's a Genius Ditz music virtuoso, being particularly talented at guitar and piano but capable of playing almost any instrument competently. And the fact that he's from Kansai only comes up once.
  • Subverted in Air Gear, in which the Trickster Mentor Sora Takeuchi, who speaks with a Kansai accent is revealed to be the Big Bad of the series. He was such a cool guy, too...
  • In Ranma ½. Ukyou Kuonji has the accent but few idiotic tendencies, rather being a Bifauxnen workaholic (itself a Kansai stereotype, but a different one) with possible Yandere tendencies.
  • Emishi Haruki, the "Fresh Blood Joker," in GetBackers. Also Natsuki Amon, who, it is explicitly mentioned. fakes an accent to come off as a cheerful buffoon.
  • Joker in Flame of Recca.
  • Benitora in Samurai Deeper Kyo.
    • Possibly a subversion, since he's both a great deal more serious than he initially appears and the son of the Shogun; at this point in history, the Japanese formal capital was in Kyoto, which is located in the Kansai region. It's entirely possible he was raised there and plays up the accent just to annoy his dad.
  • Kitsune, from Love Hina, who is almost never seen without her booze.
    • Except at one point, where it is replaced with vinegar. She isn't pleased.
  • Arisugawa Sorata in X 1999.
  • Sakuya Aizawa from Hayate the Combat Butler, who sees life as one huge Boke and Tsukkomi Routine.
  • Partially subverted in Detective Conan by Osaka detective Heiji Hattori, who is just as brilliant as the Tokyo-dwelling main character, and also has a number of special skills, such as swordfighting skill. He's also portrayed as a lot more amiable and prone to perpetrate practical jokes than the main character, though he is oftentimes a very serious character.
    • Even so, Hattori and his prospect girlfriend Kazuha are BOTH prone to occasional fits of stereotypical Osakan obnoxiousness.
  • Yurika Doujima from Witch Hunter Robin. She comes into work late, leaves early, and generally acts like a complete goof-off. Subverted a bit in that it's later revealed to be mostly Obfuscating Stupidity—she is capable of acting competently when the situation requires it.
  • Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi.
  • Caldina, the sexy Cool Big Sis and illusionist from Magic Knight Rayearth, speaks in an Osaka accent.
  • Maido-kun/Howdy from Hamtaro.
  • The brash and talkative Naniwa Tiger Takeshi Sendo from Hajime no Ippo. He boxes because he loves to fight strong men, and used to be a gang leader in high school. His grandmother's nickname for him is "idiot". He speaks in an Osaka accent.
    • Well, he is from Osaka.
  • Browning in Transformers: Super-God Masterforce, comedic mascot.
  • Thrust and Dirge in Beast Wars II, a comedy duo. Also Diver.
  • Gusher (Slapper) in Transformers: Robots in Disguise
  • Shuichi Nakatsu from Hana Kimi.
    • And also his garishly dressed mother who is absolute comic relief.
  • The Osaka team in Gantz takes the "idiot" in the trope title literally. Almost all of them are Ax Crazy Trigger Happy bastards, and their complete lack of Team Spirit gets them brutally slaughtered.
  • Takane Katsu and the other Osakan characters in Burst Angel. A southern accent is used for the English dub.
  • Tadao Yokoshima in Ghost Sweeper Mikami.
  • Spain from Axis Powers Hetalia speaks and acts like this. Although, he's definitely not from Osaka.
    • And actually averted with the guy who represents the Osaka prefecture, who is kind of a keet but not an idiot.
  • Subverted in Lovely Complex, where EVERYBODY has a Kansai accent.
  • Kina from Wife and Wife, while having the Kansai accent, subverts this by being rather insightful at times, but also quite devious in her knowledge of how to push her partner Sumi's buttons.
  • Yaiba: Spiderman is a living parody of Osaka people: Kansai Regional Accent ? Check! Very Greedy and materialistic? Check! Likes a lot Takoyaki?. Check!.
  • Tsubame from Ai Kora.
  • In Death Note Misa Amane is from Kansai.
  • Erika from Ginga e Kickoff!! is from Osaka, and proud of it. She's a loud Tomboy and a natural comedian.

Film

Live-Action TV

  • In Kamen Rider Kiva, the boisterous rockstar wannabe Eritate Kengo fits this trope to a T, until midseason when it is revealed that he was always a Tokyo native, taking on the Kansai accent to come across as more personable. He also goes through a major attitude overhaul at this point, losing the accent and the hair and shifting to full Badass gear.
  • Kintaros from Kamen Rider Den-O isn't actually from Osaka, but speaks the dialect. And while he's not an idiot, he is kind of The Ditz; in his spotlight story arc, his contractor wanted to become the best karate-ka he could, so Kintaros trained his body...with Sumo. And didn't realize it until a couple of preteen boys told him.

Music

  • Kanjani8, a boyband devoted to the stereotype.

Video Games

  • Oosawagi Natsumi in Ace Attorney (Lotta Hart in the localization) is a firey tabloid photographer. Reportedly she was so much of an Osaka stereotype that one of the Osaka-born staff members took mild offense to her. In the localization she is from 'The Heartland' and speaks with an appropriate accent.
    • Natsumi/Lotta often outright admits the fact that she is the walking emodiment of this trope and always fiercely tries to defend her homeland and de-power the stereotype by claiming that she was the only one who really fits the trope in Osaka/Rural America.
  • In Mega Man Battle Network 3, Tora is so painfully stereotypically Osakan (despite being a literal, but not figurative, Chessmaster) it even bleeds through into the English version of the game, even without any of the usual conventions of rendering a Kansai dialect.
  • In a meta-example, some of the character's behavior in the Generation II Pokémon games becomes somewhat amusing when you remember that Johto is Kansai.
    • Whitney has an Osaka accent in the Japanese version and, though she's not an idiot per se, she is a Genki Girl.
  • Li Kohran, from Sakura Wars. Despite being of Chinese descent, she speaks in an Osakan accent, probably being raised there. An idiot mechanical genius who is prone to having her creations blow up in her face. In one episode of the OVAs, she even threw in a random "What the heck" just for the Osakan reference.
  • Rika from Inazuma Eleven may count, consider her Stalker with a Crush trat on Ishinose Kazuya.
  • In the Japanese version of Sonic Rush Adventure, Marine The Racoon is definitely this trope. In the English version, she has an Australian accent. Since Sonic Team is based in the United States, we may never know which was adapted from which.

Web Comics

  • Mentioned in Gai-Gin when Gin is planning to meet some netfriends in Osaka. According to her sources they talk with a weird dialect and "Oh yeah, they are all completely insane." When we meet him, though, the Kansai-born Pyon is perfectly intelligent and nice, despite a childish sense of humour (he takes delight in learning the meaning of the English word "boogers").


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