Summary
- Peow2 will publish the 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 whether the character really qualifies as a transsexual protagonist.
- Despite controversy, Stop!! Hibari-Kun! remains an influential work in the manga field, paving the way for LGBTQ+ characters in the medium.
In 1981 Shonen Jump Hisashi Eguchi’s Stop it!! Hibari-kun!a romantic comedy that has caused considerable controversy over the years because of its queer main character. After four decades, there will finally be an official English version. At X and AnimeNYC, publisher Peow2 announced its intention to will publish an English edition of the historical manga in fall 2025.
Stop it!! Hibari-kun! is a romantic comedy whose title character was assigned male at birth but presents and behaves female. The manga follows her and a boy named Kosaku as they navigate everyday life, including Hibari’s yakuza father. It is considered a landmark for LGBTQ+ representation in manga. Its reach was also much wider, and even the most diehard anime fans tend to underestimate its profound influence on showstopper franchises like Dragon Ball.
Stop it!! Hibari-kun!The bold portrayal was a magnet for controversy
The queer classic has been causing a stir for decades
Transgender characters are historically underrepresented in the anime and manga world, and Hibari-kun! is a big exception. At the same time Hibari-kun! was controversial among anime and manga fans, and these controversies are resurfacing after Peow2 presented Hibari as the “OG trans protagonist.” Although Hibari is undoubtedly gender nonconforming, many fans still question whether she can properly be described as “transgender.” In addition, cultural constraints of the time led to Hibari-kun!The representation is limited and offensive to some.
Peow2’s next issue of Stop it!! Hibari-kun! is a great opportunity for Western fans to get to know this groundbreaking manga, which, despite the controversy surrounding it, has great historical significance for the medium.
Sources: @peowstudio (X)
