The story begins as a handgun shootout rages between two pilots from opposing countries that have been shot down and forced to land in a wasteland near the Himalayan Mountains. As they continue firing at one another, they notice the sudden appearance of a tiger carrying a human baby in its jaws. The two agree to a truce while they rescue the baby. After the tiger is dispatched the two make a gentleman’s agreement that whoever survives the shootout will look after the baby, and resume their conflict. In the end, the Japanese soldier prevails, but when he collects the baby, he is surprised to find it has a massive tail. Naming the baby Rikiya, or “Ricky” for short, he is brought back to Tokyo and raised as a human being, despite being one of the “Zero Men” – an advanced underground civilization of squirrel-like beings that live under the Himalayas. (Source:Tezuka in English)

Fujio Akatsuka's most popular work, serialized in Shounen Sunday and other magazines! The six children, Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Choromatsu, Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu, along with Chibita, Iyami, Hatabou, and many other unique characters, all cry and laugh together! This series helped establish Akatsuka's reputation as a gag comic artist, long before his other popular manga, Tensai Bakabon. Osomatsu-kun has appeared in numerous special issues of Shounen Sunday. Akatsuka has also included several manga adaptations of routines from Charlie Chaplin movies in the series. ***Note:** Won the 10th Shogakukan Manga Award in 1964.*

*Note: Volume six includes the one-shots Seibu Nagaya Ninbetsu-chou (西部長屋人別帖), and Dai Samurai-den (大サムライ伝)*

In this short series by the master Matsumoto Leiji, we have the tale of Eve, a beautiful woman who has literally fallen to Earth in her spacecraft. Where did she come from, and why is she here?