History Manga / StrongestLegendKurosawa

%%* SomethingCompletelyDifferent

* ShoutOut: To ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' and ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', among others. Also, see MeaningfulName above for another possible reference.

* FunnyAfro: Used as part of a disguise for Kurosawa when he starts being harassed by teenagers.

Not to be confused with ''Manga/OnaniMasterKurosawa'' or Creator/AkiraKurosawa, although the title might be a reference to the latter.

* BatterUp - Shizuka encourages the other delinquents to hit poor Kurosawa on the head with a baseball bat. They hesitate at first (since this could very well kill him), but [[TeensAreMonsters attack him anyway once she offers a one-night stand to whoever does it.]]

* BittersweetEnding:[[spoiler:Kurosawa finally does a genuinely good deed and manages to make people thankful... but it cost him his life. [[http://mew5.com/b/2008/11/post_98.html Although, Fukumoto has confirmed that Kurosawa is alive]], making the ending less bitter.]]
** [[spoiler:The sequel manga reveals that he spent eight years in a coma, cared for from his former tormentor (now a doctor wishing to use Kurosawa as a tool to gain a career advance) and, weakened in his body and resolve, lost his job becoming a neglected homeless. However, as he did in the past, he's now forging new friendships among the homeless community, fighting his hardships and improving his new, meager lifestyle.]]

* ComingOfAgeStory: Of the Late Bloomer variant.

* FanDisservice: Happens occasionally.
* FireForgedFriends / DefeatMeansFriendship: Nakane and Kurosawa.

** JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Kurosawa. He's a good person, just very awkward; he often comes across as rude if not downright frightening because of it.

* RousingSpeech

* AffectionateParody - At one point, Kurosawa gets asked if he is a virgin. Cue awkward silence and Fukumoto's iconic UnsoundEffect "zawa, zawa" appearing in the background.
* AuthorAvatar - ''Possibly'' the main character, to some extent anyway. It's not hard to imagine that Fukumoto has dealt with loneliness himself after reading this manga. And they have the same birthday!

* {{Beergasm}} - Asai has one during worktime.
* [[spoiler:BittersweetEnding]] - [[spoiler:Kurosawa finally does a genuinely good deed and manages to make people thankful... but it cost him his life. [[http://mew5.com/b/2008/11/post_98.html Although, Fukumoto has confirmed that Kurosawa is alive]], making the ending less bitter.]]
* ButtMonkey - Poor, poor Kurosawa...
* CharacterDevelopment
* ComingOfAgeStory - Of the Late Bloomer variant.
* CringeComedy
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife
* DirtyOldMan - One of Kurosawa's older co-workers finds [[PantyShot panty shots]] "uplifting".
* FaceOfAThug - One of the reasons that Kurosawa is alienated from others, combined with his awkwardness. Nakane has this as well, but it's played with: he might look terrifying, but [[UglyGuyHotWife is always surrounded by beautiful women]] [[spoiler: because he's smart, friendly and fun. Doesn't hurt that he's rich, too.]]
* FanDisservice - Happens occasionally.
* FireForgedFriends / DefeatMeansFriendship - Nakane and Kurosawa.
* FunnyAfro - Used as part of a disguise for Kurosawa when he starts being harassed by teenagers.
* GagNose - Just look at the image. Even by Fukumoto standards, it's strange.
* GoodIsDumb
* HopeSpot
* IJustWantToBeSpecial
* JapaneseDelinquents
* JerkAss - Most teenagers, but ''especially'' Shizuka.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold - Kurosawa. He's a good person, just very awkward; he often comes across as rude if not downright frightening because of it.
* LanternJawOfJustice
* ManChild - Asai is old enough to work and drink alcohol, but also collects toys from [[BlandNameProduct WcDonald's]] and likes video games.
* ManlyTears
* MeaningfulName - The name might be a reference to Creator/AkiraKurosawa, since the main character is compared to a samurai more than once.
* MoodWhiplash - The manga frequently shifts between funny and sad and there will be times when you don't know how to feel.
* [[spoiler:MyLifeFlashedBeforeMyEyes]] - [[spoiler:Before (supposedly) dying in the end, Kurosawa sees himself as a kid bullying ants. [[TearJerker His adult self cheers the ant on and calls it a brave warrior, asking himself if he's as admirable as it]].]]
* [[spoiler:NotQuiteDead]] - [[spoiler:WordOfGod confirms that Kurosawa is still alive. See the link below the BittersweetEnding entry.]]
** [[spoiler:FateWorseThanDeath. Kurosawa didn't die. However, according to the sequel manga, he spent eight years in a coma, cared for from his former tormentor (now a doctor wishing to use Kurosawa as a tool to gain a career advance) and, weakened in his body and resolve, [[lost his job becoming a neglected homeless]] ]]
** [[spoiler:HopeSpot. As he did in the past, he's now forging new friendships among the homeless community, fighting his hardships and improving his new, meager lifestyle.]]

* {{Seinen}}
* ShoutOut - To ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' and ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', among others. Also, see MeaningfulName above for another possible reference.
* SliceOfLife
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent
* TeensAreMonsters - They even get compared to animals at one point.
* ThisLoserIsYou
* WidgetSeries - It's...weird. [[http://outofcontextfkmt.tumblr.com/tagged/Legend-of-the-Strongest-Man-Kurosawa This tumblr dedicated to out-of-context panels from Fukumoto manga]] will give you an inkling.

* BlondeGuysAreEvil - Nakane, unless you get on his good side.

Not to be confused with ''OnaniMasterKurosawa'' or Creator/AkiraKurosawa, although the title might be a reference to the latter.

''Strongest Legend Kurosawa '' (''Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa'') is a 2003 manga by Nobuyuki Fukumoto, the man behind ''{{Akagi}}'', ''{{Kaiji}}'' and several others. No, it's not about gambling. Despite that, it's generally seen as one of his best works because of how powerful and philosophical it is. Recently, the main character [[TheCameo appeared briefly]] in the opening video to the second season of ''Kaiji''.

* ShoutOut - To ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', ''DetectiveConan'' and ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', among others. Also, see MeaningfulName above for another possible reference.

The story is about Kurosawa, a man in his fourties who works for a construction company. He is single and experiencing a midlife crisis. All he wants is respect from his co-workers, but things never seem to go the way he wants them to... And one day he has to worry about violent teenagers following him.

* ShoutOut - To ''Anime/HowlsMovingCastle'', ''DetectiveConan'' and ''{{Batman}}'', among others. Also, see MeaningfulName above for another possible reference.

* TeensAreMonsters - Very much so. They even get compared to animals at one point.

* WidgetSeries - It's...weird. [[http://outofcontextfkmt.tumblr.com/ This tumblr dedicated to out-of-context panels]] will give you an inkling.

* ThisLoserIsYou

* AdultChild - Asai is old enough to work and drink alcohol, but also collects toys from [[BlandNameProduct WcDonald's]] and likes video games.

* ThisLoserIsYou
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome

* ShoutOut - To ''Film/HowlsMovingCastle'', ''DetectiveConan'' and ''{{Batman}}'', among others. Also, see MeaningfulName above for another possible reference.

Not to be confused with ''OnaniMasterKurosawa'' or AkiraKurosawa, although the title might be a reference to the latter.

* MeaningfulName - The name might be a reference to AkiraKurosawa, since the main character is compared to a samurai more than once.