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1[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lady_red_7.png]]
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3''Lady Red'' is a short 3-page oneshot manga done by Creator/AkiraToriyama, published in Super Jump in 1987.
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5The comic is a dark parody of western comics, even being done left to right instead of the usual right to left most manga are known for, with a former office assistant who turns into a superhero in order to help fight crime in her city, but she is also penniless.
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7The manga is quite controversial among fans of Akira Toriyama due to the BlackComedy it contains, with many calling it sexist. The manga has been reprinted in the second of the ''Akira Toriyama Exhibition books'' and also the ''Toriyama Grand Feast collection volume 1'', a collection of Toriyama's short works.
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9!! Tropes presented in the story
10* TheBadGuyWins: The robber steals the purse, rapes the heroine, and gets away scott free.
11* BlackComedyRape: The punchline. Due to breaking her car, Lady Red asks a taxi to follow a robber in question, but since she has no money she ends up paying the taxi driver in sex. When she ends up arriving to the robber's hideout, the robber thinks nothing of her and just ends up raping her, and later paying her as a hooker. Since she is penniless, Lady Red decides to give up her life as a vigilante and instead turn to a hooker.
12* DeconstructiveParody: Of {{superhero}} comics, with the comic even mirroring the way western comics are read. It predates comics like ''ComicBook/KickAss'' in this regard, by pointing out vigilantism isn't very fancy for women, who are more likely of getting assaulted.
13* InsaneTrollLogic: Lady Red expected the taxi driver to not want money for helping an "ally of justice".
14* KarmaHoudini: Neither the robber nor the taxi driver are punished for raping Lady Red, and in the robber's case, stealing a purse.
15* LadyInRed: While she didn't intend to get involved in sex, Lady Red ''does'' wear red and end up getting raped before becoming a hooker.
16* LoserProtagonist: Lady Red gets raped twice and ends up being reduced to a prostitute in the span of three pages.
17* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: We never learn Lady Red's true name.
18* PrimaryColorChampion: Lady Red wears red and yellow.
19* RedIsHeroic: Lady Red obviously thinks so considering the superhero name she gave herself along with the red in her costume.
20* ReusedCharacterDesign:
21** The robber has a striking resemblance to the popular World Tournament Announcer from ''Manga/DragonBall''.
22** Angela, a {{Filler}} character from the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' anime, looks practically identical to Lady Red herself. Jury's out on whether the anime staff found "inspiration" in the character or not. But since many minor characters in the Great Saiyaman episodes feature a lot of Toriyama's various one-shot characters, it's most likely intentional.

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