THE END OF $4.50 except not really I’m too lazy to turn it off (Mine Yoshizaki Keroro Fan Club Q&A Translations June 2026/FINALE)
Here it is—the final Yoshizaki Q&A installment! So did he answer any burning questions to end this year-long campaign off with a bang? Well, I’ll tell you now he didn’t pick any of the ones I/you asked, but hey we tried. On the bright side, it’s a double-length session! Let’s get right to it, one last time.
Q: We know each member of the Keroro Platoon has a distinctive personality, but do Keronians have blood types to match? Just curious!
A: I’ve considered what their blood types might be before, but the longer I thought about it, graphic imagery started popping into my head, so I decided to stop thinking about it.
Q: If Zeroro-kun hadn’t met Keroro-kun and Giroro-kun and never joined the Keron Army, what kind of work would he have done with his life?
A: His job probably would’ve been something painfully average but suitably peaceful—he would’ve lived the complete opposite life of an assassin.
Q: Who has more combat prowess, Corporal Giroro or Lance Corporal Dororo?
A: In terms of physical fitness, it’s Dororo for sure, but Giroro is hiding a disconcerting amount of power deep inside, so I think there’s a chance he could turn the tables.
Q: Why do Keroro and the other [aliens] call Earth “Pokopen (Pekopon)”?
A: Because you gave me a good opportunity to do so, I’m gonna answer with a meta tidbit. In my generation, “Pokopen” was what we’d say during kick the can, a yard game like hide-and-seek. I’d hear it in different places when I was a kid, such as during school breaks, after school, and in the park in the evening. I wanted to use a word in the series that even people older than me, like my grandmother, would be familiar with. I’ve incorporated various things I’ve seen and experienced during my childhood into Keroro Gunso.
[Jumping in with some commentary because I know what you’re thinking about this answer, and yes, even with the most charitable interpretation I also find it a little hard to believe he had no idea about the implications of having his mid-1900s Japanese army-styled characters say that, and even if somehow he didn’t know at first, he certainly knows now because of the anime. But I think it’s more lying by omission than entirely making stuff up because the word actually was mostly associated with children’s yard games around the 70s-80s when Yoshizaki was young. I also couldn’t find an exact year the word was banned from broadcast television (most research in Japanese on the topic brings up people asking because of Keroro…although the term was also infamously used by Piccolo in Dragon Ball). Still, I would take him with a grain of salt here…]
Q: Keronians’ bodies change over the course of their lives from tadpole stage (name TBD) to chibi kero stage (name TBD) to adult stage, but what at what time do these changes generally occur? Also, how do they spend their days during the tadpole stage (name TBD)?
A: What goes on when they’re an egg or a tadpole is still a mystery even to me. As for the timing of their physiological changes, I think it differs vastly between individuals.
[I believe I speculated on this before! Feeling vindicated >:3]
Q: Zoruru’s left side (at least up to his eyes) appears to be covered with iron(?). How did that happen?
A: I don’t believe it’s a battle scar or anything. It’s still unclear whether the cause was external or internal. I designed him with the idea of it looking like a botched Demonic Arts transformation.
Q: What moment made you become a manga artist?
A: The first place I ever learned about manga was at a rental library, which is a kind of place that doesn’t really exist anymore. From the moment I saw my first volume of manga—Volume 2 of Doraemon—I realized I had no choice but to become a manga artist. I was in second grade at the time.
Q: In the series, the Keroro Platoon wears various outfits, such as the earthling suits. Do you have favorite outfits for each of them or prefer particular styles?
A: They don’t dress up [in the manga] as much as they do in the anime, but manga Keroro and crew do at time have attire prepared for raising morale during operations. I like them all, but I take care not to make the Keronian silhouettes unrecognizable.
Q: Was there ever a particular moment when you realized your artstyle had become established?
A: As a kid, I did a lot of drawing by copying, and I didn’t have much confidence in my own artwork. Even after I made my official debut [as a manga artist], I just kept drawing without thinking much of it. But at some point while I was making a manga called Arcade Gamer Fubuki, I suddenly became able to draw in a way that made me go, “I think this is it?” It’s been a very long time since then. I think this is a worry that every artist has, but I believe that if you just keep drawing, that same realization will hit you someday.
Q: As I improve as an artist, I’ve started to feel there’s a certain charm in my old drawings that look kind of crappy but had a lot of effort put into them despite their defects. I tend to think things like, “Where do I want to end up? Is there even an end point in the first place?” These are hard questions, so I imagine there’s a Keroro in my head saying, “As long as you have fun drawing, that’s all that matters!” Sorry this hasn’t been much of a question so far. I just want to know your mindset about drawing ♪
A: I completely agree with what Keroro says! But if a part of your brain is thinking “I wish people would praise my art a bit more,” it’s not a bad idea to try to push yourself a little harder.
Q: How are aliens besides the Keroro Platoon faring in the unusual heat we’ve been having these last few years? I’m especially curious if 556 and Lavie-chan’s secondhand AC is working again. Commodities are also expensive, so I’m worried that Lavie-chan might not be eating properly.
A: I’m worried about those two myself. During the intensely hot seasons of recent years, I’ve thought several times about showing what it’s like in 556’s apartment, but I keep putting it off because it might feel like it doesn’t belong in a gag manga. I figure a bunch of alien species who have been in hiding on Earth might have left because of the heat, which makes me a bit sad.
Q: Do Keronians share their body colors with one of their parents, or do they perhaps inherit a different color that’s close to it?
A: It is inherited. But I think bloodlines among Keronians work differently than those of Earth creatures.
Q: I know Chief Nurse Pururu was childhood friends with Keroro, Giroro, and Dororo, but she still has a tail like how young Keronians do. Why is that?
A: I think it works the same way as it does with Saiyans. If anything, I’d like to make sure that females don’t lose that mark for their whole lives. Oh? I’ve already drawn Keroro’s mother like that, haven’t I…? Oops…
Q: And finally, please give a closing comment for your readers!!
A: Thank you so much for sending in so many questions. There were enough pointed and deep questions to make me flinch even as the author, so I kind of regret being so cavalier about accepting this Q&A project…just kidding! I answered your questions in a very careful way that wouldn’t disrupt how you all see Keroro and wouldn’t give any big spoilers. I hope you all enjoyed reading. I’m so very grateful that there are this many people who think deeply about Keroro Gunso even after it’s gone on so long. This is the end of the Q&A for now, but it may come back again someday. Let’s meet again when that time comes. See ya, everyone! Yes, sir! -Mine Yoshizaki
That’s all, folks! What did you think of the project as a whole? As I’ve said, I don’t quite believe that every answer Yoshizaki gave is perfectly truthful (whether intentionally or not—it’s been over 25 years), but we did learn some interesting insights and fun trivia along the way, so I’m glad he went out of his way to do this.
I’ve decided I maybe don’t want to single out my followers especially since he ended up not answering any of the questions I submitted anyway, unless you guys really want to know… But I will say the one I came up with myself, which was asking which Keroro x other IP collab out of the many there have been over the years had the most impact on him. I can see why he didn’t answer that one, but I’m kinda surprised more people didn’t ask it! (My overall most burning question was actually answered quite early on coincidentally, and my other most burning question was asked by someone else on the Fan Club app but was not answered.)
Thanks to everyone who enjoyed this little project along with me! I had fun translating for you all. I was joking about canceling the fan club subscription, but they really don’t have that many perks that benefit me now that this campaign is over, so if they’re going to keep the fan club running at least until the reboot is finished airing, I hope they come up with something new soon. Like I said at the beginning of this though, I unfortunately won’t be sharing sharing any images of exclusive artwork and such online at least as long as the domestic audience can still access it legally (might be a different story if the app ever goes down/the content gets wiped). I already kinda broke the rules with this, but translations aren’t exact original text, so it’s a fine line…
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