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Doraemon
ドラえもん (Doraemon)
Demographic	Kodomo
Genre	Comedy
Manga
Author	Fujiko F. Fujio
Publisher	Shogakukan NXB Kim Đồng Daiwon C.I. Jilin Fine Arts Press Tora Aman Elex Media Komputindo Nation Edutainment Kana
Serialized in	(various Shogakukan's kids magazines)
Original run	December 1969 – 1996
Volumes	45
TV anime
Director	Tsutomu Shibayama
Studio	Shin-ei Animation90
Network	TV Asahi
Other networks: Rede Manchete CCTV-1 Canal 13 (1983-1988), Chilevisión (2000) TVB Hungama TV RCTI ChampTV, AnioneTV Ntv7, RTM 1, TV9 GMA Network Canal Panda Channel 8 TV3, Canal Panda, Boomerang CTS MCOT
Original run	April 2, 1979 – Present
Episodes	Original: (596) Current: 1095
Related works
The Doraemons Dorabase Kiteretsu Daihyakka

Doraemon (ドラえもん, Doraemon^?) is a Japanese manga series created by Fujiko F. Fujio (the pen name of Hiroshi Fujimoto) which later became an anime series and Asian franchise. The series is about a robotic cat named Doraemon, who travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a schoolboy, Nobita Nobi. The series first appeared in December 1969, when it was published simultaneously in six different magazines. In total, 1,344 stories were created in the original series, which are published by Shogakukan under the Tentōmushi (てんとう虫, Tentōmushi^?) manga brand, extending to forty-five volumes. The volumes are collected in the Takaoka Central Library in Toyama, Japan, where Fujio was born.

Doraemon was awarded the first Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga in 1982, and the first Osamu Tezuka Culture Award in 1997.

In Vietnam, Doraemon has become the series with largest amount of publishing to date (totally 40 million) and is continually printed and released^[1].

History

In December 1969, the Doraemon manga appeared simultaneously in six different children's monthly magazines. The magazines were titled by the year of children's studies, which included Yoiko (good children), Yōchien (nursery school), and Shogaku Ichinensei (first grade) to Shogaku Yonnensei (fourth grade). By 1973, the series began to appear in two more magazines, Shogaku Gonensei (fifth grade) and Shogaku Rokunensei (sixth grade). The stories featured in each of the magazines were different, meaning the author was originally creating more than six stories each month. In 1977, CoroCoro Comic was launched as a magazine of Doraemon. Original manga based on the Doraemon movies were also released in CoroCoro Comic. The stories which are preserved under the Tentōmushi brand are the stories found in these magazines.

Since the debut of Doraemon in 1969, the stories have been selectively collected into forty-five books published from 1974 to 1996, which had a circulation of over 80 million in 1992. In addition, Doraemon has appeared in a variety of manga series by Shōgakukan. In 2005, Shōgakukan published a series of five more manga volumes under the title Doraemon+ (Doraemon Plus), which were not found in the forty-five Tentōmushi volumes.

Plot summary

The first appearance of Doraemon, via the time machine.

Doraemon is sent back in time by Nobita Nobi's great-great grandson Sewashi to improve Nobita's circumstances so that his descendants may enjoy a better future. In the original timeline, Nobita's failures in school and subsequently, his career, have left his family line beset with financial problems.

The stories are formulaic, usually focused on the everyday struggles of fourth grader Nobita, the protagonist of the story. In a typical chapter, Nobita comes home crying about a problem he faces in school or the local neighborhood. After Nobita's pleading or goading, Doraemon produces a futuristic gadget to help Nobita fix his problem, enact revenge, or flaunt to his friends.

Nobita usually goes too far, despite Doraemon's best intentions, and gets into deeper trouble than before. Sometimes, Nobita's friends (usually Suneo or Jaian) steal the gadgets and end up misusing them. However, by the end of the story, there is usually retribution to the characters who end up misusing them, and a moral lesson is taught.

Characters

Main characters

Fujiko's friends say that every main character represents elementary school student archetypes Fujiko noticed in his own school days.

Doraemon (ドラえもん, Doraemon^?)

Doraemon is the robotic cat sent back in time by Sewashi to aid Nobita. He possesses a fourth-dimensional pocket from which he can produce all manner of futuristic tools, gadgets, and playthings from a future department store. Doraemon originally had ears but they were bitten off by a robotic mouse in the 22nd century. As a result, he developed a morbid fear of mice despite being a robotic cat. He also has the tendency to panic during emergencies, characterized by him frantically trying to pull out a very much-needed tool from his pocket, only to produce a huge assortment of unrelated household items.

Doraemon's physical appearance changed as the manga progressed. At first, he was predominantly blue, with a blue tail, a white stomach, and flesh-coloured hands and feet. He also stooped, and had a body much larger than his head. In later issues, he sported a smaller body, white hands and feet, and a red tail--the appearance most identify him with today.

In "The Doraemons" story arc, it is revealed that Doraemon's original paint color was yellow. After getting his ears gnawed off by a robot mouse, he slipped into depression on top of a tower, where he drank a potion labeled "sadness". As he wept, the yellow color washed off and his voice changed due to the potion.

Doraemon weighs 129.3 kg (285 lbs) and measures at 129.3 cm (4'3") tall. He is able to run at 129.3 km/h (80.3 mi/h) when scared and jump 129.3 m (424.2 ft) when threatened. He is manufactured on September 3, 2112 (12/9/3), at the Matsushiba Robot Factory (マツシバロボット工場, Matsushiba Robot Factory^?). Doraemon is considered a failed product because many of his robotic features (ie. radar whiskers and cat-calling bell) malfunctioned after production.

Doraemon's favourite food is dorayaki (どら焼き, dorayaki^?), a Japanese treat filled with red bean paste. Speculations led to dorayaki being the origin of his name. However, it was revealed in one of the manga chapters that his name originates from the Japanese word for "stray cat", dora neko, and the -emon ending which is part of traditional Japanese names, as seen also in, for example, Ishikawa Goemon.

Nobita Nobi (野比 のび太, Nobi Nobita^?)

Nobita is the other major character of the series. He is a fourth grader^[2] in Tokyo's Nerima and an only child. He wears glasses, a red or yellow polo shirt with a white collar, and blue shorts. Nobita's character flaws are endless: he is lazy, uncoordinated, dim-witted, frail, plain-looking, unlucky, and bad at sports. Nobita's typical day consists of arriving late to class, scoring zeros on his exam, getting lectured by his teacher, being bullied by classmates Jaian and Suneo, falling into curbside rain gutters, being chased by dogs, and getting yelled at by his mom for refusing to do his homework. However, his everyday struggles are what drive the storyline.

Despite his flaws, Nobita does possess unique talents such as his unrivaled marksmanship and ability to weave intricate string figures. Although Nobita is frequently portrayed as being cowardly, he has a strong sense of justice and will often risk his life to help save others or even entire civilizations (as seen in full-length stories).

Shizuka Minamoto (源 静香, Minamoto Shizuka^?)

Shizuka, usually called Shizu-chan or Shizuka-chan, is the smart, kind, and pretty neighborhood girl who is the object of Nobita's affections. She takes baths several times a day. Somehow, Nobita always seem to unintentionally walk in on her (via the Dokodemo Door) while she is still in the bathtub. She is also known for taking piano lessons unwillingly, which is sometimes used as an excuse for declining to hang out with Nobita. Her true passions are sweet potatoes and the violin, in which her playing is as atrocious as Gian's singing. Due to Doraemon's intervention, Shizuka becomes Nobita's wife in the future timeline.

Takeshi Goda (剛田 武, Gōda Takeshi^?)

Takeshi, usually known by the nickname Gian (ジャイアン, Jaian^?) (Giant), is the big, strong, and quick-tempered local bully. His nickname may be derived from giant. He is known for his confidence in his terrible singing voice. He regularly subjects the neighborhood children to horrendous singing recitals, which is sometimes combined with his equally bad homemade dinner. Several of the stories revolve around Nobita and his friends' efforts to avoid Gian's concerts.

He also frequently steals other children's toys and books under the pretext of "borrowing" them, unless the toy is damaged. However, he still has a strong sense of comradeship, and will not hesitate to help Nobita and his friends when they are in real trouble, which often occurs in the movies. Although he bullies the other children (mostly Nobita), he is terrified of his mother, who runs the local grocery store. He founded his own baseball team named after himself. Although Nobita is often blamed for the losses against the baseball team's rival, the "Tyranos", Gian and Suneo still force Nobita to play because they do not have enough players.

Gian has a younger sister named Jaiko, whom he adores.

Suneo Honekawa (骨川 スネ夫, Honekawa Suneo^?)

Suneo is the fox-faced rich kid who loves to flaunt his material wealth before everyone. He is often seen with Gian, serving as Gian's lackey while they bully Nobita together. Some of the stories start with Suneo showing off some new video game or toy which evokes Nobita's envy. He has an extensive knowledge of science, and is a talented artist and designer. He also has a younger brother Sunetsugu (スネツグ, Sunetsugu^?), who was adopted into his uncle's family in New York.

In some scenes, Suneo is seen as a narcissist who loves to stare at himself in the mirror while telling himself that he is the most handsome guy in the world. He is still a bed-wetter and needs to wear diapers when he sleeps, despite being in the fourth grade. He considers this humiliating habit his secret weakness. Suneo is also very self-conscious about his height, being the shortest kid in his class.

Minor characters

Jaiko (ジャイ子, Jaiko^?)

Jaiko is Gian's younger sister who would have been Nobita's wife in the future had Doraemon not intervened. She appears in the very first chapter of the manga, even before the introduction of Gian. Her name Jaiko is usually considered a nickname, but Fujiko never gave her a real name. An aspiring mangaka, Jaiko goes by her amateur mangaka pen name Christine Goda (クリスチーネ 剛田, Kurisuchīne Gōda^?), and sometimes submits her mangas to publishing companies for prizes.

Hidetoshi Dekisugi (出木杉 英才, Dekisugi Hidetoshi^?)

Hidetoshi is Nobita's classmate and rival for Shizuka's affections. He always gets perfect scores on his tests, but never shows off his abilities. He willingly helps Nobita whenever he has philosophical or scientific questions. His name literally means "brilliant over-achiever", and his last name is a pun on dekisugiru, which means "over achieving". Unfortunately for Nobita, Shizuka tends to prefer the company of Hidetoshi, who is more of her intellectual equal.

Dorami (ドラミ, Dorami^?)

Dorami, also known as Dorami-chan, is the younger sister of Doraemon. Strangely enough, they are siblings due to the fact that they shared half of the oil from a can. She lives in the 22nd-century Tokyo with Sewashi, Nobita's great-great-grandson. She is yellow and has ears that resemble a large red bow. She likes melonpan and is afraid of cockroaches. She is also shown to be a more advanced robot than Doraemon. She sometimes visits Nobita with a time machine when Doraemon is "off-duty."

Doraemon & Dorami

Sensei (先生, Sensei^?)

Nobita's homeroom teacher. He is a strict taskmaster who often punishes Nobita for failing to do his homework. The punishments range from standing in the hallway to sweeping the classroom after-school. His real name is unknown and he is only referred to as "Sensei", but in the NTV anime his name is given as Ganari (我成, Ganari^?).

Kaminari (神成, Kaminari^?)

An old man who lives next to the vacant lot where Nobita and the gang play baseball. They sometimes accidentally throw baseballs, rocks, or even one of Doraemon's gadgets through his window, breaking it and knocking over his prized bonsai. The children refer to him as Kaminari-oyaji (雷おやじ,, Old Man Thunder^?), because he shouts so loud that they scatter. Kaminari is his surname.

Tameru Kaneo

Tameru tends to accompany Suneo and Jaian. He has a friend whose name is never mentioned, and the two of them are always seen together. Kane wo tameru, the way his name is read in Japanese, means "to save money" in Japanese.

Mini-Doras (ミニドラ[たち], Mini-Doras^?)

Mini-Doras are actually gadgets of Doraemon. They are mini versions of Doraemon, each with a different color. They can think and feel for themselves, and communicate with Doraemon through the "Mini-Dora" language. They act as helpers for all sorts of tasks, such as repairing the internal mechanism of Doraemon.

Nobita's family

Tamako Nobi (野比 玉子, Nobi Tamako^?)

Nobita's mother. She is usually seen scolding Nobita or sending him on errands. She actually loves her son very much but is disappointed by his academic failures

Nobisuke Nobi (野比 のび助, Nobi Nobisuke^?)

Nobita's father and laid-back salaryman. He is very considerate of Nobita, often seen arriving home from work to placate Tamako's anger towards Nobita. He has trouble quitting smoking and is self-conscious about his inability to pass the driving test. He also has a poor memory and sometimes arrives home drunk from nightly business meetings. He was once an aspiring art student.

Sewashi (セワシ, Sewashi^?)

Nobita's great-great-grandson. He is the one who sends Doraemon back to the past to look after Nobita. Sewashi first bought Doraemon in 2112 when Doraemon still had ears and his original factory paint. He is also the owner of Doraemon's sister, Dorami. He figures very prominently in the first few stories but is rarely seen later on.

Nobisuke (ノビスケ, Nobisuke^?)

Nobita's son. He is named after Nobita's father. He is a better athlete than Nobita and far more clever. In one of the stories, he did not hesitate to beat up young Nobita when young Nobita tried to stop him from running away from home. Also, he is shown as being a bully and brave enough to bully Gian's son.

Dōgu

Doraemon can take out various devices known as dōgu (道具, dōgu^? lit. gadget) from his fourth-dimensional pocket. Some of the gadgets are based on real Japanese household devices with fanciful twists, but most are completely science fiction (although some may be based on folklore or religious stories).

Thousands of dōgu have been featured in Doraemon. Some have placed the number of dōgu at approximately 4,500. It is this constant variety which makes Doraemon popular even among adult readers/viewers.

Recurring Dōgu

Fourth-dimensional pocket (四次元ポケット, Fourth-dimensional pocket^?)

The inside of this pocket connects to the fourth dimension and acts like a wormhole. It is usually shown attached to Doraemon's abdomen. Doraemon has a spare pocket which connects to the same location.

Time machine (タイムマシン, Time machine^?)

The entrance to Doraemon's time machine is in Nobita's desk drawer. The time machine looks like a simple platform with a control console, and a clock with five hands overhanging the console. Doraemon is often seen piloting the time machine. Dorami has her own time machine shaped like a tulip, suggesting a variety of models available in the future. The time machine can create an exit in a specific place spatially as well as temporally. An alternative to the time machine is the time belt, which does not change the wearer's location relative to Earth. The presence of this machine is not known by Nobita's mother.

Take-copter (タケコプター, Take-copter^?)

One of the main modes of transportation for the various characters is the take-copter, which combines the words taketombo (竹とんぼ, taketombo^? lit. bamboo dragonfly, the Japanese name for the bamboo-copter), and part of the word herikoputā (ヘリコプター, herikoputā^?), which means helicopter. The take-copter was also called the heri-tombo (ヘリトンボ, heri-tombo^?) in early stories. The device is a propeller attached to a tiny suction cup which can be attached to enable flight. Ever since the first few Doraemon stories, the take-copter is seen attached to the head instead of the waist, similar to a propeller beanie, due to a mishap with Nobita's shorts. The take-copter has also been attached to objects to enable its flight. One of its disadvantage is its short battery life.

Moshimo-box (もしもボックス, Moshimo-box^?)

The moshimo-box is a pun based on the Japanese greeting used on the telephone moshi moshi, and the phrase meaning "what if", or moshimo. The device is a telephone booth where the characters dial a number and propose a "what if" scenario which alters the world. Nobita has wished for a world where money was not necessary, and purchasing an item meant receiving cash, and being robbed meant being forced to take cash, causing store clerks to force cash onto his hands upon attempting to purchase toys. Nobita has also wished for a world without mirrors, and for a world where lazy people who napped would be hailed as celebrities. But any situation caused by using this telephone booth may be reverted by using this telephone to make a phone call to request for "Reverting/Restoring to the original situation". This uses to be the ending of the story that mentions about the telephone booth.

Dokodemo door (どこでもドア, Dokodemo door^? lit. anywhere door)

One of Doraemon's most commonly used gadgets is the dokodemo door, a door which allows travel to anywhere by simply going through the door. In an early story, the door is able to travel to the end of the universe, but in later chapters, the door is said to only be able to travel a maximum distance of 100,000 light years and cannot access other dimensions. Another limitation of the door is that it can only safely connect two known locations in its mapping computer, which also has a limited range of information based on Time as shown in the movie "Nobita's Dinosaur."

Time Furoshiki (タイムふろしき, Time Furoshiki^? lit. Time wrapping cloth)

Another frequently used gadget, the time cloth has the ability to advance or reverse time depending on which of its two different colored sides are used. When an object is wrapped around with one face outward, the flow of time reverses, causing the object to become newer. When wrapped around the other way, time moves forward, causing the object to become older. It was first used by Nobita to turn old appliances to new appliances to make money, but its uses extend to many other things, such as converting an object back to its starting material, repairing broken machinery, aging or de-aging people, and restoring millions-of-years old fossils.

Small light (スモールライト, Small light^?)

Small light, is a lamp similar to a flashlight that will shrink objects and people to minuscule sizes. Its opposite is the big light (ビッグライト, big light^?), which enlarges objects and people. Another tool that is used in a similar capacity is "Gulliver's Tunnel (ガリバートンネル, Gulliver's Tunnel^?)", which causes a person to grow or shrink depending on which entrance he takes, however its ratio of shrinking and enlarging is fixed.

Pass Loop (通り抜けフープ, Tōrinuke Fūpu^?)

A loop which creates a passage through a solid object such as a wall when placed upon it.

Air cannon (空気砲, Kūkihō^?)

A gun barrel worn on the arm used to fire a powerful burst of air which can knock out the victim when the user says "bang". Later models, featured in the long manga and movies, are fired with a trigger.

Translation konjac (ほんやくコンニャク, hon'yaku-konnyaku^?)

A piece of konjac jelly which enables a person to understand and speak any known language in the universe. The effect begins after the person ingests the jelly, but the duration of the effect is unknown. While the ones Doraemon uses are usually unflavored, in the story Nobita's Birth of Japan (のび太の日本誕生, Nobita's Birth of Japan^?), he used one labeled to be miso flavored, suggesting the existence of various flavors, which are more expensive.

Dress-Up Camera (着せ替えカメラ, Kisekae kamera^?)

A camera that uses a picture of clothing instead of film, and changes the clothes of the person in the viewfinder to the clothing in the picture. It may also be used with no picture or an incomplete picture, with embarrassing results. The story about Doraemon's four-dimensional dustbin shows that the damaged camera will make the person naked (ie. when Shizuka used the damaged camera on Nobita, he turned naked). The camera is often used in the long stories and movies, where the gang must disguise themselves in unfamiliar places to avoid attracting undue attention, or to provide with a second change of clothes such as bathing suits.

Other dōgu

Of the approximately 4,500 different dōgu featured in Doraemon, most appear only once:

• Memory bread (アンキパン, Anki pan^?)is a bread used to imprint pages, which after ingestion, will imbue the consumer with the content imprinted on the bread.
• Restoring beam is a lamp which is able to restore broken items back to their original state.
• Animal biscuits (変身ビスケット, Henshin Bisuketto^?, it means Transforming Biscuit) are animal crackers which transforms the consumer into the animal the biscuit is shaped after for a short period of time.(5 minutes)
• Air glue allows the user to stick things in the air.
• Air Crayons are used to draw things in the air, which then become real. The air eraser is used to erase the drawings.
• Almighty pass is a passport which grants the holder access to anywhere and anything without cost or identification. Nobita once used the pass for free taxi rides, going into pubs, and visiting a famous celebrity's house. The pass is very expensive and has an expiration date which requires renewal.
• Anything Mine Gas is a gas that makes anything sprayed with it attracted to the sprayer and flee from anyone else.
• Shocker Gun is a gun that emits a strong electrical beam, powerful enough to bring down a horse.
• Chocolate Heart is heart-shaped chocolate that causes the consumer to have the same idea as, or agree with, the person who eats the first piece.
• Deep sea cream allows the user to go underwater for extended periods of time without need for air or insulation from the cold.
• Confessors' Crickets are small robotic crickets which enter a designated target's nostrils and forces the person to confess everything he/she did wrong--from silly blunders to major crimes. The crickets can only be expelled from their targets through a forced sneeze induced by pepper.
• Fluffy medicine considerably lightens the weight of the users, allowing them to float into the sky. Taking too much at once can be disastrous.
• Instant Christmas tree is a Christmas tree that grows instantly when planted. Similar tools include the instant vine, which grows into the sky moments after planting.
• Cloud hardening gas is a gas which solidifies clouds upon application, allowing the clouds to be walked upon. Doraemon and his friends once used this gas to construct a cloud city.
• Bamboo horse (ウマタケ, Umatake^?, A play on takeuma, which means "bamboo stilts") is a hybrid creature combining the horse and the bamboo, but is highly temperamental. It needs to be fed carrots and cared for to become loyal. Doraemon gives one to Nobita in order for Nobita to win a stilts walking contest.
• Bird hats are hats shaped like heads of birds. The wearer will have the same ability as the type of bird worn. For example an owl hat will make the wearer inactive during daytime, while an albatross hat requires the wearer to sprint before flying.
• Mini-airplanes are miniature toy airplanes (modeled after WWI aircrafts) which can be piloted. The users shrink themselves down by stepping on the airplane's cockpit, after which they can engage other users in dogfights. The pilot is automatically ejected with a parachute after their plane is shot down.
• Choto Ma-timer A time stopping Pocket Watch. With a simple touch of its upper button, time freezes around the user, as another touch restores Time Flow. (Seen on "The Night before the Wedding" Special.)
• Antenna allows the user to be prepared for hazards in advance. For instance, the antenna induced Nobita's dad (Nobisuke) to bring a spare pair of pants before going out because it knew he will be splashed with water from a puddle later.
• Anywhere Gas serves the same function as the Anywhere Door except it's in the form of a pink mist emitted by a machine. It was used once in the "Nobita and the Animal Planet" movie before blowing up at the end. The product itself was removed from the 22nd Century market due to its instability and customer complaints.
• Lucky Star An edible Star-Shaped sweet which grants its user 3 hours of striking Luck. Nobita used it to rescue one of his friends in Nobita and the Animal Planet movie with some cunning and startling luck.
• Lightning cloud is a small floating cloud which unleashes lightning bolts when activated by a pulling switch. Doraemon gives it to Nobita to help him overcome his fear of thunder. The lightning bolts are not as strong as the real thing but powerful enough to frighten people and wreak havoc.
• Sticker of truth is a small rubber sticker which can be stuck to anyone in order to make the wearer tell the truth. Nobita once used it on Suneo because Suneo was flattering people for his own selfish motives.
• Air tubes are nose plugs that allow the user to breathe freely underwater.
• Sea water filter is a straw-like device that instantly filters seawater when the user drinks through it.
• Water pressure gun is the underwater version of the air pressure gun. It was used by Nobita in one story to fend off a shark attack.
• Weather Machine is used in many episodes to freely control weather. Works by inserting weather cards into the machine.
• Magic Hands are gloves that, well... It puts your arms to shame. Nobita used them to pick on people without actually standing next to them.
• Magic Oshiri is a (rubber?) torso which causes pain to that area when spanked. Its like Magic Hands made for spanking.
• Adaptation beam is another often-used gadget which enables the user to adapt to any kind of hostile environments, including outer space and deep undersea.
• Shadow separation scissors are scissors which can turn a person's shadows into physical beings which then can be commanded by its owner. However, the shadow must be "glued" back after a certain amount of time or it will replace the owner and turn the owner into its shadow.
• Underwater firewood is firewood that can be burned underwater.
• Reverse bulbs are light bulbs which will turn surrounding areas to darkness when switched on.
• Time TV is a portable television which can broadcast events in the past or the future.
• Secret keeping dog is a piggy bank-like dog. The user writes his or her secret on a piece of paper and feed it to the dog for safekeeping. But when the dog is fed with too many secrets, it will expel all the papers from its mouth.

Series finale rumours

There are three current and often quoted urban legends that started spreading in late 1980s of an ending to the Doraemon series.

• The first and the more optimistic ending was made public by Nobuo Sato several years ago. Doraemon's battery power ran out, and Nobita was given a choice between replacing the battery inside a frozen Doraemon, which would cause it to reset and lose all memory, or await a competent robotics technician who would be able to resurrect the cat-robot one day. Nobita swore that very day to work hard in school, graduate with honours, and become that robotics technician. He successfully resurrected Doraemon in the future as a robotics professor, became successful as an AI developer, and thus lived happily ever after, thus relieving his progeny of the financial burdens that caused Doraemon to be sent to his space-time in the first place. A dōjin manga for this ending exists. ^[3]

• The second, more pessimistic ending suggests that Nobita Nobi is suffering from autism and that all the characters (including Doraemon) are simply his delusion. The idea that Nobita was a sick and dying little boy who imagined the entire series on his sickbed to help him ease his pain and depression no doubt angered quite a lot of fans. Many Japanese fans staged a protest outside the headquarters of the publisher of the series after learning about this suggestion. The publisher had to issue a public statement that this is not true. (This ending actually correlates to the ending for the series St. Elsewhere, which ended in 1988.)

• The third ending suggests that Nobita fell and hit his head on a rock. He fell into a deep coma, and eventually into a semi-vegetative state. To raise money for an operation to save Nobita, Doraemon sold all the tools and devices in his four-dimensional pocket. However, the operation failed. Doraemon sold all his tools except for one used as a last resort. He used it to enable Nobita to go wherever he wanted, whichever time era he wished to go. In the end, the very place Nobita wanted to go was heaven.

The plausibility of these issues was discussed here and it was concluded that there is no ending to Doraemon. ^[4]

There are three official endings to Doraemon that were made. Doraemon was discontinued in two media because readers were advancing in grades and an ending was believed to be needed. These two are not reprinted.

• In the March 1971 issue of the magazine Shogaku 4-nensei ^[5]: Due to the fact that visitors from the future were causing too much trouble, the government in the 22nd Century passed a bill to ban time-travelling altogether, meaning Doraemon would have to return to his time era. He leaves Nobita.
• In the March 1972 issue of the magazine Shogaku 4-nensei: Doraemon, for some reason, had to go back to the future but fakes a mechanical problem so that Nobita would let him go. Nobita believes him and promises to wait until Doraemon gets well. Realizing that Nobita can handle his departure, Doraemon tells the truth and Nobita accepts. Doraemon returns to the future.

The third ending was actually meant to be the official ending due to low TV ratings and the Fujiko Fujio duo was busy with other works. But Doraemon did not leave their minds and restarted from next month's issue. In 1981, this episode was made into anime (called "Doraemon Comes Back"), and in 1998, this was released as an anime movie.

• In the March 1973 issue of the magazine Shogaku 4-nensei, Nobita again returns home after losing a fight against Gian. Doraemon then explains that he has to return. Nobita tries to have Doraemon stay but after talking it over with his parents, he accepts Doraemon's departure. They take a last walk in the park. After they split up, Nobita encounters Jaian and gets into a fight again. After a long duel with Nobita trying to win at all costs so that Doraemon can leave without worries, Jaian lets Nobita win for not giving up. Doraemon finds Nobita passed out and takes him home. Sitting beside sleeping Nobita and after a moment of thought, Doraemon returns to the future. (It is also found at the last chapter of the manga Book 6)
• The animated version is completely similar but lengthened. Nobita finds a box the shape of Doraemon in his drawer. The next day, which happens to be April Fool's day, Nobita is jeered at by Suneo and Jaian, the latter tricking him about Doraemon's return. He happily runs home and asked his mother whether Doraemon came back and finds out the truth. Nobita couldn't stand it and opens the box. Inside of it was a bottle of liquid. He hears Doraemon's voice explaining that the potion is called Uso 800 (Lies 800) it is used to make all untruths the drinker says true. Nobita uses it to play a few tricks on Jaian and Suneo, like first taking cover then say that the weather sure is good, which becomes a lie and it started to rain heavily before he said it is raining heavily and the rain stopped. Jian and Suneo was scared away after a few tricks and when Nobita mentioned what is happening. Nobita was very happy at first but quickly loses interest in the absence of Doraemon. As he walks home, due to his earlier questioning if Doraemon returned or not, his mother asked him if he could find Doraemon, he unwittingly said, in great disappointment, the truth about Doraemon never coming back, just like what Doraemon told Nobita before his departure. Since the potion was still in effect, when he arrives his room he finds Doraemon there, and they have a happy reunion, but due to the effects of the potion, all his greets and joyful words have to be spoken in the opposite way like I am so unhappy that we can never be together again.
• The extra portion of the above ending from the animated version is included in Book 7 of the manga series.

When the Fujiko Fujio duo broke up in 1987, the very idea of an official ending to the series was never discussed. Since Fujiko F. died in 1996 before any decisions were reached, any "endings" of Doraemon are fan fiction. However, it is apparent from many episodes and movies where Nobita travels to the future that in the end he does marry Shizuka, leads a happy life and separates with Doraemon, although Nobita and his friends fondly remember him. ^[6]

Other appearances

Doraemon is a popular character in Japan and can be seen in many places. For example, Doraemon is used as a promotional character by Art Hikkoshi Center (アート引越センター, Āto hikkoshi sentā^?), by a removals company, and by Cocos, a restaurant chain. Doraemon also appears in appeals for charity, the "Doraemon Fund". Doraemon toys and novelties are also often found in Japan, with literally thousands of items for sale.

Doraemon toys are now sold in america in wal-mart quarter machines. Plastic pvcs, stickers, and key chains with the Doraemon cast.

This may be viz's way of testing Doraemon for american release!

Doraemon, Nobita, and the other characters also appear in various educational manga.

There are nearly 50 Japanese only video games ranging from Action Adventure, to RPG games, that began with the Emerson's Arcadia 2001 system. For a complete list of these games see List of Doraemon media.

Doraemon is also mentioned in many manga and anime by other mangakas.

In a few episodes some characters from Shin Chan Are Issued in the episode revealing some of the TV show clips

Anime

Television series

After a brief and unpopular animated series in 1973 by Nippon Television, Doraemon remained fairly exclusive in manga form until 1979 when TV Asahi produced an anime series of Doraemon. This series became incredibly popular, and ended with 1,049 episodes on March 25, 2005.

Celebrating Doraemon's anniversary, a new Doraemon series began airing on TV Asahi on April 15, 2005 with new seiyūs and staff.

Channels air Doraemon series

Channel	Country
Cartoon Network/Toonami	Australia
Rede Manchete	Brazil
Chilevisión and Etc...TV	Chile
Canal Caracol	Colombia
Ecuavisa	Ecuador
TF1 and Jetix	France
TVB Jade	Hong Kong
CCTV	China
Hungama TV	India
RCTI	Indonesia
RTÉ Two	Ireland
Jetix	Israel
Mediaset Italia1	Italy
NTV7,RTM1 (formerly)	Malaysia
Cartoon Network and Canal 5	Mexico
MBC	Middle East
Jetix	Netherlands
TV2 and Jetix	Norway
Red Global	Peru
GMA-7	Philippines
Polsat, TV4 and Jetix	Poland
Canal Panda	Portugal
Telesistema 11	Dominican Republic
Channel 8	Singapore
Telemadrid	Community of Madrid
C33	Catalonia
Canal 2 Andalucía	Andalusia
ETB 1	Basque Country
TVV (Canal 9 and Punt 2)	Valencian Community
TVG	Galicia
MBC, CHAMP	S.Korea
TV4 and Jetix	Sweden
CTS, GTV	Taiwan
MCOT	Thailand
Toonami, Cartoon Network, Sky One and Sky Two	United Kingdom
VTC	Vietnam

Feature films

Main article: List of Doraemon media

In 1980, Toho released the first of a series of annual feature length animated films. The films are more adventure oriented, taking the familiar characters of Doraemon and placing them in a variety of exotic and perilous settings. Nobita and his friends have visited the age of the dinosaurs, the far reaches of the galaxy, the heart of darkest Africa (where they encountered a race of sentient bipedal dogs), the depths of the ocean, and a world of magic. Some of the films are based on