About
Name: Akuma-kun
Other Names: Devil Boy, Devil Child, Mr. Demon, Beezil, Beezel, Diablillo, Demone, Čertík, 작은 악마 (Jag-eun Agma), Чертёнок (Chertonok)
Gender: Male
Species: Demon/devil
First Appeared: Akuma-kun appears in the 4th Chapter – Unico and Solitude (Part 1) of the January 1978 issue of Sanrio’s Lyrica Magazine.
Akuma-kun (悪魔くん, Akuma-kun) is a character that appears in the manga and in the first animated film.
Voice Actors
Japanese Voice: Junko Hori
Czech Voice: Inka Šecová
English Voice: Cheryl Chase
German Voice: Ghadah Al-akel
Italian Voice: Fabio Boccanera (1986 dub); Santo Verduci (2022 dub)
Korean Voice: Jeong Ok-joo
Slovak Voice: Eva Večerová
Spanish Voice: Mari Pe Castro
Physical Appearance
In the manga, Akuma-kun has black hair and a green body. The anime differs slightly as he has dark brown hair and a blue body.
Personality
The young demon comes across as rude and selfish at first. While Unico tries to befriend him, Akuma bullies and treats Unico horribly. He’s never had friends before, nor does he properly know how to communicate with anyone. Deep down, he doesn’t enjoy being alone, although he is a demon of solitude.
Abilities
- Summon minor storms with lightning.
- Fairly sturdy.
- Keeps his promise.
Timeline of Appearances
| Date | More Information |
|---|---|
| 1978 | Akuma-kun first appears in the 4th Chapter – Unico and Solitude (Part 1) of the January 1978 issue of Lyrica magazine. After an accident destroys his father’s statue, Akuma-kun is very upset. Unico tries to befriend the demon, but is shut out and treated horribly. Akuma says he’ll be Unico’s friend only if he lets him have Unico’s horn. Unico agrees, but Akuma can only have his horn for one day. They strike a deal, and Akuma receives Unico’s horn. Afterward, the demon is very rough playing with Unico. Unico falls into the ocean and since Akuma doesn’t understand what it means to help, he grows bored and leaves to take a nap. Since demons keep their promise, Akuma-kun returns to the cliff where he last saw Unico. He must enter the sea to return the horn as promised. When Akuma does, Unico is revived, but he must save his demon friend. |
| 1981 | In the first animated film, the events from the manga have been animated similarly. Once again, Unico is dropped off and sees a strange castle. Inside, Unico finds an enormous demon statue that orders him to leave. When Unico tries to get close and chat with the statue, the sculpture shoots lightning down. This causes a large column to crash down on the statue. There, crying at the base, is Akuma-kun. The young demon tells Unico to go away, but Unico tries to befriend him. Much like the manga, Unico agrees to let the demon have his horn for one day. While being chased by Akuma, Unico falls off a cliff and into the water. Since Akuma-kun doesn’t understand the word “help,” he grows tired and leaves. As he waits for the day to end, he grows anxious, knowing Unico is in danger. Akuma destroys the hourglass, making it now the “end of the day.” The demon leaps into the ocean and finds Unico, returning his horn. As Akuma drowns, Unico saves his friend. As a reward for “loving” Unico, the unicorn grants Akuma-kun his own horn. Delighted by this, he happily hops around the island, causing life to sprout everywhere. Sadly, Unico is soon taken away by West Wind, and only when dealing with the Baron, does Akuma reappear. When Unico is wounded, Akuma gives up his horn, knowing that it’s the source of Unico’s power. This saves Unico and he can defeat the giant demon. |
| 2012 | The card-battle-type mobile game by Mobage called Great Brawl!! Tezuka All-Stars (大乱闘!!手塚オールスターズ) featured the most Tezuka characters in any game for its time. It’s no surprised that Unico and few of his friends (example: Akuma-kun) were included. The premise of the game is to build a powerful team and restore peace to the Tezuka World. |
| 2016 | LINE released Unico stamps for its app, featuring over 40 designs. Akuma-kun, Chao, and a few other characters were included in the set. They later released a second set. |
| 2017 | Nagata Kabi published the 15th entry of My Solo Exchange Diary (一人交換日記) on her Pixiv account and it featured Unico and Akuma-kun and how much she related to the characters. |
| 2021 | The American band Mr Twin Sister released a song titled “Beezle” about our favorite devil. This song appears on their album titled Al Mundo Azul and is a reinterpretation of the character and events that happen to him in Unico (The Fantastic Adventures of Unico). |