Story of Locke the Superman Aspiration Final Chapter Finished By Late Manga Artist's Assistant

The late Yuki Hijiri's assistant Sakura Sasakura finished the story based on the original story plot

The latest installment of Yuki Hijiri's manga series, "Locke the Superman Aspiration" (Chōjin Locke Dо̄kei), concluded with publishing its final chapter in the July edition of Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Flapper magazine. Sakura Sasakura, a long-time assistant of Hijiri, finished the story, utilizing the original creator's storyboard and plot. A compiled book volume containing this concluding chapter is scheduled for release later this year.

"Locke the Superman" manga debuted in December 2020, with the fifth chapter released in July 2021, serving as the penultimate chapter before the conclusion. Tragically, Yuki Hijiri, the creator of the "Locke the Superman" series, passed away at 72 on October 3th0 due to pneumonia.

Yuki Hijiri gained recognition for his notable contributions to the "Chōjin Locke" series and his involvement as a character and mechanical designer in renowned series like Voltes V, Fighting General Daimos, and Future Robot Daltanious.

The origins of the "Locke the Superman" manga trace back to its inception in Sakuga Group's dōjinshi in 1967, subsequently transitioning to a commercial magazine, Minori Shobō's Monthly Out, in 1977. From 1979 to 1988, the manga enjoyed a run in Shonengahosha's Shonen King magazine until the publication ceased. After that, the series continued its serialization across various magazines before finding a home in Monthly Comic Flapper in 2007. The franchise also expanded its reach with an anime film adaptation in 1984, along with the release of a novel in the same year and radio dramas in 1996.

In November 2019, Hijiri introduced "Chōjin Locke: Chaos Bringer" (Locke the Superman: Chaos Bringer) in Young King Ours magazine. Shonengahosha published this manga's first compiled book volume in September 2020.

Furthermore, Hijiri was concurrently serializing two other manga series, namely "Chōjin Locke Kagami no Ori" (Locke the Superman: The Mirror Chamber) in Young King Ours and "Chōjin Locke Gaia no Kiba" (Locke the Superman: The Fang of Gaia) in Kadokawa's Monthly Comic Flapper magazine. The creation of "Locke the Superman: The Fang of Gaia" served acommemoratedginal manga's 50th anniversary.