Do you know Truck-kun? Have you ever watched an anime where the protagonist gets hit by a truck and ends up in a fantasy world? Today we will talk about these appearances in anime.
Recently, there has been a huge wave of isekai anime, where the protagonist dies and ends up in a fantasy world. A very common way to kill the character is by hitting them with a truck right after leaving a convenience store.
This has become so frequent in different anime and manga that it has turned into a meme on the internet. This simple truck that appears in various forms in different anime and games has earned the nickname Truck-kun.
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Meaning and Origin of Truck-Kun
The name is simple, nothing more than “truck” in English followed by the friendly suffix kun [くん]. This honorific is usually used after the name for young males.
The origins of Truck-kun are unknown, as being hit by a truck can be a common occurrence in a plot, whether as an attempt or a success.
The appearance of trucks is quite old; in the first animation of Astro Boy, Tobio, Dr. Tenma’s son, dies being hit by Truck-chan (another common way to refer to the automotive serial killer).
- Japanese Honorifics – The Meaning of san, kun, chan, and others
- Meaning of Onii-chan, Onee-chan – Siblings in Japanese
Truck-kun can be a box truck or even a simple flatbed truck, but any anime truck often resembles peculiar characteristics of Japanese vehicles.
Mentions of the frequent use of trucks trying to hit characters in the script began to gain prominence in late 2014 on internet forums. Various articles and lists have been created in recent years.
Truck-kun is a very popular plot device used to kill characters in order to send them to other parallel fantasy worlds. Some even call the truck a God.
Truck-kun also tends to appear in various other genres. In the drama, music, and romance anime called Fuuka, the protagonist was unexpectedly killed by the truck in the manga, but it braked sharply in the anime, thus showing that Truck-kun can alter its destiny.
Characters Killed by Truck-kun
The number of characters killed by Truck-kun is enormous. We will not delve into discussing each anime in question, as most are isekai, where the protagonist is hit and wakes up in a fantasy world. Of course, there will be exceptions on this list, so we will divide it.
Below you can see a compilation of possible deaths caused by Truck-kun:
Characters Sent to Isekai by Truck-kun
- Kazuma Satō – KonoSuba;
- Sakura Minamoto – Zombie Land Saga;
- Rudeus Greyrat – Mushoku Tensei;
- Jibanyan – Yo-Kai Watch;
Characters Actually Killed by Truck-kun
- Takuo Shibuimaru – Death Note;
- Tobio Tenma – Astro Boy;
- Fuuka Aoi – Fuuka;
Other Animes Where Truck-kun Appears
- Aishen Qiaokeli-ing…
- Baby & Me
- Blood Blockade Battlefront
- Breakers
- Bungou Stray Dogs 3rd Season
- Chance Pop Session
- Charlotte
- Chronos Ruler
- Digimon Movie 1: Digimon Adventure
- Dragon Ball
- ERASED
- Excel Saga
- Fairy Princess Minky Momo: Yume no Naka no Rondo
- Full Metal Panic!
- Funny Pets 2
- Fuuka
- Ghost in the Shell: Arise – Another Mission
Manga Where Truck-kun Appears
- 1-nen A-gumi no Monster
- AI07
- Ajin
- Akumetsu
- Akuyaku Reijou
- Ashita, Kimi ni Aetara
- Baki Gaiden
- Baron: The Cat Returns
- Bastard
- Beatrice
- Be King’s Daughter Someday
- BLACK999
- Black Jack
- Bokura no Negai
- Butsuri-san de Musou Shitetara Motemote ni Narimashita
- Cafe Occult
- Cavewoman
Characters Who Survived the Hit
For some, Truck-kun is a script-breaking nightmare. Many authors have intentionally placed a speeding truck to scare viewers who thought their character would be killed by being hit. Below are some anime characters who survived Truck-kun.
In episode 6 of 801 T.T.S Airbats, the truck almost hits a character, but since it wasn’t in the mood, it swerved.
In episode 287 of Gintama, the protagonist Gintoki and his rival Hijikata are hit by the truck to the point where their minds swap bodies for 2 days.
In the anime Ajin, the protagonist is killed by the truck, but fortunately, he becomes an Ajin, an immortal being accompanied by a sand monster hunted by the human race.
The Curse of Minky Momo
Magical Minky Momo was a sweet magical girl anime that sold a lot of toys at the time. However, after the toy sponsor left the show, writer Takeshi Shudo decided to express his disapproval in episode 46 by killing Minky Momo herself with a toy truck.
An urban legend was created after this retaliation, as 4 earthquakes hit Japan on the day this episode aired, followed by the Great Hanshin Earthquake during its rerun in 1995.
Very strange that on the day of the episode where a cute little girl is hit by a truck, so many tragedies occur. Is it just a coincidence? Or does the curse of Minky Momo really exist?
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