TV-Series
Description
King Nikochan is the self-proclaimed evil king of the Nikochan-seijin, an alien race that, despite its interplanetary ambitions, is portrayed as comically inferior and largely ineffectual. Hailing from the tiny Planet Nikochan, a world only 2000 meters in diameter where the inhabitants primarily live as radish farmers, Nikochan styles himself a great conqueror and space pirate. His background reveals that he and his unnamed, yet consistently loyal, servant spent years searching the cosmos for a planet weak enough to be easily subjugated before setting their sights on Earth.
In terms of personality, King Nikochan is defined by a profound and humorous disconnect between his grandiose self-image and his utter incompetence. He possesses delusions of grandeur, constantly speaking of conquest and domination, yet his every scheme is doomed to fail in spectacularly mundane or absurd ways. His plans are consistently impulsive and poorly thought out, often leading to comedic misfortune for himself and his long-suffering servant. A notable running gag involves his literal interpretation of the phrase one man's trash is another man's treasure, which later manifests as him diligently collecting garbage in Penguin Village, believing it to be valuable loot. Physically, his race is distinctive for having buttocks-like features on top of their heads, their noses located in their antennae, and their ears on their feet. King Nikochan also speaks with a Nagoya dialect in the original Japanese version, further distinguishing him from his standard-speaking servant.
King Nikochan's primary motivation throughout his appearances is twofold: to conquer Earth and to find a way to return to his home planet. His role in the story is that of a recurring, bumbling antagonist whose schemes serve as a source of lighthearted conflict and comedy in Penguin Village. Upon his first arrival on Earth, he attempted to demonstrate his power by destroying Mars, an act that failed utterly to impress the village's resident android, Arale Norimaki, and her companion Gatchan. In a pivotal and humiliating first encounter, Gatchan simply ate King Nikochan's spaceship, leaving him and his servant adrift in space before they crash-landed back on Earth. Stranded on the planet, much of their role involves desperate and failed attempts to secure a new spacecraft from the local inventor, Senbei Norimaki. In one instance, Senbei, mistaking them for tourists, built them a car instead of a spaceship, and on another occasion, King Nikochan mistakenly crawled into a toilet, believing it to be a vessel. Later, his motivations shift from conquest to survival when he and his servant finally acquire a new ship, only to return home and find their planet usurped by other invaders. Ironically, it is Arale who defeats the usurpers and restores peace to Planet Nikochan, forcing the would-be conqueror to accept the help of the very people he sought to rule.
The most significant relationship in King Nikochan's life is with his unnamed servant. The servant is portrayed as being far more intelligent and rational than his master, often offering sensible advice and pointing out the flaws in Nikochan's plans, though this counsel is invariably ignored. Despite this, the servant remains perpetually loyal, following the king on his many misadventures with a sense of resigned duty. King Nikochan also has key relationships with the residents of Penguin Village. He interacts frequently with Senbei Norimaki, whom he pesters for technology, and with Arale, who inadvertently thwarts almost all of his schemes, from destroying his ship to saving his planet. The failure of his plans is a constant, leading to his development being less about personal growth and more about the increasing absurdity of his situation. Later in the series, and in his cameo appearances in the related series Dragon Ball, he devolves from an active invader to a pathetic figure, seen scrounging for trash in the background or briefly appearing in crowd shots at the World Martial Arts Tournament. His story concludes on a note of perpetual failure, as a plan to finally rule Penguin Village ends with the local police mistaking him for a member of the Red Ribbon Army and destroying his repaired spaceship for good, stranding him on Earth forever.
Despite his lack of success, King Nikochan has demonstrated a few notable abilities, though they are far from impressive. His most significant power is the capacity to destroy a planet, as shown when he blew up Mars. However, this feat is rendered completely useless and comedic by his inability to apply such force effectively against the protagonists of the story. He also possesses a spaceship capable of interplanetary travel, though it is lost with great frequency. His true abilities lie in his persistence and his knack for survival, as he consistently bounces back from failures that include having his ship eaten, crashing into a pterodactyl in the Stone Age, and being flushed down a toilet. Ultimately, his primary role is to be a harmless, comedic nuisance, a self-proclaimed king whose conquests amount to nothing more than a series of embarrassing and hilarious defeats.
In terms of personality, King Nikochan is defined by a profound and humorous disconnect between his grandiose self-image and his utter incompetence. He possesses delusions of grandeur, constantly speaking of conquest and domination, yet his every scheme is doomed to fail in spectacularly mundane or absurd ways. His plans are consistently impulsive and poorly thought out, often leading to comedic misfortune for himself and his long-suffering servant. A notable running gag involves his literal interpretation of the phrase one man's trash is another man's treasure, which later manifests as him diligently collecting garbage in Penguin Village, believing it to be valuable loot. Physically, his race is distinctive for having buttocks-like features on top of their heads, their noses located in their antennae, and their ears on their feet. King Nikochan also speaks with a Nagoya dialect in the original Japanese version, further distinguishing him from his standard-speaking servant.
King Nikochan's primary motivation throughout his appearances is twofold: to conquer Earth and to find a way to return to his home planet. His role in the story is that of a recurring, bumbling antagonist whose schemes serve as a source of lighthearted conflict and comedy in Penguin Village. Upon his first arrival on Earth, he attempted to demonstrate his power by destroying Mars, an act that failed utterly to impress the village's resident android, Arale Norimaki, and her companion Gatchan. In a pivotal and humiliating first encounter, Gatchan simply ate King Nikochan's spaceship, leaving him and his servant adrift in space before they crash-landed back on Earth. Stranded on the planet, much of their role involves desperate and failed attempts to secure a new spacecraft from the local inventor, Senbei Norimaki. In one instance, Senbei, mistaking them for tourists, built them a car instead of a spaceship, and on another occasion, King Nikochan mistakenly crawled into a toilet, believing it to be a vessel. Later, his motivations shift from conquest to survival when he and his servant finally acquire a new ship, only to return home and find their planet usurped by other invaders. Ironically, it is Arale who defeats the usurpers and restores peace to Planet Nikochan, forcing the would-be conqueror to accept the help of the very people he sought to rule.
The most significant relationship in King Nikochan's life is with his unnamed servant. The servant is portrayed as being far more intelligent and rational than his master, often offering sensible advice and pointing out the flaws in Nikochan's plans, though this counsel is invariably ignored. Despite this, the servant remains perpetually loyal, following the king on his many misadventures with a sense of resigned duty. King Nikochan also has key relationships with the residents of Penguin Village. He interacts frequently with Senbei Norimaki, whom he pesters for technology, and with Arale, who inadvertently thwarts almost all of his schemes, from destroying his ship to saving his planet. The failure of his plans is a constant, leading to his development being less about personal growth and more about the increasing absurdity of his situation. Later in the series, and in his cameo appearances in the related series Dragon Ball, he devolves from an active invader to a pathetic figure, seen scrounging for trash in the background or briefly appearing in crowd shots at the World Martial Arts Tournament. His story concludes on a note of perpetual failure, as a plan to finally rule Penguin Village ends with the local police mistaking him for a member of the Red Ribbon Army and destroying his repaired spaceship for good, stranding him on Earth forever.
Despite his lack of success, King Nikochan has demonstrated a few notable abilities, though they are far from impressive. His most significant power is the capacity to destroy a planet, as shown when he blew up Mars. However, this feat is rendered completely useless and comedic by his inability to apply such force effectively against the protagonists of the story. He also possesses a spaceship capable of interplanetary travel, though it is lost with great frequency. His true abilities lie in his persistence and his knack for survival, as he consistently bounces back from failures that include having his ship eaten, crashing into a pterodactyl in the Stone Age, and being flushed down a toilet. Ultimately, his primary role is to be a harmless, comedic nuisance, a self-proclaimed king whose conquests amount to nothing more than a series of embarrassing and hilarious defeats.