TV-Series
Description
Rerere no Ojisan, also called Uncle Rerere or Old Man Rerere, recurs across Fujio Akatsuka's works, most prominently in The Genius Bakabon franchise. He possesses a bald head, exceptionally long earlobes, no visible nose, shiny black eyes, and a wide mouth displaying three teeth. Horizontal lines above his mouth form his mustache. He typically wears a checkered-pattern yukata, often in yellow or green, with wooden geta sandals, though flashbacks to earlier life stages show him in formal suits. His character design reflects Shigeru Sugiura's artistic influence, especially in facial expressions and hand gestures.
His personality centers on an unwavering dedication to street sweeping, singing "clean, clean" while performing this self-appointed duty. He habitually asks neighbors, "Are you going out?"—a trait defining his early tentative name. Generally easygoing and harmless, he reacts with fierce aggression toward anyone disrupting his cleaning, often smacking offenders with his broom. He persists in sweeping regardless of weather or time, using an umbrella in rain or sweeping late at night, and has slept in a street futon to stay near his territory. This unpaid work is treated as a natural calling.
His background includes a history of marriage and family. He once deeply loved his wife, with whom he raised 25 children—five sets of quintuplets. The chaotic household required constant sweeping to manage messes and herd children to school. His wife has passed away, and all children are now independent adults, leaving him alone. He finds fulfillment in his cleaning routine despite this solitude. Early sporadic appearances show him with a young son resembling a miniature version of himself, though the son's presence in later narratives is inconsistent.
His relationships span Akatsuka's interconnected universe. He is a neighbor to the Bakabon family, frequently perplexed by their antics. He has a twin brother, Yoyoyo, distinguished by "yo"-shaped katakana eyes and a suit preference. A non-canonical brother, Rururu, was created as an Astel Tokyo mascot. A character named Tarita, predating Rerere with similar traits, is suggested as a cousin. His interactions with Bakabon's Papa range from casual exchanges to confrontations when Papa disrupts his cleaning.
Beyond The Genius Bakabon, he appears in other Akatsuka Star System media, including Osomatsu-kun (1988), phased out after 19 episodes. In Osomatsu-san, a resembling character appears in the "Dayon Tribe" as an in-joke. He also features in works like Extraordinary Ataro, Let's La Gon, and various educational or promotional materials.
His personality centers on an unwavering dedication to street sweeping, singing "clean, clean" while performing this self-appointed duty. He habitually asks neighbors, "Are you going out?"—a trait defining his early tentative name. Generally easygoing and harmless, he reacts with fierce aggression toward anyone disrupting his cleaning, often smacking offenders with his broom. He persists in sweeping regardless of weather or time, using an umbrella in rain or sweeping late at night, and has slept in a street futon to stay near his territory. This unpaid work is treated as a natural calling.
His background includes a history of marriage and family. He once deeply loved his wife, with whom he raised 25 children—five sets of quintuplets. The chaotic household required constant sweeping to manage messes and herd children to school. His wife has passed away, and all children are now independent adults, leaving him alone. He finds fulfillment in his cleaning routine despite this solitude. Early sporadic appearances show him with a young son resembling a miniature version of himself, though the son's presence in later narratives is inconsistent.
His relationships span Akatsuka's interconnected universe. He is a neighbor to the Bakabon family, frequently perplexed by their antics. He has a twin brother, Yoyoyo, distinguished by "yo"-shaped katakana eyes and a suit preference. A non-canonical brother, Rururu, was created as an Astel Tokyo mascot. A character named Tarita, predating Rerere with similar traits, is suggested as a cousin. His interactions with Bakabon's Papa range from casual exchanges to confrontations when Papa disrupts his cleaning.
Beyond The Genius Bakabon, he appears in other Akatsuka Star System media, including Osomatsu-kun (1988), phased out after 19 episodes. In Osomatsu-san, a resembling character appears in the "Dayon Tribe" as an in-joke. He also features in works like Extraordinary Ataro, Let's La Gon, and various educational or promotional materials.