Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun

Keppeki Danshi! Aoyama-kun, or Cleanliness Boy! Aoyama-kun, began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Young Jump in 2014. Created by mangaka Taku Sakamoto, the series emerged during a period of interest in niche sports comedies that subverted traditional tropes. It tells the story of Aoyama, a brilliant young soccer player whose debilitating mysophobia forces him to navigate the high-stakes, physically demanding world of high school athletics while striving to remain entirely germ-free.

The design and narrative focus reflect Sakamoto’s interest in the tension between Aoyama’s athletic prowess and his idiosyncratic aversion to contact. By centering the comedy on a protagonist who refuses to touch others or the ground, the series explores themes of social connection and personal boundaries. It was eventually adapted into an anime series in 2017, which brought wider attention to Sakamoto’s clean, expressive art style and the unique premise that established Aoyama as a memorable character in the sports manga genre.