Locke the Superman

Locke the Superman, or Chōjin Locke, began as a self-published dōjinshi series by Hijiri Yuki in the late 1960s before transitioning to commercial publication in the late 1970s. The series explores the life of an immortal psychic entity who wanders through space and time, observing the rise and fall of civilizations while maintaining a detached, philosophical distance. Its origins in the fan-created subculture of early manga provided it with a unique, grassroots longevity that eventually solidified its place as a classic of the space opera genre.

Hijiri Yuki’s design for Locke is characterized by a minimalist, clean aesthetic that prioritizes the character’s internal loneliness and profound burden of age. Eschewing the hyper-masculine tropes common in sci-fi manga of the era, Yuki focused on a softer, more melancholic visual narrative. The series was well-received for its nuanced moral questions and epic scope, eventually spawning several animated adaptations and cementing Locke’s status as a foundational figure in Japanese science fiction storytelling.