Shintarō Mugiwara, the creator of the popular baseball manga Dorabase, is launching a new baseball series. Titled Wan!, the series will debut in the June issue of Weekly CoroCoro Comic magazine on June 2, 2025.
A Genius Reincarnated
Wan! features a story about a genius baseball player who is reincarnated as a dog. The title Wan! is the Japanese onomatopoeia for a dog’s bark.
Mugiwara’s Baseball Legacy
Shintarō Mugiwara is well-known for Dorabase, a baseball manga spin-off series based on the characters of the long-running Doraemon series. Dorabase, subtitled Doraemon Super Baseball Gaiden, ran from September 2000 to October 2011 in CoroCoro Comic magazine. The series follows Kuroemon, a cat robot similar to Doraemon, who captains the Edogawa Doras baseball team. The manga chronicles the team’s journey as they face various opponents and improve from a struggling team to a world-class amateur baseball team. A sequel, Shin Dorabase, ran from April 2012 to October 2014.
Mugiwara’s connection to Doraemon extends beyond Dorabase, as he was also an assistant to Fujiko F. Fujio, the creator of Doraemon. He even created a manga about Fujiko F. Fujio’s life story from his perspective as an assistant.
Other Works
Prior to Wan!, Mugiwara worked on Tsuri Spirits (Fishing Spirits), a manga adaptation of Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Ace Angler: Fishing Spirits game. The Tsuri Spirits manga was serialized from December 2022 to February 2024, with three compiled book volumes published.
Mugiwara also created Baseball Star Metman, a sports manga about a boy named Sora who meets a mysterious helmet and starts playing baseball.
Inspiration and Impact
Mugiwara’s work has resonated with many, including professional baseball players. Toshiya Sato, a catcher, and Koshiro Wada, an outfielder, mentioned Dorabase as their favorite baseball manga on a radio program. Mugiwara, who was listening to the program, was so touched that he drew the two players as a gift. Sato and Wada were impressed by the detailed illustration. Mugiwara has stated that his dream was for someone to read his baseball manga and become a professional baseball player.
Where to Read
Wan! will be serialized in Weekly CoroCoro Comic magazine, starting on June 2, 2025. Dorabase was originally published in Monthly CoroCoro Comic. Some of Mugiwara’s works have been released in other countries, such as Indonesia.
