Questions about 20th Century Boys? (Spoilers!) (2025)

NOTE: I finished the manga somewhere in March 2014, so I apologize if my memories are vague as I explain things

1. Why did Fukubei became ''friend''?

Fukubei was a unstable individual who had an obssesive goal to impress people. This though was unreachable for him, since he was literally a non existent person. Everyday he was there, standing alongside with the group of Kenji's friends, but no one noticed him that he was there. No one would ask him what the world expo was like, no one would ask him for advices and no one would call him over to play. Basically Fukubei was alone the whole time. This made Fukubei spend more time with himself, analyzing things and whatnot, this is I how he became charsimatic, I believe. Now, since he was unable to impress people, plus the fact that he wanted to be superior against Kenji, made Fukubei a psychopath.. Now, a psychopath has many definitions. Normally a psythopath would be someone who onky kills and is sadistic, but Fukubei isn't like that. I say he's a psychopath because he is aware what he's doing. Killing people, spreading viruses, manipulating people all in order to get noticed by everyone. This way, Fukubei managed to reach that unreachable goal he had when he was a child, he finally is able to impress people with what he's doing, in other words he attarcts individuals with his "supernatural powers", which in reality were all tricks. Now this, add the obssesion he had to beat Kenji, is what made Fukubei to become "Friend". Basically he was the one who started all this.

2. From where does his charisma comes from, how he managed to influence such a huge crowd to follow him?

As I explained above, he used tricks to impress people around him and succedd to attract them towards himself for his further ambitions.

3. Fukubei always seemed malevolent, had he a grudge against Kenji? If I recall correctly the chapters when he wanted to do a summer homework about the Osaka Expo to make Kenji envious or something? Furthermore, he treated Sadakiyo like a trash. Can someone explain me a little more about these chapters?

Fukubei hated Kenji because the latter would get all the attention. He was basically the leader of his group of friends, while Fukubei would stay in the shadow, alone, without being noticed by others. As yoshitsune said, all the group members have absolutely no memories of Fukubei as a child. Even though fukubei was there, he literally was non existent towards them, this leading to him shutting himself down and becoming unsocialable.

4. What does ''bending spoons'' actually present? What was so special about it?

Bending spoons was also one of Fukubei's tricks. In the classroom, the teacher told everyone to close their eyes and try if they actually bend the spoons. Fukubei bended the spoons, but everyone had their eyes closed. That being, Fukubei lost another chance of getting noticed by others.

5. What business Fukubei had with Manjoume? The whole ''Example project'' thing? That stuff really
meant something to Fukubei, why so?

Chapters 201,202 and 203, answer your questions perfectly.

6. The event in science room? I didn't understand a heck of it. Fukubei ''hung up'' himself which was in fact a trick. Then older himself a.k.a Friend came in and tried to kill him by pulling his legs down? What was that all ''science room scenario'' for? What did he wanted to prove?

Ah, the miracle. Fukubei once again wanted to do another trick. Sadakiyo and Yamane would spread the news in the other day and say that Fukubei is a supernatural human who was brought back to life. Hanging himself was another trick of fukubei, but once again got ruined by Donkey. He witnessed the whole thing and contradicted what fukubei was trying to do. In those moments, Fukubei's foot slipped and he was dying for real there but I dont remember how he was saved.

That was katsumata, he didn't want the others who were there (if i recall, there were yoshitsune, otcho and kanna). So katsumata protected the trick of fukubei, because if he would let them watch the scene, his foot would slip and his trick would get ruined, thus leaving an evidence to kanna that Fukubei was a fraud.

7. After Fukubei died, Katsumata took his place. Seems too simple to me, so a leader dies and let's switch the title to another one, huh?

Fukubei had this as a backup plan. He had katsumata to take his place in case he died. Fukubei was the only one who acknowledged Katsumata's existence because he "died" when the old woman accused him for stealing the medal or something like that. In fact the one who stole it was kenji, so Katsumata loathed kenji for that, thats why he replaced fukubei when he died.

8. I'm especially curious what was the relationship between Katsumata and Sadakiyo? They wore the same masks, another interesting note is that Fukubei and Katsumata looked almost identically.

They just were Fukubei's tools, nothing more than that.

9. Ths is a bit trivial, but what suggests that giant egg that was sometimes shown when the mask of a boy was taken off to reveal his true face.


The egg head was shown in the virtual attraction, which were the memories of Fukubei throughout his life. When kenji removed katsumata's mask, a giant blank face was behind it. Meaning, even fukubei had no idea what katsumata looked like.

10. Why did the daughter of professor Shikishima became extremely loyal to Friend as it is shown at the very end?

I have no idea for this, sorry.

Questions about 20th Century Boys? (Spoilers!) (2025)
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