Kazuo Nakano

Kazuo Nakano is the vice editor-in-chief of Weekly Shonen Jump and the editor-in-chief of Fresh Jump. Because of this, he was often caricatured by Jump’s mangaka, especially in Yudetamago’s manga series Kinnikuman, where he became a regular supporting character.

He is usually referred to as Nakano-san (中野さん) and typically refers to himself as “Aderans” Nakano-san (アデランスの中野さん, Aderansu no Nakano-san) (Aderans is a maker of wigs); his wig is usually loose and falls off most episodes of Kinnikuman. His role in Kinnikuman and Kinnikuman Nisei is primarily as a color commentator. In Ultimate Muscle, he is called “Doc” Nakano; however, he is not a doctor of any kind.

Kazuo Nakano is a short, middle-aged man who appears frequently throughout Kinnikuman and Kinnikuman Nisei. He is an odd little man who will often skip work in order to see a wrestling match and sometimes tries to get involved in the fight (though he is always knocked away in the next panel). For really big matches, he has been known to sell his wife in order to afford a ticket. Nakano-san is generally viewed as an idiot and a nuisance, although he’ll usually be the first to laugh at Kinnikuman’s stupidity. In earlier chapters, he seems to like gyudon as much as Kinnikuman, preferring it served as saranami (meat and rice served separate). He serves as the Color commentator in the anime and in Kinnikuman Nisei.