The Cyborg Kuro-chan Archive

Apologies for our recent absence from posting. Due to ongoing life issues, we decided to take a break from posting on our pages.

We'll be back eventually, so expect an update when we plan to return...

Scans from the July 2000 Comic Bombom featuring a promo for the Shin Bousou Kuro-chan set to release with Tomy Custom Box 3.

Also featured is a Nyan Nyan Army figure with interchangeable faces that was never released.

Looks like we're getting some new official CyKuro merchandise.

Naoki Yokouchi & the Comic Bombom PR Twitter accounts announced that Bandai will release these rubber keychains in gashapon machines starting in the final week of May 2025.

Going to be taking a break from posting on here, but hope you're having a great Easter.

Official Chicken Kuro art from CyKuro manga artists Naoki Yokouchi & Junta Uchida.

More Chicken Kuro cels but with their original backgrounds this time

Because of easter, we have a change to our usual schedule. It's time for some Chicken Kuro posts!

Let's begin with some cels from his first and only appearance in the anime, episode 15.

The Guru Guru Kuro-chan CD single was released in November 1999.

This 8mm CD features 4 tracks. Extended mixes of the anime's opening & ending, as well as instrumental versions.

Images of manga volumes signed by series creator Naoki Yokouchi.

All 3 of these images were sourced from posts on Twitter/X

A screenshot originally included on a Tsutaya listing for the PS1 game. It's believed to be from an earlier build of the game.

Figure 0 in the Tomy toy line (Runaway Kuro-chan) was an exclusive in Japan, only available through mail orders and in-person events.

It was first made available in Spring-99 through a mail order bonus included in the June issue of Comic Bombom.

A screen cap from Croatian-based TV channel Orlando Kids. The channel aired the CyKuro anime during the 2010s, with some clips being shared in 2016.

Most of these recordings were removed, with only footage from episode 15 being saved. The dub is now considered lost media.

Behind-the-scenes images for the 2012 Gatling Selection manga.

These were originally shared on a PR account on Twitter and feature a mix of inked pages and original drawings of an insert page and a bonus chapter included in the 2nd compilation volume.

Scans of a booklet that likely came with the CyKuro Pachinko machine, which was released in spring 2001.

It also came with a small keychain and a VHS tape featuring an informative showcase of the game and machine.

Special trading cards featuring stock art of Kuro.

These were a couple of special cards released by Amada in 2000. One special card was included in each set, alongside other cards featuring art from the first 8 anime episodes.

A bunch of animation cels from the anime. These photos were from an old auction that took place years ago.

We've got a new find!

Dollar Diffusion shared scans of the promo art from the September 2000 Kodansha TV Magazine. This double page features original art based on anime episodes 46, 47 & 48.

Also mentioned is a piece on a ticketed giveaway of a special VHS exclusive episode.

The first 20 chapters of the Cyborg Kuro-chan Extra Battle manga were actually produced in colour.

The original colour versions of these chapters are rarer due to them only being published in Comic Bombom, with the manga volumes printing them in monochrome.

The final 2 pages from the August 2000 Comic Bombom promos for the 2nd GBC game as well as some contests & giveaways.

Scans of magazine pages from the August 2000 issue of Comic Bombom. These focus on the upcoming 2nd Gameboy Colour as well as some contests & giveaways.

Photos of a Kuro plush released in Hong Kong by True & Cheers in 2001.

Front & back covers of the CyKuro TV Picture Books. Released in Japan in late-2000, these feature re-tellings of the first 2 anime episodes, as well as bonus pages featuring lyrics to the show's theme songs.

Coloured versions of the title pages for manga chapters 24, 29, 31 & 38.

These pieces are quite rare because they are only published in the Comic Bombom magazine. Every other release printed these pages without colour.

Screens from the Gameboy Colour games that would show up when trying to run them on an original Gameboy.

Due to more significant amounts of data being stored on GBC cartridges, they could not be played on the original system that only displayed monochrome content.

Let's talk about some possible cameos within the CyKuro anime...

Tomy released 4 different coloured Gatling guns during their run of the CyKuro figure line.

Bright green: exclusive to Chicken Kuro-chan
Dark green: Included with Kuro-chan, Mi-kun & Kotaro
Metalic dark green: exclusive to Runaway Kuro-chan
Dark Blue: Exclusive to Chef Mi-kun

Rare paperwork/model sheets originally created for use during the production of anime episode 67.

This episode was scheduled for broadcast in January 2001 but was cancelled after producers Public & Basic cancelled production in December 2000 and went bankrupt not long after...

When the 10th figure of the Tomy action figure line was promoted in late 1999, an early version with a different head mould was shown.

The prototype had an angry closed-mouth expression, while the final toy had an open mouth. Here's some of the promo material compared to the final figure.

A double page on Kuro's anatomy from the July 1999 issue of Kodansha TV Magazine.

Matatabi model sheets from the anime.

His design was actually changed slightly for his TV appearance. His missing right eye was changed to an eyepatch attached to his face with clips, and he was given a tan-coloured belly similar to Kuro's white belly, something he didn't have in the manga.