DoRaeMoN

Doraemon is sent back in time by Nobita Nobi's great-great grandson Sewashi to improve Nobita's circumstances so that his descendants may enjoy a better future. In the original timeline, Nobita's failures in school and subsequently, his career, have left his family line beset with financial problems.
Set in Japan around early 1980s, the stories are formulaic, usually focused on the everyday struggles of fourth grader Nobita, the protagonist of the story. In a typical chapter, Nobita comes home crying about a problem he faces in school or the local neighborhood. After Nobita's pleading or goading, Doraemon produces a futuristic gadget to help Nobita fix his problem, enact revenge, or flaunt to his friends.
Nobita usually goes too far, despite Doraemon's best intentions, and gets into deeper trouble than before. Sometimes, Nobita's friends (usually Suneo or Jaian) steal the gadgets and end up misusing them. However, by the end of the story, there is usually retribution to the characters who end up misusing them, and a moral lesson is taught.

Main characters

Fujiko's friends say that every main character represents elementary school student archetypes Fujiko noticed in his own school days.

Doraemon

Doraemon is the robotic cat sent back in time by Sewashi to aid Nobita. He possesses a fourth-dimensional pocket from which he can acquire various manner of futuristic tools, gadgets, and playthings from a future department store. Doraemon originally had ears but they were bitten off by a robotic mouse in the 22nd century. As a result, he developed a morbid fear of mice despite being a robotic cat. He also has the tendency to panic during emergencies, characterized by him frantically trying to pull out a very much-needed tool from his pocket, only to produce a huge assortment of unrelated household items.

Doraemon's physical appearance changed as the manga progressed. At first, he was predominantly blue, with a blue tail, a white stomach, and flesh-coloured hands and feet. He also stooped, and had a body much larger than his head. In later issues, he sported a smaller body, white hands and feet, and a red tail--the appearance most identify him with today.

In "The Doraemons" story arc, it is revealed that Doraemon's original paint color was yellow. After getting his ears gnawed off by a robot mouse, he slipped into depression on top of a tower, where he drank a potion labeled "sadness". As he wept, the yellow color washed off and his voice changed due to the potion.

Doraemon weighs 129.3 kg (285 lbs) and measures at 129.3 cm (4'3") tall. He is able to run at 129.3 km/h (80.3 mi/h) when scared and jump 129.3 m (424.2 ft) when threatened. His maximum power is 129.3 bhp. He is manufactured on September 3, 2112 (12/9/3), at the Matsushiba Robot Factory . Doraemon is considered a substandard product because many of his robotic features (ie. radar whiskers and cat-calling bell) malfunctioned after production.

Doraemon's favourite food is dorayaki , a Japanese treat filled with red bean paste. Speculations led to dorayaki being the origin of his name. However, it was revealed in one of the manga chapters that his name originates from the Japanese word nora neko for "stray cat", and the -emon ending which is part of traditional Japanese names, as seen also in, for example, Ishikawa Goemon.

Nobita Nobi (Nobi Nobita)

Nobita is the other major character of the series. He is a fourth grader^[2] in Tokyo's Nerima Ward and an only child. He wears glasses, a red or yellow polo shirt with a white collar, and blue shorts. Nobita's character flaws are endless: he is lazy, uncoordinated, dim-witted, frail, plain-looking, unlucky, and bad at sports. Nobita's typical day consists of arriving late to class, scoring zeros on his exam, getting lectured by his teacher, being bullied by classmates Gian and Suneo, falling into curbside rain gutters, being chased by dogs, and getting yelled at by his mom for refusing to do his homework. However, his everyday struggles are what drive the storyline.

Despite his flaws, Nobita does possess unique talents such as his unrivaled marksmanship and ability to weave intricate string figures. Although Nobita is frequently portrayed as being cowardly, he has often risked his life to help save others or even entire civilizations (as seen in full-length stories).

Shizuka Minamoto (, Minamoto Shizuka)

Shizuka, usually called Shizu-chan or Shizuka-chan , is the smart, kind, and pretty neighborhood girl who is the object of Nobita's affections. She takes baths several times a day. Somehow, Nobita always seem to unintentionally walk in on her (via the Dokodemo Door) while she is still in the bathtub. She is also known for taking piano lessons unwillingly, which is sometimes used as an excuse for declining to hang out with Nobita. Her true passions are sweet potatoes and the violin, in which her playing is as atrocious as Gian's singing. Due to Doraemon's intervention, Shizuka becomes Nobita's wife in the future timeline.

Takeshi Goda ( Gōda Takeshi)

Takeshi, usually known by the nickname "Gian" (Jaian) from English word "giant", is the big, strong, and quick-tempered local bully. His nickname may be derived from giant. He is known for his confidence in his terrible singing voice. He regularly subjects the neighborhood children to horrendous singing recitals, which is sometimes combined with his equally bad homemade dinner. Several of the stories revolve around Nobita and his friends' efforts to avoid Gian's concerts.

He also frequently steals other children's toys and books under the pretext of "borrowing" them, unless the toy is damaged. However, he does not hesitate to help Nobita and his friends when they are in real trouble, which often occurs in the movies. Although he bullies the other children (mostly Nobita), he is terrified of his mother, who runs the local grocery store. He founded his own baseball team named after himself. Although Nobita is often blamed for the losses against the baseball team's rival, the "Tyranos", Gian and Suneo still force Nobita to play because they do not have enough players.

Gian has a younger sister named Jaiko, whom he adores.

Suneo Honekawa (, Honekawa Suneo)

Suneo is the fox-faced rich kid who loves to flaunt his material wealth before everyone. He is often seen with Gian, serving as Gian's lackey while they bully Nobita together. Some of the stories start with Suneo showing off some new video game or toy which evokes Nobita's envy. He has an extensive knowledge of science, and is a talented artist and designer. He also has a younger brother Sunetsugu , who was adopted into his uncle's family in New York.

In some scenes, Suneo is seen as a narcissist who loves to stare at himself in the mirror while telling himself that he is the most handsome guy in the world. He is still a bed-wetter and needs to wear diapers when he sleeps, despite being in the fourth grade. He considers this humiliating habit his secret weakness. Suneo is also very self-conscious about his height, being the shortest kid in his class.

Minor characters

Jaiko

Jaiko is Gian's younger sister who would have been Nobita's wife in the future had Doraemon not intervened. She appears in the very first chapter of the manga, even before the introduction of Gian. Her name Jaiko is usually considered a nickname, but Fujiko never gave her a real name. An aspiring mangaka, Jaiko goes by her amateur mangaka pen name Christine Goda (Kurisuchīne Gōda), and sometimes submits her manga to publishing companies for prizes. She is sometimes referred to as Hana.

Hidetoshi Dekisugi ( Dekisugi Hidetoshi)

Hidetoshi is Nobita's classmate and rival for Shizuka's affections. He always gets perfect scores on his tests, but never shows off his abilities. He willingly helps Nobita whenever he has philosophical or scientific questions. His name literally means "brilliant over-achiever", and his last name is a pun on dekisugiru, which means "over achieving". Unfortunately for Nobita, Shizuka tends to prefer the company of Hidetoshi, who is more of her intellectual equal.

Dorami

Dorami, also known as Dorami-chan, is the younger sister of Doraemon. Strangely enough, they are siblings due to the fact that they shared half of the oil from a can. She lives in the 22nd-century Tokyo with Sewashi, Nobita's great-great-grandson. She is yellow and has ears that resemble a large red bow. She likes melonpan and is afraid of cockroaches. She is also shown to be a more advanced robot than Doraemon (Dorami is able to produce 10,000 horse power, in comparison to Doraemon's 129.3). She sometimes visits Nobita with a time machine when Doraemon is "off-duty."

Sensei

Nobita's homeroom teacher. He is a strict taskmaster who often punishes Nobita for failing to do his homework. The punishments range from standing in the hallway to sweeping the classroom after-school. His real name is unknown and he is only referred to as "Sensei", but in the NTV anime his name is given as Ganari

Kaminari

An old man who lives next to the vacant lot where Nobita and the gang play baseball. They sometimes accidentally throw baseballs, rocks, or even one of Doraemon's gadgets through his window, breaking it and knocking over his prized bonsai. The children refer to him as Kaminari-oyaji (, Old Man Thunder), because he shouts so loud that they scatter. Kaminari is his surname.

Tameru Kaneo

Tameru tends to accompany Suneo and Jaian. He has a friend whose name is never mentioned, and the two of them are always seen together. Kane wo tameru, the way his name is read in Japanese, means "to save money" in Japanese.

Mini-Doras

Mini-Doras are actually gadgets of Doraemon. They are mini versions of Doraemon, each with a different color. They can think and feel for themselves, and communicate with Doraemon through the "Mini-Dora" language. They act as helpers for all sorts of tasks, such as repairing the internal mechanism of Doraemon.

Nobita's family

Tamako Nobi (Nobi Tamako)

Nobita's mother. She is usually seen scolding Nobita or sending him on errands. A caring mother, but she is often disappointed by his academic failures and laid-back attitude.

Nobisuke Nobi ( Nobi Nobisuke)

Nobita's father and laid-back salaryman. He is very considerate of Nobita, often seen arriving home from work to placate Tamako's anger towards Nobita. He has trouble quitting smoking and is self-conscious about his inability to pass the driving test. He also has a poor memory and sometimes arrives home drunk from nightly business meetings. He was once an aspiring art student.

Sewashi

Nobita's great-great-grandson. He is the one who sends Doraemon back to the past to look after Nobita. Sewashi first bought Doraemon in 2112 when Doraemon still had ears and his original factory paint. He is also the owner of Doraemon's sister, Dorami.

Nobisuke

Nobita's son. He is named after Nobita's father. He is a better athlete than Nobita and far more clever. In one of the stories, he did not hesitate to beat up young Nobita when young Nobita tried to stop him from running away from home. Also, he is shown as being a bully and brave enough to bully Gian's son.

Opening Theme:

"Doraemon (1973 OP)" by Harumi Naitoh

"Doraemon no Uta" by Satoko Yamano

Ending Theme:

"Doraemon Rumba (1973 ED)" by Harumi Naitoh