Lady Red is a short 3-page oneshot manga done by Akira Toriyama, published in Super Jump in 1987.
The comic is a dark parody of western comics, even being done left to right instead of the usual right to left most manga are known for, with a former office assistant who turns into a superhero in order to help fight crime in her city, but she is also penniless.
The manga is quite controversial among fans of Akira Toriyama due to the Black Comedy it contains, with many calling it sexist. The manga has been reprinted in the second of the Akira Toriyama Exhibition books and also the Toriyama Grand Feast collection volume 1, a collection of Toriyama's short works.
Tropes presented in the story
- The Bad Guy Wins: The robber steals the purse, rapes the heroine, and gets away scott free.
- Black Comedy Rape: The punchline. Due to breaking her car, Lady Red asks a taxi to follow a robber in question, but since she has no money she ends up paying the taxi driver in sex. When she ends up arriving to the robber's hideout, the robber thinks nothing of her and just ends up raping her, and later paying her as a hooker. Since she is penniless, Lady Red decides to give up her life as a vigilante and instead turn to a hooker.
- Deconstructive Parody: Of superhero comics, with the comic even mirroring the way western comics are read. It predates comics like Kick-Ass in this regard, by pointing out vigilantism isn't very fancy for women, who are more likely of getting assaulted.
- Insane Troll Logic: Lady Red expected the taxi driver to not want money for helping an "ally of justice".
- Karma Houdini: Neither the robber nor the taxi driver are punished for raping Lady Red, and in the robber's case, stealing a purse.
- Lady in Red: While she didn't intend to get involved in sex, Lady Red does wear red and end up getting raped before becoming a hooker.
- Loser Protagonist: Lady Red gets raped twice and ends up being reduced to a prostitute in the span of three pages.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: We never learn Lady Red's true name.
- Primary-Color Champion: Lady Red wears red and yellow.
- Red Is Heroic: Lady Red obviously thinks so considering the superhero name she gave herself along with the red in her costume.
- Reused Character Design:
- The robber has a striking resemblance to the popular World Tournament Announcer from Dragon Ball.
- Angela, a Filler character from the Dragon Ball Z anime, looks practically identical to Lady Red herself. Jury's out on whether the anime staff found "inspiration" in the character or not. But since many minor characters in the Great Saiyaman episodes feature a lot of Toriyama's various one-shot characters, it's most likely intentional.
- Standard Female Grab Area: The robber immediately overpowers Lady Red with this trope.
