Though not the protagonist of the series at all, Higegojira was a very early example of a Shonen Jump mascot character that was highly popular in that regard despite not being the focus of the story and would appear on covers regularly without necessarily appearing in the chapter. Though other series would follow in having a mascot that wasn’t the main character, Higegojira is also set apart in that he was a reprehensible and controversial villain (even though he had a very comical appearance).
