6421


In chapter 17 of Denki-gai no Hon'ya-san, page 9, a figure of a character
called Zabieru Tanegashima appears:

[![Zabieru
Tanegashima](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hjxsIm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/hjxsI.jpg)

Is this character fictional — as in a character existing only in-universe — or
is it based on/a reference to some other series' character?  
Or is it some other reference to something not anime related?


CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-19T20:25:55.040
5248
2013-12-25T17:39:34.547
2013-12-25T17:39:34.547
1908
49
question
denkigai-no-honya-san
What is this Zabieru Tanegashima character a reference to?


As was suggested by senshin in the comments, this is a moefied version of the
missionary [Francis Xavier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Xavier), the
first Jesuit missionary to arrive in Japan (in 1549), as well as the island
[Tanegashima](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanegashima). It is a source of
some debate among historians as to whether Xavier ever actually went to
Tanegashima (see for instance [this
article](http://www.jstor.org/stable/2383897)) but in any case Tanegashima is
the first known point of contact between the Japanese and the Europeans, by a
Portuguese ship blown off-course en route to China in 1543, and is thus
associated with the introduction of European culture to Japan and indirectly
(but strongly) to Xavier.

Moe versions of historical figures and other classic works are nothing new.
The most famous examples are probably people from the [Sengoku
Period](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengoku_period) (a time period that
Xavier's arrival conveniently falls in), though the [Three Kingdoms
era](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms) is also pretty common. Some
examples of this are [Sengoku
Collection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengoku_Collection), [Sengoku Otome:
Momoiro
Paradox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sengoku_Otome%3a_Momoiro_Paradox), [Oda
Nobuna no Yabou](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobuna_no_Yab%C5%8D), and
[Hyakka Ryouran](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyakka_Ry%C5%8Dran). This
moefication of historical figures has also been parodied in some other works,
like [Sayonara Zetsubou
Sensei](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayonara,_Zetsubou-Sensei) and [Princess
Jellyfish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Jellyfish). This appears to
be another parody in a similar vein.

For obvious reasons, Xavier is associated with Christianity in Japan. This
explains the large cross wielded by the character and the head ornament, both
of which are significant Christian symbols and which are the most prominent
features of the character design.

After reading the chapter myself, I don't think there's anything more to the
reference than that.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-12-19T00:19:57.563
6421
2013-12-19T00:32:54.223
2013-12-19T00:32:54.223
24
24
5248
answer