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albertonykus · 28 days

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Doraemon Movies Ranked by Shizuka's Roles in Them

I've written before about how Shizuka seems underutilized in many of the Doraemon movies, but not all of the movies are made equal. To get a sense of which films portray her the best, I've ranked them based on her characterization and narrative role in each one.

Obligatory disclaimer that this is not derived from any type of standardized rubric or quantitative analysis, only my personal judgment and impressions of the franchise. In addition, this list is distinct from how I'd rank the movies based on my opinion of their overall quality and entertainment value. In general, increased focus on Shizuka (or any of the other main characters) is almost always a positive for me, but there are certainly Doraemon movies that I think are good yet don't feature her prominently, or ones that I don't enjoy as much even though they manage to portray her well.

Full ranking below the break. I've also linked to my reviews of each individual film to provide further context. May contain movie spoilers!

1. Nobita's Three Visionary Swordsmen (1994)

In many ways, this is Shizuka's movie. She has an active role for much of her screentime, undergoes the most personal journey, and is the one who finishes off the main villain. Furthermore, she gets moments to show that she's clever, works hard, and values kindness. Her key role is all the more remarkable considering that she doesn't "properly" join the main plot until nearly halfway through the movie.

Reinforcing her position as the central character is the fact that in the beginning of the movie, Nobita imagines himself as a hero who hides his true identity from his friends, but during the actual adventure, it's Shizuka who maintains a secret identity. It's a fun way to play with audience preconceptions.

2. Nobita and the Steel Troops (1986) 3. Nobita and the New Steel Troops (2011)

Shizuka is a major player in this story as well. Here, her foremost traits on display are her compassion and willingness to forgive, but that's not all. It's her knowledge of Doraemon's gadgets that provides a solution to the main conflict, and as I've previously written, it's also one of the few times that her kind nature is actually tested. Her precocious declaration that "Doing things that don't always make sense is being human" may be one of her best-known lines in the franchise, and for good reason.

None of the Doraemon movie remakes change Shizuka's roles enough to be given vastly different rankings from their original counterparts in my opinion, but if I were to compare the two different versions of Steel Troops, Shizuka's goodwill arguably shines even more in the original, considering that she was still determined to save Riruru after the robot made an attempt on her life (a scene cut from the remake)!

4. Nobita's Little Star Wars 2021 (2022) 5. Nobita's Little Star Wars (1985)

This story has one of the few "Shizuka gets kidnapped" subplots that I can actually tolerate, and a major reason why is that she is very actively involved with the rest of the narrative. From the moment that she's drawn into the main conflict, she does everything she can to help, despite admitting to having doubts and fears of her own. Her determination even ends up inspiring Suneo's own acts of bravery, and speaking of which, this is among the few Doraemon stories to showcase the dynamic between the two of them.

Comparing the remake and the original in this case is difficult, because beyond the scenes that they share, the two versions highlight different aspects of Shizuka's character. The remake heightens her positive qualities even more (the addition of her forcibly stopping Papi from turning himself in to the antagonists feels very in-character), but seeing her being a little self-centered during the movie-making subplot at the beginning of the original is kind of fun, too.

6. Nobita and the Castle of the Undersea Devil (1983)

Once again, Shizuka's kindness towards another character becomes an overarching subplot that is critical to saving the day. Furthermore, though this was the first Doraemon movie to use the "Shizuka gets kidnapped" plot point, it's an interesting version of it in that she volunteers to be captured as part of her plan to locate the main villain's hideout.

And what's her reaction to an unreasoning AI threatening to rain nuclear destruction on the world?

(Using a panel from the manga here because available English fansubs don't translate this line properly. It is in the movie though!)

7. New Nobita's Great Demon (2014) 8. Nobita and the Haunts of Evil (1982)

Although this story doesn't focus on Shizuka as much as the last few, she has a very important part in it, given that her realization about how the prophecy of the dog kingdom can be fulfilled is the key to the heroes' victory. Also, she beats up a gorilla and has fun doing it.

Her role is essentially unchanged across both versions of the movie, but I'm ranking the remake higher just for being a better-made film overall. In addition, she is careful to avoid actually hurting the gorilla in the remake, which seems like something she would do.

9. Nobita's Chronicle of the Moon Exploration (2019)

This is another movie in which Shizuka is not the focal character, but really comes in clutch at the end when the others need her. In general, giving her free rein to Doraemon's gadgets (as also occurs during key moments in Three Visionary Swordsmen and Steel Troops) is a good way to ensure that the day gets saved.

10. Nobita's Dorabian Nights (1991)

I give this movie a lot of flack for how nonsensical its story is and how excessively cruel it is to Shizuka. (Being trafficked as a slave due to her friends' thoughtless actions? What the hell?!) However, I have to admit that Shizuka herself is written quite well. She stays remarkably composed and sticks to her principles in the face of calamity, even when her prospects of rescue seem vanishingly remote. She is also resourceful enough to come up with a fairly credible escape plan, though it doesn't work out. She gets out of a hostage situation on her own during the climax, so that's something.

At the same time, she avoids coming across as unrealistically perfect, because the movie also gives her a few moments to be flawed: she can be short-tempered (snapping at Nobita for inviting her over for "kids' stuff"), and even a bit careless sometimes (remembering the wrong date for her camping trip)!

11. Nobita's Sky Utopia (2023)

Speaking of flaws, this next entry is one of the few movies to highlight Shizuka's. Here, it zeroes in on the fact that she can be stubborn, which many viewers might not have picked up on, but is very much a consistent part of her character. (Just consider how she insists on taking daily baths, no matter where she is and how inconvenient it might be.) As mentioned in my review, the film doesn't do as much with Shizuka's stubbornness as I would have liked it to, but the fact that it was put in the spotlight at all is still noteworthy. Not to mention, the scene where Shizuka, Gian, and Suneo own up to their flaws is one of the best in the movie.

That being said, the fact that this is enough to nearly qualify in the top 10 film depictions of the third most important character in a franchise with over 40 movies... is a little sad, isn't it?

12. Nobita and the Kingdom of Clouds (1992)

Although it doesn't achieve much, Shizuka does get a good character moment here when she's the only one of her friends to come up with a cogent, calmly stated argument (with minimal preparation, no less) in attempt to persuade the sky people not to follow through with their plan to flood the Earth.

She is also shown to be a good artist—check out her freehand design of this castle.

13. Nobita's Diary on the Creation of the World (1995)

Due to time constraints, a substantial portion of Shizuka's activities in this one happens offscreen, but what little we get to see shows that she apparently accomplished a lot! On top of that, she formulates a plan that helps Doraemon and Nobita subdue a giant centipede, and her artistic and note-taking skills come in handy for putting together their school report.

14. Nobita and the Birth of Japan (2016) 15. Nobita and the Birth of Japan (1989)

The opening act of this story is interesting for the insight it provides into each of the main characters. It probably isn't much of a surprise to see Nobita or Gian wanting to run from home, but why might a rule-abiding, responsible kid like Shizuka consider doing so? Well, like many other children who get branded as "well-behaved", it turns out she feels a fair bit of pressure from parental expectations.

She doesn't have much to do in the story after that, but to be fair, no one really does in the original movie. Everyone gets to contribute more in the remake, giving it a higher ranking by default, though Shizuka arguably still lacks a real standout moment to shine.

16. Nobita's New Dinosaur (2020)

Shizuka's most prominent moment in this one is probably the scene where she gives a motivational speech to Nobita. It's not much, but it's pretty sweet, actually. Otherwise, she does enough to maintain an active presence even when the spotlight isn't on her.

17. Nobita's Secret Gadget Museum (2013)

Another entry in which Shizuka doesn't get a whole lot of focus, but is involved enough to feel present. She defeats a petrifying Gorgon Head statue and locates a secret passageway. Also, seeing her get to laugh along with her friends is cute.

18. Nobita's Space Heroes (2015)

This is a hard movie to rank, because Shizuka contributes quite a lot during the action sequences and even takes down one of the major villains by herself. However... this is offset by how much the film seems to water down her characterization. Like I mentioned in my review, it's odd and inconsistent with her previous depictions that she would feel embarrassed about using her gadget-augmented strength. And at one point, she out of everyone in the group even admits to having forgotten about Nobita (who had last been seen in a life-threatening situation)!

As @filmfactors discussed in their own musings on Shizuka's characterization, there's also something lackluster about the fact that she's given water powers simply because she likes bathing (to the point where she's given a line to lampshade this). It's not so much that hydrokinesis doesn't work for Shizuka as a superpower—I actually think it'd be very appropriate for her to receive a power that would seem to require substantial mental and technical skill to use, and at the same time has immense destructive potential if not properly controlled. (Even though I know very little about X-Men, this is also why @cosmicmaskman's casting of Shizuka as Jean Grey feels very fitting to me.) I just would have preferred if it had been connected more to her actual skills and personality.

19. The Records of Nobita, Spaceblazer (1981) 20. The New Record of Nobita's Spaceblazer (2009)

This is an unusual story in that Shizuka isn't in much of it (and neither are Gian and Suneo, for that matter), which prevents me from ranking it higher. She does at least have a moderately prominent role during the screentime she has, acting as a mediator among her friends and convincing Gian and Suneo to help out during a crucial moment.

I place the original movie higher than the remake because I think it's generally better executed, but Shizuka's role is pretty much the same in both. As a bonus, the original includes one of the few times that she is shown playing baseball with the others.

21. Nobita's Earth Symphony (2024)

As said in my review, for a story about music, this movie met my bare minimum expectations for Shizuka's level of participation. She actively contributes throughout the narrative and her established experience with musical instruments is acknowledged. Even so, more could have been done with her. A gag where she volunteered to play the violin only to be stopped by the rest of the group would have been so easy!

22. Nobita and the Animal Planet (1990)

Although not much attention is drawn to her, Shizuka has a decent presence in this one. She's shown to be supportive of Nobita when Gian and Suneo make fun of him (but isn't above teasing him a little herself), figures out the explanation behind the animals' creation myth, and gets to help out in small ways here and there (at least as much as Gian and Suneo do).

23. Nobita and the Legend of the Sun King (2000)

Shizuka doesn't do very much here, but she contributes at least one thing of narrative importance. Her getting angry at Prince Tio is one of the main events that leads him to rethink his behavior and inspires his character development. She also pieces together what the villain's plan is (earning her a compliment from the villain), and seeing her play the prince in Snow White is a fun moment if nothing else.

24. Stand by Me Doraemon 2 (2020)

Given that this movie is about Shizuka and Nobita's wedding, she naturally has a major role in it. Yet half the time she feels more like a prop for Nobita's character development. Doing nothing but wait for a whole year after he mysteriously disappears from their wedding ceremony? Standing around while her friends desperately fight some older bullies, instead of trying to get help?

She does get a few moments to be an actual character though: she stands up to the aforementioned bullies (though understandably can't do much about them), and she proves to be perceptive, as at the end of the movie she figures out based on very few context clues that adult Nobita had gotten help from Doraemon.

25. Nobita and the Spiral City (1997)

Being kind pays off once more for Shizuka, as it leads a secondary antagonist to act in her (and her friends') favor at a critical juncture. Although important, neither this concept nor Shizuka herself are given nearly as much time or focus as they were in previous stories that used similar plot points, such as Castle of the Undersea Devil or Steel Troops.

26. Nobita and the Galaxy Super-express (1996)

Here, Shizuka makes the valuable discovery that the alien antagonists are vulnerable to soap solution. Like I commented in my review, this mainly seems like a contrived way to justify showing her in a bath scene though, so... ugh.

27. Nobita's Dinosaur (2006) 28. Nobita's Dinosaur (1980)

There isn't much in the way of practical contributions from Shizuka (nor from Gian and Suneo) in this earliest of the Doraemon long stories. Still, she has enough screentime to establish her general personality. She's nicer to Nobita than Gian and Suneo are, but at the same time doesn't always have much faith in him either. She worries about not being able to finish her homework when Doraemon suggests turning their journey to the Cretaceous into a camping trip, and she puts herself at risk to try and save a baby sauropod from a Tyrannosaurus rex.

The remake gives pretty much everyone a characterization boost, so it gets a higher ranking than the original from me. Perhaps the most noteworthy addition for Shizuka is her argument with Suneo over whether they should hand Piisuke over to the dinosaur poachers.

29. Nobita and the Tin Labyrinth (1993)

There's very little for Shizuka to do in this one, but seeing her being a bit competitive and accepting a bet from Gian and Suneo is at least an interesting character moment. (The manga did it better though.)

30. Nobita's Treasure Island (2018)

I already spent too many words dissecting Shizuka's subplot in my review of this movie, but to summarize: for the amount of screentime she gets, it really doesn't do her many favors. She barely contributes to resolving the main conflict in any meaningful way, nor is there much insight into her character that you normally wouldn't get. The friendship she strikes up with Sarah is cute, I suppose. If only it mattered more to the story.

31. The Record of Nobita's Parallel Visit to the West (1988)

The main thing Shizuka does in this movie is play the part of Tang Sanzang. Unfortunately, playing the part of Tang Sanzang also means not doing very much other than getting captured by monsters.

32. Nobita and the Knights on Dinosaurs (1987)

We're running out of notable movie roles for Shizuka at this point in the list, but there are a few character moments here at least. She plays her violin for the first time in a Doraemon movie, gets praised by Gian for being smart, and spots the approaching bolide that will cause the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (though no one listens to her). There's an odd scene that implies she is jealous when Nobita crushes on Roo the dinosauroid girl.

33. Nobita and the Winged Braves (2001)

This would have been the perfect story for the filmmakers to remember that Shizuka has a pet bird, which they do. Her pet even ends up in the bird dimension alongside the main characters. The movie then proceeds to do... absolutely nothing interesting with this concept. Considering that the relationship between humans and birds is a major theme here, it would have been a great opportunity to use Shizuka and her canary to make some form of commentary on this topic, but no.

To add insult to injury, Shizuka doesn't participate in the big race that occurs halfway through the movie, and gets sidelined during the climax.

34. Nobita in the Wan-Nyan Spacetime Odyssey (2004)

Shizuka, uh... drives a truck in this one. I guess that's something.

35. Nobita's Great Adventure in the South Seas (1998)

She helps fight the villain's bioengineered monsters during the climax, but that's about it.

36. Nobita Drifts in the Universe (1999)

Along with Gian and Suneo, she helps hold off enemy forces during the climax, but this occurs almost entirely offscreen. She also gets some surface-level bonding with Freya the alien fairy so the latter can feel guilty about betraying the heroes later.

37. Nobita and the Windmasters (2003)

This movie does many things very well, but giving Shizuka meaningful focus is not one of them. She gets a couple of cute scenes here and there, and helps rescue Fuuko, which amounts to nothing because Fuuko gets recaptured almost immediately afterward.

38. Nobita's Great Adventure in the Antarctic Kachi Kochi (2017)

Outside of some general participation in group scenes, Shizuka is nearly a background character here.

39. Nobita in the Robot Kingdom (2002)

Another one in which Shizuka is largely relegated to the background. What's sad is that if the film had followed the manga's version of events (as discussed in my review), it almost certainly would have placed in the top 10 of this ranking.

40. Nobita and the Island of Miracles (2012)

Could the filmmakers really think of nothing else for Shizuka to do during the climax other than using the ethically dubious Cheerleader Gloves?

They did try to give her a good moment in this movie by having her sharply rebuke Nobita for panicking over not having access to Nobita's gadgets. I guess it's meant to show her staying resolute and level-headed during a crisis, but as I commented in my review, this didn't really work for me as it feels very uncalled for in the context of the story.

41. Nobita and the Green Giant Legend (2008)

I can barely remember anything Shizuka did in this movie. In fairness, that's also true for everyone else besides Nobita.

42. Nobita's Great Battle of the Mermaid King (2010)

The most focus that Shizuka gets here is another excessively cruel subplot about her getting kidnapped and held hostage, which doesn't even do much for the narrative besides extend the runtime of the movie. The brief moment in which she body-slams one of the villain's minions during the final battle doesn't quite make up for it.

43. Nobita's Great Adventure into the Underworld (1984) 44. Nobita's New Great Adventure into the Underworld (2007)

Shizuka's role in this story is mostly limited to being on the wrong end of a running "joke" about her underwear being repeatedly exposed. Any minor contributions that she does get to make could have been given to other characters or written out with little impact on the overall story.

Astoundingly, the remake manages to make the panty shot "jokes" even worse.

45. Stand by Me Doraemon (2014)

A movie about Shizuka being gaslit, emotionally manipulated, and treated as a trophy. No, thank you.

#Doraemon #Shizuka Minamoto #Anime #ドラえもん

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