Yonkoma manga (4コマ漫画, "four cell manga"), or 4-koma for short, is a Japanese comic strip format which generally consists of gag comic strips within four cells which is read from top to bottom. The cells are usually equal in shape and flow in vertical sequence. They also sometimes run in right-to-left horizontal or a hybrid 2x2 style depending on the layout requirements of the publication in which they appear. These comic strips appear in almost all types of publications in Japan, including manga magazines, graphic novels, the comics section of newspapers, game magazines, in cooking magazines, and so forth. The plot often ends within the four cells, although some serial development may pass on to future installments, creating a somewhat continuous story. Some yonkoma also tackle serious topics, though most do so with humor. Well-known manga drawn using the yonkoma style include Sazae-san, Nono-chan, Baito-kun, Azumanga Daioh and Lucky Star. The vertical format is used in several Western webcomics, including Ghastly's Ghastly Comic, Nelshael and Sexy Losers. The 2x2 format has been used by Megatokyo and Shortpacked.
See also
- Kishotenketsu - A writing technique specific to 4-panel comics.
