[Anchorman]

Akita, Japan's most dismally depressed prefecture and holder of its Tragic Triple Crown, has a new superhero to lift its flagging spirits, according to Shukan Shincho (6/21).

Akita, located in the northern Tohoku area, has earned a reputation as the darkest, bleakest part of Japan -- a fact borne out by its Tragic Triple Crown of leading the country in suicide and cancer death rates and having the worst birth rate of any of the 47 prefectures.

"Akita's had the greatest number of suicides of any prefecture in Japan for the past 12 years and has been the No. 1 for cancer deaths for the past 10 years running," a reporter for a national daily tells Shukan Shincho. "And on top of that, the birth rate in Akita's been the lowest in the country for the past 12 years. All the prefectural government workers walk around looking gloomy."

Never fear, though! Akita now has its own super-performing superhero -- Chojin Neiga!

The story behind the superhero has a man called Ken Akita fighting off a plague of stink bugs and being rewarded for this by being turned into an incredible being called Chojin Neiga by a Namahage, a traditional Japanese monster closely associated with Akita. The story formed the lyrics of a song released last year that sold 10,000 copies in Akita Prefecture alone and inspired a mini-album due to go on sale on June 27.

Chojin literally means "super god," while Neiga is derived from the Namahage's most famous phrase in the Akita dialect: "Waruiko wa neiga?" (Are there any naughty little kids here?)

Tamotsu Ebina, who performs as Chojin Neiga, has a superhero past, having tried out for the role of Tiger Mask in Tokyo only to miss out due to injury. He returned to his native Akita and ran a gym for a while before coming up with the Akita-flavored superhero two years ago.

"Chojin Neiga has proved a real hit. He uses a sword fashioned from kiritanpo (mashed rice on a stick, an Akita delicacy) and is armed with a gun made from a hatahata egg (another Akita specialty). All the shows Chojin Negai performs in are played out using Akita dialect. They perform at shopping malls and on the streets, while also promoting government campaigns like elections or tax collection. They're also selling all sorts of merchandise in tie-ups with local businesses," the reporter tells Shukan Shincho.

Chojin Negai's popularity is apparently spreading out from Tohoku through the Kanto region toward Tokyo, but that doesn't mean the superhero is poised to cater to a nationwide fan base.

"We're going to start selling Chojin Negai products in Tokyo's Akihabara very shortly. Chojin Negai's schedule for the summer is already jam-packed," a spokesman for the Chojin Negai Project, the superhero's managers, tells Shukan Shincho. "Chojin Negai is cheaper than better-known superheroes like the Masked Rider or Ultraman, and he has the simple goal of fighting to combat Akita's Tragic Triple Crown, so it makes him really popular. But you'd better be aware: Chojin Negai only performs inside Akita Prefecture and there are no shows put on outside the bounds. If you want to see him, we're waiting in Akita." (By Ryann Connell)