is a video game series developed by Sunsoft that was released primarily in Japan, with a few releases in Europe and Australia and one release in North America. It was one of the company's main franchises during the 1990s.
Hebe, the main character of the series, became Sunsoft's main mascot during this period, appearing on the company's logo in several games and commercials. The series features a comical, yet surreal setting and characters. The title of the series comes from a Japanese colloquialism for drunkenness. The series covers several different genres from platforming to puzzle, though they are all set in the same fictional universe. Although there are 9 games in the series, only 3 of them were released outside of Japan: ' for the NES, Hebereke's Popoon for the SNES, and Hebereke's Popoitto for the SNES, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn. All three of these games were only released in Japan and Europe, with no North American release, although Ufouria: The Saga would be released on the Wii Virtual Console in North America almost 18 years later, and on the Wii U Virtual Console in North America almost 22 years later.
The first Hebereke game for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released in the PAL region under the title of ', which changed the names of the main characters, while two of them had their looks changed. A North American release was planned, but canceled alongside Mr. Gimmick due to its quirky character design; however, the PAL region version was later added to the Wii Virtual Console in North America. A later set of games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System were also released under the Hebereke title, which retained the original names and looks from the Japanese version.
Developer Sunsoft used the characters and world featured in Hebereke in a series of games for Family Computer, Super Famicom, Sega Saturn, PlayStation, coin-operated arcades and mobile phones.
Ryà Âji Uchimichi, the series' character designer, drew a yonkoma manga series based on the games that were serialized by Tokuma Shoten in the Japanese magazine Family Computer Magazine (also known as "Famimaga" for short) since September 6, 1991. On September 3, 1993, the strip had its title changed to , which was eventually used for a fighting game for the Super Famicom. On September 30, 1995, the first two years' worth of strips were reprinted in a collection titled but the remaining strips were never republished. It was eventually christened on April 21, 1997, before getting cancelled on March 20, 1998, following the discontinuation of Famimaga.
A yonkoma manga series based on the Hebereke games, titled was released on August 12, 2013, being published by Comic Market in Japan.
On June 25, 1994, a soundtrack titled was released, published by DATAM Polystar. It featured original versions of the music from the first three Hebereke games: Hebereke, Hebereke's Popoon and Sugoi Hebereke. It also includes those from another Sunsoft game, Gimmick! (known in Europe as Mr. Gimmick). The soundtrack was composed by Naoki Kodaka, Phaseout & Mutec, and Masashi Kageyama, and was arranged by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
The series sports characters and graphics that are typically Japanese cuteness in design, done in the style of Bomberman, The New Zealand Story, and particularly Hello Kitty.
The series primarily involves a cast of four main characters: Hebe, O-Chan, Sukezaemon, and Jennifer. It also involves four notable minor characters: Bobodori, Pen-Chan, Utsujin, and Unyohn.
Hebe (sometimes referred to as "Hebereke", Bop-Louie in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara
, known in Ufouria as Bop-Louie, is a small white albino penguin (a living snowman in Ufouria). He is seen wearing a blue knit cap with a white pom-pom in it. He is the fastest in terms of speed, but he doesn't jump as high, can't walk on ice, and also cannot swim. He could extend his neck to attack enemies using the Kubidokkan attack. He can also climb using a suction cup. He usually end his sentences with . His first-person pronoun in Japanese is
O-Chan (Freeon-Leon in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Mika Kanai
, known in Ufouria as Freeon-Leon, is a little girl dressed with a cat suit (a male lizard in Ufouria). Unlike Hebe, she is able to swim in water and safely walk on ice without slipping. She has a high-flying personality and has a high laugh. Her first-person pronoun in Japanese is
Sukezaemon (Shades in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
, known in Ufouria as Shades, is a white ghost with black sunglasses and a red winged cap. With his light body, he can drift in the air for a long time. He also has a serious personality and is mostly polite. His first-person pronoun in Japanese is .
Jennifer (Gil in Ufouria)
Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba
, known in Ufouria as Gil, is a green anglerfish with a yellow antenna. He's an underwater expert, being able to walk underwater. He speaks badly, but is kind-tempered. His first-person pronoun in Japanese is .
Bobodori
Voiced by: Shigeru Chiba
is a male purple bird wearing a metal Helicopter Beanie. In the original Hebereke game, he helps Hebe by ferrying him across long gaps and rivers after he returns his inexplicably explosive egg. In Hebereke 2, he provides a fast travel service to transport Hebe between levels. His first-person pronoun in Japanese is .
Pen-Chan
Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara
is a little girl dressed with a penguin suit. She doesn't appear in the original game or it's sequel. She doesn't have a first person pronoun in Japanese, instead using her name.
Utsujin
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
is a male orange cat wearing an alien suit, being part of the Muu Cat Brothers clan; Unyohn's most elite minions. He usually starts his sentences with . He doesn't have a first person pronoun in Japanese, instead using , an abbreviation of his name.
Unyohn
Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
is an alien wearing a helmet. He is the final boss of Hebereke and the main antagonist of the series. His color palette depends on the game. His first-person pronoun in Japanese is .