Star Wars: Remember When Chewbacca Got a Sexy Manga Makeover?

In case you weren't already aware, there have been a couple different manga adaptations of the [...]

In case you weren't already aware, there have been a couple different manga adaptations of the Star Wars films in the past, and one particular adaptation of The Empire Strikes Back actually turned Chewbacca from a hairy mountain of fur into something far more... sensual.

Now, this isn't to say the famous Wookiee didn't already have his charms, and there's a whole swath of people out there that will argue for his sexiness from the start, we're sure, but there's something undeniable about how Chewbacca is depicted in the 1999 manga Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back by artist Toshiki Kudo. Author Sam Sykes reminded folks of this overlooked fact on Twitter at the end of October, specifically referring to Chewbacca as a "bishounen dreamboat."

You can check out that tweet, with an image of the manga as evidence included, below:

"Bishounen" here basically means "pretty boy," and Chewbacca's eyes and facial hair alone seem to fit the bill.

Now, you might be asking, "wait, why is Chewbacca a dreamboat in Empire Strikes Back but not A New Hope? Surely he features in both." Well, hypothetical friend, you're not wrong; the character does feature in both manga adaptations, but 1998's A New Hope was by artist Hisao Tamaki, and the art is decidedly less favorable to everyone's favorite co-pilot. (Sorry, Nien Nunb, but it's true.)

What do you think of Chewbacca's makeover? Does it do anything for you? Let us know in the comments!

Star Wars: Episode IX is scheduled to open in theaters December 20, 2019. It was recently confirmed that a prequel series to Rogue One, starring Diego Luna, was in development for Disney's new streaming service, Disney+. The various Star Wars manga adaptations are available via Amazon as well as via various digital outlets.

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