Every year, it takes the passion and hard work of expert growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley to harvest the enormously delicious fruit, dubbed “dekopon” for its bumpy skin and interesting look. And, every January through April, enthusiastic fans of the fruit wait to stock-up at the grocery store to indulge in their healthy obsession.

But the Sumo Citrus phenomenon as we know it today wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the fruit’s humble beginnings in 1970’s Japan. One dedicated researcher’s determination to develop the world’s most perfect fruit didn’t come without years of trial and error, before resulting in the iconic hybrid mandarin.

To this day, the difficult-to-grow fruit with bumpy skin and a Top Knot® is raised with the same level of care and commitment season after season, reminding us that, “The imperfect results of our hard work are far sweeter than the perfection of our ideas.”

Sumo Citrus, in partnership with Hypebeast, presents the origin story of the legendary fruit in an illustrative manga comic by the skillful hand of anime-creator Chris Metzner, who brings to life the fruit’s Japanese origins in a tale of obsession.

Read the story here