How is it that Super Psychic Policeman Chojo keeps adding more interesting characters, yet the main one still needs to find his niche? We’re currently at the third volume of Shun Numa’s series, and while everyone else gets some solid moments, Chojo himself has yet to showcase why he should be the main character. Even when a chapter involves him, it feels like the focus is still on everyone except him. Honestly, it’s been puzzling how Super Psychic Policeman Chojo would rather beef up Nao, Cop-Bot, and the rest of the gang instead of the guy whose name is in the manga’s title!

So yeah, a new character arrives, in the form of Hyuji Shishihara. A former yakuza boss, he spent three years in the slammer after Chojo threw him in there. Now out of prison, Hyuji aims to change his life for the better, starting with cleaning up his act and getting an honest job. But when he runs into Chojo, rival mode kicks in and shows how the mind-reading cop and the former yakuza boss are practically one and the same. The only difference: one of them actually wants to grow up and be a better person, and it ain’t the cop!

Watching Hyuji get a job at a local FamilyMart has its fun moments, especially when Chojo reveals his past history as a sales clerk. One moment that stands out is how Hyuji’s former comrades want to drag him back into the world of crime. Fortunately, Chojo and Nao are there to stop them from making a ruckus at the FamilyMart, which shows a kinder side of Chojo that the series has been hinting at. But even when Hyuji wants to grow up, Chojo and the others find ways to drag him back into a childlike mindset, which brings about some good humor from time to time.

As for the titular character of the series, the volume is bookended with two stories that attempt to show Chojo’s growth. It starts with him constantly beating kids at the arcade, only for Lily to put the psychic cop in his place with her button skills. Even funnier is when his go-to character gets nerfed, resulting in the kids beating him relentlessly. I’ll admit that I got a good chuckle when Chojo bolts out of the arcade, crying like a toddler.

The other big story involves Chojo having his powers negated. When you have psychic skills, you find yourself using them for just about everything. So when Chojo has to be a normal cop for once, he finds that his usefulness at the station plops down to a negative percentage. It’s only when he regains his powers to help a citizen when he fully realizes what he should be using his skills for. (However, since this is a comedy series, he’ll probably be back to his old ways by the next volume.)

On top of Chojo, the rest of the squad get to have their time in the spotlight. Cop-Bot runs away after being overworked, and humorously becomes a delinquent when it seems like no one else at the station cares about him. Nao meets up with Keinain for lunch, with her “dating” skills being more like tropes you’d see in a rom-com. Even Inukai gets to have his own chapter, as he learns how to play a certain top battle game that temporarily turns him into a cartoonish villain.

For the most part, Volume Three of Super Psychic Policeman Chojo has some good stories and humor. Be that as it may, it still has trouble finding a place for Chojo himself. Where everyone else has their growth and uniqueness, the psychic cop can’t seem to find his place as the main protagonist. You’d think by now that Numa would’ve figured out how to make Chojo himself interesting. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case, which is why I motion that either Nao or Cop-Bot take top billing until this series finds something for Chojo to properly do. 

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.