Yoko Tsuno Mural

What if I told you, right here in Brussels, a Japanese electrical engineer named Yoko Tsuno battles robot dragons and travels through time? Look up at the Yoko Tsuno Mural. It’s a vibrant explosion of color on the side of a building at Rue Terre-Neuve 15. This mural, completed in June 2010, depicts a scene from “The Pagoda of the Nebulae,” the 23rd album in the Yoko Tsuno series. The Yoko Tsuno Mural isn’t just a pretty picture. It’s a celebration of a groundbreaking comic book heroine. Yoko Tsuno, created by Belgian artist Roger Leloup, first appeared in Spirou magazine in 1970. She challenged the male-dominated world of comics. Yoko’s adventures, alongside her friends Vic and Pol, take them from Bruges to outer space, tackling everything from suspended animation to alien civilizations called the Vineans. The detail in the Yoko Tsuno Mural, and the series itself, reflects Leloup’s meticulous research. He painstakingly recreates everything from Yoko’s outfits to the futuristic gadgets and detailed landscapes. The Yoko Tsuno Mural covers approximately 55 square meters. It was created by the non-profit organization Art Mural. They used a technique involving tracing paper and hand-painted details to bring Leloup’s vision to life. Interestingly, the mural’s inauguration included Brussels’ minister of scientific research. It aimed to encourage young women to pursue careers in science, a field where they are underrepresented. The Yoko Tsuno Mural is more than just art. It’s a symbol of adventure, intelligence, and the power of breaking barriers.