Doraemon has a pocket from which he produces gadgets, medicines, and tools from the future. The pocket is called yojigen-pocket (literally "fourth-dimensional pocket"). Some of the gadgets (dogu) are based on real Japanese household devices with fanciful twists, but most are completely science fiction (although some may be based on folklore or religious stories). Thousands of dogu have been featured in Doraemon." The number of gadgets has been approximated at 4,500. It is this constant variety which makes Doraemon popular both among children and among adults. In the series, the availability of dogu sometimes depends on the money Doraemon has available, and he often says some dogu are expensive in the future. The more famous ones include the "bamboo-copter" (which is very similar to the one that appears on the older series of Beany and Cecil), a small head accessory that allows flight; the "Anywhere Door," a door that opens up to any place the user wishes; and the "Time Machine." Some of the recurring dogu also appear in Fujiko F. Fujio's other works, including 21-emon, Kaibutsu-kun, Kiteretsu Daihyakka, Mikio to Mikio, and Paman.
Although he can hear perfectly well, Doraemon has no ears: his robotic ears were eaten by some robotic mice, giving him a series-long phobia of the creatures.
The only main female character is Shizuka Minamoto, who serves as a friendly and romantic interest for Nobita. Shizuka is intelligent and is Nobita's best and closest friend, and loves him second most (after her parents). Nobita's main enemies are Takeshi (nicknamed "Gian," from the English word giant), a consummate bully; and Suneo, who is cunning and arrogant. There are many recurring supporting characters, including Dekisugi, the student who always gets the best grades in Nobita's class; Nobita's parents; Gian's mother; Gian's sister Jaico; Gian's school teacher; Gian's descendants (from the future); Mii chan (Doraemon's cat girlfriend); and Doraemon's sister Dorami.
The stories are formulaic, usually focusing on the everyday struggles of the fifth grader Nobita, the protagonist of the story. In a typical chapter, Nobita comes home crying about a problem he faces in school and/or in the local neighborhood. After hearing him out, Doraemon often advises him, but that's never enough for Nobita, who consistently looks for the "quick, easy" way out (which offers insight to the viewers as to why Nobita's life turned out the way it did). Finally, after Nobita's pleading and/or goading, Doraemon produces a futuristic gadget out of his pocket to help Nobita fix his problem, enact revenge, or flaunt to his friends, especially Shizuka.
Unfortunately, when he has the gadget, Nobita usually gets into deeper trouble than before, despite Doraemon's best intentions and warnings. Sometimes Nobita's friends (usually Suneo or Gian) steal Doraemon's gadgets and end up misusing them. By the end of the story, the characters who do wrong are usually punished.