An electrostatic latent image developing toner includes a plurality of toner particles each including a core containing a binder resin and a shell layer covering a surface of the core. The shell layer contains a copolymer of at least two compounds including a compound represented by formula (1) shown below. In the formula (1), R.sup.11 represents a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted alkyl group having a carbon number of at least 1 and no greater than 8, and R.sup.12 represents an optionally substituted linear alkyl group having a carbon number of at least 8 and no greater than 22.

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The toner of the present invention is an electrostatic latent image developing toner, and has a toner base particle. The toner base particle contains a binder resin including a crystalline resin, and a release agent. The toner has the maximum value G′.sub.MAX at a temperature equal to or lower than Tm, among specific storage elastic modulus ratios, of 2.2 or more. The Tm represents a peak top temperature (° C.) of a specific endothermic peak in DSC of the toner.

An electrostatic charge image developing toner includes toner particles, polishing agent particles which have a number particle size distribution having two peaks, and fatty acid metal salt particles which have a number particle size distribution having one peak, wherein the toner satisfies relationships expressed by expressions: (1) Da≦0.5×Dt, (2) Dc≦0.5×Dt and (3) Dt≦Db, wherein Da represents a particle diameter of a small-diameter-side peak in the two peaks of the number particle size distribution of the polishing agent particles, Db represents a particle diameter of a large-diameter-side peak in the two peaks of the number particle size distribution of the polishing agent particles, Dc represents a particle diameter of a peak of the number particle size distribution of the fatty acid metal salt particles, and Dt represents a volume average particle diameter of the toner particles.

An electrostatic latent image developing toner includes a plurality of toner particles each having: a sea-like domain substantially formed from a plurality of resins including at least a polyester resin containing an alcohol component having a carbon number of 2-6; and a plurality of island-like domains distributed in an island-like pattern in the sea-like domain. The island-like domains are substantially formed from a resin containing a nigrosine pigment. A dispersion diameter of the island-like domains is 0.1-1.0 μm. The polyester resin containing the alcohol component having a carbon number of 2-6 is contained in the sea-like domain in an amount of 5-50% by mass relative to a total amount of constituent resins (the plurality of resins). A ratio of an SP value of the resins forming the sea-like domain to an SP value of the resin forming the island-like domain is no greater than 0.98 or at least 1.20.

Provided is a toner, including toner particle having surface layer, in which: the surface layer includes organosilicon polymer which has a partial structure represented by formula (1); in .sup.29Si-NMR measurement of tetrahydrofuran-insoluble matter of toner particle, a ratio of a peak area for the partial structure represented by formula (1) to a total peak area for the organosilicon polymer is 5.0% or more; in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis of a surface of toner particle, a ratio of a density of a silicon atom dSi in the surface of toner particle is 1.0 to 28.6 atom %; and in a roughness curve of toner particle measured by using a scanning probe microscope: an arithmetic average roughness Ra is 10 to 300 nm; σRa/Ra is 0.60 or less; an average length RSm of a roughness curve element is 20 to 500 nm; and σRSm/RSm is 0.60 or less.

Provided is a toner that is improved in transferability as compared to the related art and that keeps its effects through repeated use. In particular, provided is a toner suppressed in dependency on transfer current control. The toner includes a toner particle including a surface layer containing an organosilicon polymer and a resin having an ionic functional group, the organosilicon polymer having a partial structure represented by the following formula (1), the toner particle containing 5.0% or more of the partial structure represented by the formula (1) per 1.000 silicon atom contained in the organosilicon polymer, the resin having an ionic functional group having a pKa of 6.0 or more and 9.0 or less:
R.sup.0—SiO.sub.3/2  (1)
in the formula (1), R.sup.0 represents an alkyl group having 1 or more and 6 or less carbon atoms, or a phenyl group.

A toner comprising: a toner particle containing a toner base particle containing a binder resin and a colorant, and a resin particle fixed to a surface of the toner base particle; and an inorganic fine particle A, wherein the surface of the toner particle has protruded portions originating in the resin particle, an average length (D) of long sides of the protruded portions is 50 nm to 300 nm, an average Height (H) of the protruded portions is 25 nm to 250 nm, the average long-side length and the average height of the protruded portions satisfies a specific relationship, and an average value of a compactness of the inorganic fine particle A is 0.40 to 0.80, and the attachment rate of the inorganic fine particles A is 0.1% to 5.0% by area.

An electrostatic charge lavage developing toner includes kneaded and pulverized toner particles that contain a binder resin and a release agent, the release agent being partially exposed, and an external additive that contains silica particles having a compression aggregation degree of from 60% to 95% and a particle compression ratio of from 0.20 to 0.40.

An image forming apparatus includes a developing unit that contains an electrostatic charge image developer and develops an electrostatic charge image formed on a surface of the image holding member with the developer, wherein the developer contains a carrier and an electrostatic charge image developing toner that includes a toner particle which contains a urea-modified polyester resin, and includes, in a vicinity of a surface thereof, vinyl resin particles; and an external additive which contains silica particles having a compression aggregation degree of 60% to 95% and a particle compression ratio of 0.20 to 0.40.

A brilliant toner includes release agent domains meeting conditions (1) a length of the release agent domain in a longitudinal axis direction is 300 nm to 1,500 nm, (2) a ratio between the length in the longitudinal axis direction and in a short axis direction of the release agent domain is 3.0 to 15.0, (3) an angle between (a) a tangent line passing through a contact point of (a1) a circumference of a circle that is centered at a centroid of the release agent domain and is inscribed in an outer edge of the toner particle and (a2) the outer edge and (b) a line passing through the centroid and extending in the longitudinal axis direction is 0° to 45°, and (4) a ratio of a distance between the centroid and the contact point to an equivalent circle diameter of the toner particle is 0.03 to 0.25.