An object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic charge image developing toner, a two-component developer, and an image forming method, each capable of employing a two-component trickle touchdown developing system which ensures excellent image density stability and no occurrence of ghost and is used in an electrophotographic copier or an electrostatic recording device. The present invention provides an electrostatic charge image developing toner having positive chargeability; containing a styrene acrylic resin as the binding resin; and containing a nigrosine-containing positive charge control agent and a negative charge control agent as the charge control agent, in which the percentage content of the percentage content of the negative charge control agent in all charge control agents is not less than the percentage content of the positive charge control agent.

A toner comprising: a toner particle comprising a binder resin; and an external additive at the surface of the toner particle, wherein, in a wettability test of the toner in a mixed methanol/water solvent, the methanol concentration at which the transmittance of light having a wavelength of 780 nm is 50% is 5 to 35 vol %, the external additive comprises a fluorine-containing particle, and the fluorine-containing particle is at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorine-containing titania particle, a fluorine-containing silica particle, a fluorine-containing alumina particle, a fluorine-containing titanium composite oxide particle and a fluorine-containing hydrotalcite particle.

An electrostatic charge image developing carrier, containing: a magnetic particle; and a resin coating layer that coats the magnetic particle and contains inorganic particles, and the electrostatic charge image developing carrier has a surface of a surface roughness satisfying a ratio B/A of a surface area B to a plan view area A of 1.020 or more and 1.100 or less, the plan view area A and the surface area B being obtained by three-dimensional analysis of the surface, and the magnetic particle has a surface roughness satisfying 0.5 μm≤Sm≤2.5 μm and 0.3 μm≤Ra≤1.2 μm, and Sm represents an average ruggedness interval and Ra represents an arithmetic average surface roughness.

A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier includes a core particle comprising a manganese-based ferrite particle having an apparent density of from 2.0 to 2.2 g/cm.sup.3 and a magnetization of from 44 to 52 emu/g in a magnetic field of 500 Oe; and a coating layer coating a surface of the core particle. The coating layer contains a carbon black, an inorganic particle A, and an inorganic particle B. The inorganic particle A and the carbon black each have a concentration gradient in a thickness direction of the coating layer. A concentration of the inorganic particle A increases toward a surface of the coating layer, and a concentration of the carbon black decreases toward the surface of the coating layer.

A carrier core material is represented by a composition formula M.sub.XFe.sub.3-XO.sub.4 (where M is at least one type of metal element selected from Mg, Mn, Ca, Ti, Cu, Zn and Ni, 0<X<1), in which part of M and/or Fe is substituted with Sr and formed of ferrite particles, and in the carrier core material, a Sr content is equal to or more than 2500 ppm but equal to or less than 12000 ppm, the amount of Sr eluted with pure water at a temperature of 25 C. is equal to or less than 50 ppm, an apparent density is equal to or more than 1.85 g/cm.sup.3 but equal to or less than 2.25 g/cm.sup.3 and magnetization .sub.1k when a magnetic field of 79.5810.sup.3 A/m (1000 oersteds) is applied is equal to or more than 63 Am.sup.2/kg but equal to or less than 75 Am.sup.2/kg.

A carrier for forming an electrophotographic image is provided. The carrier includes a core particle comprising a manganese-based ferrite particle having an apparent density of from 2.0 to 2.2 g/cm.sup.3 and a magnetization of from 44 to 52 emu/g in a magnetic field of 500 Oe; and a coating layer coating a surface of the core particle. The coating layer contains a carbon black, an inorganic particle A, and an inorganic particle B. The inorganic particle A and the carbon black each have a concentration gradient in a thickness direction of the coating layer. A concentration of the inorganic particle A increases toward a surface of the coating layer, and a concentration of the carbon black decreases toward the surface of the coating layer.

A carrier core material is represented by a composition formula M.sub.XFe.sub.3-XO.sub.4 (where M is at least one type of metal element selected from Mg, Mn, Ca, Ti, Cu, Zn and Ni, 0<X<1), in which part of M and/or Fe is substituted with Sr and formed of ferrite particles, and in the carrier core material, a Sr content is equal to or more than 2500 ppm but equal to or less than 12000 ppm, the amount of Sr eluted with pure water at a temperature of 25 C. is equal to or less than 50 ppm, an apparent density is equal to or more than 1.85 g/cm.sup.3 but equal to or less than 2.25 g/cm.sup.3 and magnetization .sub.1k when a magnetic field of 79.5810.sup.3 A/m (1000 oersteds) is applied is equal to or more than 63 Am.sup.2/kg but equal to or less than 75 Am.sup.2/kg.

A developer set includes a first developer and a second developer. The first developer includes a first toner and a first carrier. The second developer includes a second toner and a second carrier. The second toner is a toner that includes a flaky brilliant pigment, a toner that includes a white pigment, or a transparent toner. The second carrier has a higher volume resistivity than the first carrier and has a larger volume average particle diameter than the first carrier.

A development device includes an accommodation section that accommodates a developer and a developer bearing member that carries the developer in the accommodation section. The developer bearing member includes a magnetic member and a sleeve provided around the magnetic member rotatably around the magnetic member. The sleeve includes a metal substrate with a surface having projections and recesses and a plating layer covering the surface of the metal substrate. The plating layer contains chromium and cobalt. The developer contains a toner and the toner includes toner particles. The toner particles each include a toner mother particle and external additive particles attached to the surface of the toner mother particle. The toner mother particles contain a binder resin and a magnetic powder. The external additive particles include alumina particles with surfaces that are hydrophobized.

An image forming apparatus includes: a first image forming unit that includes a first image holding member and a first developing unit, the first developing unit accommodating a first developer that includes a first toner and a first carrier; a first transfer unit; a second image forming unit that is disposed downstream of the first image forming unit in a traveling direction of the transfer medium and includes a second image holding member and a second developing unit, the second developing unit accommodating a second developer that includes a second toner and a second carrier; and a second transfer unit, in which a volume resistivity of the first carrier is lower than a volume resistivity of the second carrier, and a volume average particle diameter of the first carrier is less than a volume average particle diameter of the second carrier.