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is a Japanese
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series written and illustrated by
Tsukasa Hojo is a Japanese manga artist. He studied technical design while still at Kyushu Sangyo University, where he began to draw manga. He worked on several one-shot stories before releasing his serialized works: '' Cat's Eye'', '' City Hunter'' and ' ...
. It was serialized in
Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
's manga magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...
'' from 1985 to 1991, with its chapters collected in 35 volumes. The manga was adapted into an
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
television series by Sunrise Studios in 1987. The anime series was popular in numerous Asian and European countries. ''City Hunter'' spawned a
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program, o ...
consisting of numerous adaptations and spin-offs from several countries. The franchise includes four anime television series, three anime television specials, three made-for-television animated films, two animated feature films for theatrical release ('' Shinjuku Private Eyes'' in February 2019 and '' Angel Dust'' in September 2023), several live-action films (including '' City Hunter'', a Hong Kong film starring
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
, and '' Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon'', a French film), video games, and a live-action Korean TV drama. It also had a spin-off manga, '' Angel Heart'', which in turn spawned its own anime television series and a live-action Japanese TV drama.


Plot

The series follows the exploits of Ryo Saeba, a "sweeper" who is always found chasing beautiful girls and a private detective who works to rid Tokyo of crime, along with his associate or partner, Hideyuki Makimura. Their "City Hunter" business is an underground jack-of-all-trades operation, contacted by writing the letters "XYZ" on a communal at
Shinjuku Station is a major railway station in Tokyo, Japan, that serves as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central/eastern Tokyo (the Special wards of Tokyo, special wards) and Western Tokyo on the inter-city rail, commuter rail, and rapid tr ...
. One day, Hideyuki is murdered, and Ryo must take care of Hideyuki's sister, Kaori, a tomboy who becomes his new partner in the process. However, Kaori is very susceptible and jealous, often hitting Ryo with a giant hammer when he does something perverted. The story also follows the behind-the-scenes romance between Ryo and Kaori and the way they cooperate throughout each mission.


Characters

; : :Ryo is the main protagonist of the series. At the age of three, Ryo was the only survivor of a plane crash in Central America. He was raised as a guerilla fighter and has no knowledge of his prior identity. After the war, Ryo makes his way to the United States, before eventually moving to Tokyo. :While in Tokyo, he forms the "City Hunter" team with Hideyuki Makimura, but after Hideyuki's death, Kaori takes his place as Ryo's new partner. A highly skilled gunman, Ryo is known for executing the "one-hole shot", a series of shots that all land in exactly the same spot on the target. His preferred weapon is the
Colt Python The Colt Python is a double action/single action revolver chambered for the .357 Magnum cartridge. It was first introduced in 1955 by the Colt's Manufacturing Company. Dougherty, Martin ''Small Arms: From the Civil War to the Present Day'', Ne ...
.357 Magnum. :Ryo invented the nickname ''Umibozu'' for his fellow colleague Hayato Ijuin, and he answered giving Ryo his own, (an ironic name, because Ryo is a real pervert who tries to hit on any beautiful woman he meets or sees, failing every time). Ryo is an accomplished marksman with revolvers, semiautomatic guns, machine-pistols, rifles, carbines and crossbows; he knows hand-to-hand combat very well and drives as a real daredevil when needed; his car is a
Mini The Mini is a very small two-door, four-seat car, produced for four decades over a single generation, with many names and variants, by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors British Leyland and the Rover Group, and finally ...
. ; : :Kaori is Ryo Saeba's partner. She is primarily responsible for arranging clients and other managerial tasks. Ryo's skirt-chasing rouses her ire more than just once. Though the partners frequently pick on fights or arguments, they actually form a great team together. She might have been mistaken as a man sometimes due to her hairstyle. She is Hideyuki's adoptive sister, her birth name being . ; : :Hideyuki is Kaori's adopted older brother and Ryo's partner at the beginning of the series. Kaori is not related to him by blood, his father had adopted her when she was a child. He is a former police detective with a strong sense of justice. Kaori become Ryo's partner and takes over her brother's role after he is murdered by gangsters. His last wish before he died was for Ryo to take care of his sister. His first name is not specified in the original manga, but when it was adapted into an anime, the official setting for his first name was established as 'Hideyuki', the same as the voice actor who voiced him. ; : :Umibōzu is another "sweeper" working the rounds in Tokyo. Umibozu is a Special Forces enemy of Ryo's from the Central America conflict. Despite being on opposing forces, the two develop a friendship and mutual respect. Between his jobs, Umibozu works as waiter at the Cat's Eye café, owned by Miki, his former fellow soldier and lover. He goes by the professional name and his real name is ; the kanji ''haya'' in his name can also be read ''hayabusa'' (falcon in Japanese), hence his professional name; the nickname " Umibōzu" was given by Ryo. His favorite weapons are the S&W M29 .44 Magnum six-inch revolver, the Saco-Defense M60 machine-gun (sometimes he uses the M249) and the M1A6
bazooka The Bazooka () is a Man-portable anti-tank systems, man-portable recoilless Anti-tank warfare, anti-tank rocket launcher weapon, widely deployed by the United States Army, especially during World War II. Also referred to as the "stovepipe", th ...
. Despite his fearsome appearance he has a phobia of kittens, he is very shy with women and much more unselfish than Ryo. His vision is very weak because a fight he had with Ryo in Central America, when Ryo was a guerrilla fighter and Umibozu was a mercenary; since then, Umibozu wants a duel with Ryo to close that story; during the series, he will go permanently blind and he'll have to learn how to use the other four senses to move and fight; however, he decides to not retire before finishing their matter. Later Shin Kaibara, Ryo's adoptive father and former guerrilla fighter who became a drug lord, comes in Japan; his drug was tested on Ryo during his youth, causing him to attack Umibozu and his unit; when Umibozu learns this from Bloody Mary, an old acquaintance of Ryo's and daughter of the other Ryo's fatherly figure in the jungle, he joins Ryo and Kaori against Kaibara. During the last story arc he marries Miki, but she is shot by enemy soldiers deployed by a new enemy of Ryo; Umibozu enters the firefight trusting Miki will not die. :The Umibōzu is a ''yokai'' (spirit) from Japanese folklore; he is said to turn ships upside down if someone aboard talks to him; he is portrayed bald as a (Buddhist monk); the character ''umi'' means 'sea'. ; : :Miki was a war orphan who Umibozu found in a completely destroyed village. Contrary to her habits, Umibozu decided to take her with him and teach her everything she knew so that she would one day be able to get by on her own. Only when Miki shows her intentions of joining the Umibozu guerrilla squad will she understand that she has radically changed her life, and feeling guilty will he try to make her a "normal" girl again by abandoning her, after making her believe that he would return to the civilized world with her. Miki, however, does not give up and after much research she manages to find her Falcon and make him accept a pact: if she manages to kill Ryo Saeba, Umibozu will agree to marry her. To do this Miki will become the owner of the Cat's Eye, where Ryo will begin to go more and more often attracted by the beauty of the woman. In the end Miki does not kill Ryo, but thanks to Kaori's complicity and that of Ryo himself, she is still able to have him next to her in the Cat's Eye, until they get married. The Cat's Eye becomes a staple of the anime and a favorite bar for the two sweepers, as that's where they will always take their customers and give rise to the most spectacular fights. ; : :Saeko is a Tokyo police detective and Reika's older sister who often outsources certain tasks to the City Hunter team. Ryo keeps a long and detailed list of what Saeko owes him for the various favours he has done for her, which she always manages to avoid paying. ; : :She is the private investigator of "RN Detective Agency", the younger sister of Saeko Nogami and the neighbor of Ryo Saeba. ; : :She was one of Ryo Saeba's clients after Ryo himself finds out that Kasumi is Phantom 305, a night thief in the making with similar motives as to the members of Cat's Eye, ; : :He was a guerilla fighter fighting alongside Ryo Saeba and Bloody Mary's father. Currently he is the leader of Union Teope, a drug syndicate.


Media


Manga

Written and illustrated by
Tsukasa Hojo is a Japanese manga artist. He studied technical design while still at Kyushu Sangyo University, where he began to draw manga. He worked on several one-shot stories before releasing his serialized works: '' Cat's Eye'', '' City Hunter'' and ' ...
, ''City Hunter'' started in
Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...
's manga anthology ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...
'' on February 26, 1985, and ran until the December 2, 1991, issue. Its chapters were collected by Shueisha in 35 volumes, under the ''Jump Comics'' imprint, between January 15, 1986, and April 15, 1992. In these volumes the series is grouped into 55 different stories or "episodes" instead of as their original individual chapters. Each story is centred on a different female character or "heroine". The series was an 18 volume edition by Shueisha from June 18, 1996, to October 17, 1997. A third edition of 32 volumes was published by
Tokuma Shoten is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company's product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, man ...
from December 16, 2003, to April 15, 2005. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the series, a fourth edition ''City Hunter XYZ edition'' is being published by Tokuma Shoten across twelve volumes. The first volume was published on July 18, 2015. The eighth volume was published on October 20, 2015. Attempts were made to license the series for the American comic market during the 1980s; however, Hojo insisted the manga should be released in the right-to-left format. In 2002
Coamix is a Japanese manga and anime production company headquartered in the in Kichijōji, Musashino, Tokyo.事業概要
...
created an American subsidiary,
Gutsoon! Entertainment Gutsoon! Entertainment, Inc. was a publisher of English translated manga. The company, headquartered in Encino, Los Angeles,"." Raijin Comics. February 6, 2003. Retrieved June 17, 2011. "To seek our permission, you may write to Gutsoon! Entert ...
. ''City Hunter'' was a flagship title in their ''
Raijin Comics ''Raijin Comics'' is a discontinued manga anthology published from 2002 until 2004 in North America by the now-defunct Gutsoon! Entertainment and largely backed by the Sega Corporation at its inception. The collected volumes of ''Raijin Comics' ...
'' anthology. ''Raijin'' switched from a weekly format to a monthly format before being cancelled after 46 issues. In 2022, Coamix's MangaHot service began publishing ''City Hunter'' manga in English digitally. In April 2025,
Abrams ComicArts Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mary ...
announced that it will start releasing the manga in an omnibus edition in print under its Kana imprint on September 9 of the same year. Kana is using a new English translation for the release.


Spin-offs

In 2001, Hojo started a spin-off series titled '' Angel Heart''. The series takes place in a universe parallel to ''City Hunter'', where the character of Kaori Makimura is killed and her heart transplanted into Xiang-Ying, ''Angel Heart''s protagonist. A spin-off manga titled was launched in Tokuma Shoten's ''
Monthly Comic Zenon is a Japanese manga anthology. It is marketed to ''seinen'' public (young adult men), edited and published monthly by Coamix. From 2010 to 2020, it was formerly published by North Stars Pictures and Tokuma Shoten. It was produced as a replaceme ...
'' magazine on July 25, 2017. It is centered around a 40-year-old unmarried woman who is a fan of Ryō Saeba and the ''City Hunter'' manga, and suddenly dies in a train accident and is reincarnated into the world of ''City Hunter''.


Anime

The series was adapted into an anime series produced by
Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...
, directed by Kanetsugu Kodama and broadcast by Yomiuri Television. * ''City Hunter'' was broadcast for 51 episodes between April 6, 1987, and March 28, 1988, and released on ten VHS cassettes between December 1987 and July 1988. * ''City Hunter 2'' was broadcast for 63 episodes between April 8, 1988, and July 14, 1989, and released on ten VHS cassettes between August 1988 and March 1990. * ''City Hunter 3'' was broadcast for 13 episodes from October 15, 1989, to January 21, 1990, and released on six VHS cassettes between November 1990 and April 1991. * ''City Hunter '91'' was broadcast between April 28 and October 10, 1991, and released on six VHS cassettes between February and July 1992. The series was later reissued as 20 video compilations. A 32-disc DVD boxset, ''City Hunter Complete'', was published by
Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...
and released in Japan on August 31, 2005. The set contained all four series, the TV specials and animated movies as well as an art book and figures of Ryo and Kaori. 26 of the discs comprising the four series were then released individually between December 19, 2007, and August 27, 2008. 30,000 box sets were sold, grossing (), in Japan. For the 30th anniversary of the original manga, buyers of all 12 volumes of ''City Hunter XYZ edition'' were entitled receive a "motion graphic anime" DVD. The DVDe adapted a special ''Angel Heart'' chapter entitled "Ryo's Proposal" and was voiced by the original ''City Hunter'' cast. The series was licensed by
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gr ...
for release in North America; they announced their acquisition in May 1998 at Project A-Kon 9. The first ''City Hunter'' series was released on the ADV Fansubs label in March 2000. The aim of this label was to provide cheaper subtitled-only VHS releases at a faster pace than usual. The series was scheduled for 13 tapes, consisting of four episodes each. The tapes could be ordered individually or as a subscription service. ADV later released the series on DVD. The first series was released as two boxsets of five discs on July 29, 2003. ''City Hunter 2'' was released as another two boxsets of five discs on October 28, and November 18, 2003. ''City Hunter 3'' was released as a single boxset on December 2, 2003, and ''City Hunter '91'' was released on December 16, 2003. On April 20, 2019,
Discotek Media Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. History Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retr ...
announced that they had licensed the entire ''City Hunter'' animated franchise, including the 2019 movie, ''Shinjuku Private Eyes''. The first 26 episodes of the first series were released on Blu-ray on February 25, 2020, and ''City Hunter '91'' was released on April 26, 2022.


Theatrical movies

Three theatrical movies were released in 1989 and 1990: ''.357 Magnum'' was released on June 17, 1989, ''Bay City Wars'' was released on August 25, 1990, and ''Million Dollar Conspiracy'' was released on August 25, 1990. ADV released ''.357 Magnum'' on VHS on August 10, 1999 and on DVD on April 8, 2003. They released ''Bay City Wars'' and ''Million Dollar Conspiracy'' on VHS on October 12, 1999 and January 25, 2000, respectively, and later released a DVD containing them as well as a bonus television episode, "The Lady Vanishes", on June 3, 2003. During their panel at
Otakon Otakon ( ) is an annual three-day anime convention held during July/August. From 1999 to 2016, it took place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland's Inner Harbor district; in 2017, it moved to the Walter E. Washing ...
2022, Discotek Media announced that they licensed all the previously licensed ADV film releases and ''Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba'' television movie, and released them in a Blu-ray collection on January 31, 2023. A theatrical movie produced by Aniplex, titled ''City Hunter the Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes'', set in present-day Shinjuku, premiered in Japan on February 8, 2019, after Sunrise and Kenji Kodama returned to animate and direct the film, respectively. The Kisugi sisters of '' Cat's Eye'' appeared in the film as a crossover. Teruo Satoh and Takahiko Kyōgoku served as episode directors, while Kumiko Takahashi designed the characters and
Taku Iwasaki is a Japanese composer and arranger. His hometown is Tokyo, Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japa ...
composed the music. The film debuted No. 4 at the Japanese box office, where it has grossed () as of March 17, 2019. The film earned () by April 15, 2019, in two months since its release, becoming the third top-grossing Japanese anime film of 2019 up until then, and it had grossed () in Japan by the end of 2019. ''Shinjuku Private Eyes'' was released in France on June 13, 2019. Philippe Lacheau, the director and star of the French live-action film adaptation '' Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon'', was involved with the French distribution of ''Shinjuku Private Eyes''. Discotek Media premiered the English dub of the movie at Otakon 2019, and released it on Blu-ray on May 26, 2020. Another film was announced in 2022. '' City Hunter: Angel Dust'' was released on September 8, 2023. ''Shinjuku Private Eyes'' made around 1.53 billion JPY at the box office (equivalent to roughly $10.5 million US), while ''Angel Dust'' made around 1.06 billion JPY (equivalent to roughly $7 million US).


Television movies

Three television movies were produced: ''The Secret Service'' was broadcast on January 5, 1996, which was followed by ''Goodbye My Sweetheart'' on April 25, 1997, and ''Death of Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba'' on April 23, 1999. ADV released ''Goodbye, My Sweetheart'' as ''City Hunter: The Motion Picture'' in North America on VHS on November 18, 1998 as their first release from the franchise, later releasing it on DVD on July 23, 2002. They released ''The Secret Service'' on VHS on December 5, 2000 and on DVD on June 25, 2002. Discotek Media released ''Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba'' with all films previously licensed by ADV in a Blu-ray collection on January 31, 2023.


Live action


Hong Kong films

''
Saviour of the Soul ''Saviour of the Soul'' (Chinese: 魔宮奇俠; released in the Philippines as ''The Good and the Bad'') is a 1991 Hong Kong martial arts film, martial arts Hong Kong action cinema, action film, directed by Corey Yuen, and starring Andy Lau, Ani ...
'' (九一神鵰俠侶 ''Gauyat sandiu haplui'') is a live-action
Hong Kong film The cinema of Hong Kong ( zh, t=香港電影) is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese-language cinema, alongside the cinema of China and the cinema of Taiwan. As a former Crown colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of ar ...
from 1991 that uses the characters from ''City Hunter'' but changes the plot. In 1996, ''Mr. Mumble'' kept the concept of ''City Hunter'' but changed the characters' names. In 1993, a live-action Hong Kong theatrical adaptation of the series was released. The film was directed by
Wong Jing Wong Yat-cheong, known professionally as Wong Jing (, born 3 May 1955), is a Hong Kong filmmaker and actor. A prolific filmmaker with strong instincts for crowd-pleasing and publicity, he played a prominent role in Hong Kong cinema during ...
and starred
Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born Chan Kong-sang; 7 April 1954), known professionally as Jackie Chan,; is a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, known for his slapstick, acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, and innovative stunts, which he typically perf ...
as Ryo Saeba, Wang Zuxian as Kaori, and Japanese idol Kumiko Goto. During filming of the movie, Chan dislocated his shoulder. The movie has been criticised by Chan. Fortune Star and
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
later released it on R1 DVD along with other budget classic HK films.


Proposed Chinese film

In 2016, a new
Chinese film The cinema of China is the filmmaking and film industry of mainland China, one of three distinct historical threads of Chinese languages, Chinese-language cinema together with the cinema of Hong Kong and the cinema of Taiwan. China is the hom ...
based on ''City Hunter'' was announced to be in development. It was announced that it would be directed by Hong Kong filmmaker
Stanley Tong Stanley Tong (; born 7 April 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, stunt choreographer, screenwriter, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is known for directing action-adventure films, including several with Jackie Chan. Early life Stanl ...
and star Chinese actor
Huang Xiaoming Huang Xiaoming or Mark Huang ( zh, s=黄晓明, p=Huáng Xiǎomíng, born 13 November 1977) is a Chinese actor and singer. Huang rose to prominence for playing Emperor Wu of Han in the television series '' The Prince of Han Dynasty'' (2001), foll ...
as Ryo Saeba.


French film

A separate French
action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...
'' Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon'' (lit. "Nicky Larson and Cupid's Perfume") was released in France on February 6, 2019. The French adaptation has Philippe Lacheau as director as well as the star, playing the title character Nicky Larson (as Ryo Saeba is known in the French dubs of the anime series).


Netflix film

In December 2022,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
announced a live-action film adaptation in the works with lead actor Ryohei Suzuki as Ryo Saeba and Misato Morita as Kaori Makimura. Directed by Yūichi Satō, the film premiered on the streaming service on April 25, 2024.


Television series

A planned live-action television series of City Hunter was announced in 2008, to be produced and distributed by Fox Television Studios and South Korean media company SSD. Jung Woo-sung, was scheduled to play Ryo alongside Hollywood-based stars, with location filming in
Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
and
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
. In 2011, the series was adapted into a Korean television series of the same name by SBS, starring Lee Min-ho and Park Min-young. The series is available to watch with English subtitles on the streaming service
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
. In 2014, there was a Chinese television series based on ''City Hunter'', with the title ''Cheng Shi Lie Ren'' (). In 2015, the spin-off manga '' Angel Heart'' received its own live-action Japanese TV drama adaptation.


Musical

In 2021, the
Takarazuka Revue The is a Japanese all-female musical theatre troupe based in Takarazuka, Hyōgo, Takarazuka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Women play all roles in lavish, Broadway theatre, Broadway-style productions of musicals and stories adapted from films, nov ...
produced a musical version titled . It was performed at the Takarazuka Grand Theater from August 7 to September 13, 2021 and then at the Tokyo Takarazuka Theater from October 2 to November 14. The musical starred Sakina Ayakaze as Ryo Saeba and Kiwa Asazuki as Kaori Makimura.


Video games

''City Hunter'' video game was released by
Sunsoft , is a Japanese electronics manufacturer, video game developer and publisher. They are known for their video games under the brand name Sunsoft. History In April 1971, Sun Electronics Corporation (alternatively called Sun Denshi) was founded i ...
for the
PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched ...
in March 1990. Ryo appears as a playable character in the crossover
fighting game The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...
'' Jump Force''.


Reception


Manga

By 2016, the ''City Hunter'' manga series had sold over 50million volumes worldwide. In addition, the series was circulated in an estimated 900million copies of ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...
''
manga magazine are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics an ...
between 1985 and 1991, with those ''Jump'' issues generating an estimated . The series voted as the 19th "Most Powerful" series to have featured in ''Shonen Jump''. On
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150.000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, ''City Hunter'' ranked 57th. In '' Manga: The Complete Guide'', Jason Thompson described the manga stories as "well told and entertaining". Writing for Mania.com, Eduardo M. Chavez describes the series as "funny, sexy, action packed and at times just plain whacked" and praises the mix of action and comedy. Patrick King of Animefringe described the series as "not the most intellectually stimulating piece of fiction I've experienced lately" but called it "a blast to read".


Anime

In a 2005 poll held by
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...
, ''City Hunter'' was voted 66th out of the 100 most popular animated TV series, as voted by TV viewers. A TV Asahi web-poll voted ''City Hunter'' 65th. The characters Ryo and Kaori proved popular with fans. In the reader voted ''
Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. Notable works serialized in the magazine include Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli a ...
'' ''
Anime Grand Prix The is an annual Japanese anime awards giving to recognize the best in anime of the previous year, decided by the votes of readers of entertainment magazine ''Animage'', published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. The Anime Grand Prix started i ...
'' Saeba Ryo was voted second in the "Best Male Character" section in 1988. In 1989, 1990 and 1991 he was voted first. In 1992, he was voted sixth. Kaori Makamura was voted fifteenth in the "Best Female Character" category in 1988 before climbing to eighth in 1989. She then placed fifth in 1990 before falling to sixth and eleventh in 1991 and 1992, respectively. ''The Motion Picture'' has been praised for the quality of its English dub but criticised for changing the characters names. The anime series was also popular in France, where it was dubbed as ''Nicky Larson'' and 140 episodes aired in the early 1990s.


Legacy

A replica of Kaori's "100-ton hammer" raised ($17,150) on Yahoo Auctions in 2007. It was the biggest selling charity item of the year for the service. In 2012, the characters of Ryo, Kaori and Umibozu appeared in a video for the virtual musician ''Mana''. Mana is a collaboration between Hojo and
Tetsuya Komuro is a Japanese musician, songwriter and record producer. He is recognized as the most successful producer in Japanese music history and has introduced contemporary electronic dance music to the Japanese mainstream. He was also a former owner of t ...
of
TM Network TM Network is a Japanese rock/new wave/pop musical band, made up by Tetsuya Komuro (keyboardist), Takashi Utsunomiya (vocalist) and Naoto Kine (guitarist). They became popular in Japan as the "futuristic pop songs with synthesizer" after the r ...
. The cover for the 2015
Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...
single "
Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. Adding (or subtracting) 0 to any number leaves that number unchanged; in mathematical terminology, 0 is the additive identity of the integers, rational numbers, real numbers, and compl ...
" was allegedly copied from one of Hojo's ''City Hunter'' sketches.


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{Sunrise OVAs Aniplex Comedy anime and manga Detective anime and manga Manga adapted into films Nippon Television original programming Shōnen manga Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga Sunrise (company) Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation original programming