is an unfinished

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

Osamu Tezuka Osamu Tezuka (, born , ''Tezuka Osamu'', – 9 February 1989) was a Japanese manga artist, cartoonist and animator. Considered to be among the greatest and most influential cartoonists of all time, his prolific output, pioneering techniques an ...

. Tezuka considered ''Phoenix'' his "

life's work ''Life's Work'' is an American sitcom series that aired from September 1996 to June 1997 on American Broadcasting Company, ABC; the show stars Lisa Ann Walter as Lisa Ann Minardi Hunter, an assistant district attorney in Baltimore. Lisa Ann alw ...

"; it consists of 12 parts, each of which tells a separate, self-contained story and takes place in a different

era An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...

. The plots go back and forth from the remote future to prehistoric times. The story was never completed, having been cut short by Tezuka's death in 1989. Several of the stories have been adapted into

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 ...

and a

live-action Live action is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live action with animation to create a live-action animated feature film. Live action is used to define film, video games or ...

film, along with a musical production by 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 ...

. As of 2008, the entire manga series is available in English-language translations.

Overview

''Phoenix'' is about

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the Philosophy, philosophical or Religion, religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new lifespan (disambiguation), lifespan in a different physical ...

. Each story generally involves a search for

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some species possess "biological immortality" due to an apparent lack of the Hayflick limit. From at least the time of the Ancient Mesopotamian religion, ancient Mesopotamians, there has been a con ...

, embodied by the blood of the eponymous bird of fire, which, as drawn by Tezuka, resembles the ''

Fenghuang ''Fenghuang'' () are mythological birds featuring in traditions throughout the Sinosphere. ''Fenghuang'' are understood to reign over all other birds: males and females were originally termed ''feng'' and ''huang'' respectively, but a gender ...

''. The blood is believed to grant eternal life, but immortality in ''Phoenix'' is either unobtainable or a terrible curse, whereas

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

-style reincarnation is presented as the natural path of life. The stories spring back and forth through time; the first, ''Dawn'', takes place in ancient times, and the second, ''Future'', takes place in the far future. Subsequent stories alternate between the past and future, allowing Tezuka to explore his themes in both

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

and

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

settings. Throughout the stories there are various

recurring character A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main f ...

s, some from Tezuka's famous

star system A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars that orbit each other, bound by gravity, gravitational attraction. It may sometimes be used to refer to a single star. A large group of stars bound by gravitation is generally calle ...

. A character named Saruta appears repeatedly, for example, in the form of various ancestors and descendants, all of whom endure harsh trials in their respective eras. Tezuka began work on a preliminary version of ''Phoenix'' in 1954, and the series continued in various forms until his death in 1989. As it progresses, the stories seemed to be converging on the present day. Due to Tezuka dying before the manga's completion, it is not known how this would have played out. Scholar and translator Frederik L. Schodt, who knew Tezuka in life, wrote that he fantasized about a secret ending, "waiting in a safe somewhere to be revealed posthumously". This was not the case, and Tezuka's final intentions with ''Phoenix'' remain unknown; its episodic nature leaves each volume highly accessible nonetheless. Many of the ''Phoenix'' stories feature an intensely experimental layout and visual design. For example, ''Universe'' tells the story of four spacefarers who are forced to leave their spaceship in separate escape pods. The panels of the story are organized such that each character has his own vertical or horizontal tier on the page, emphasizing the astronauts' isolation; the tiers combine and separate as characters join and split up. In an astonishing sequence after one character's death, he is represented for a number of pages by a series of empty black panels. Tezuka was said to have been influenced to create the series after listening to the

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

. He also told that he created the image of Phoenix as he was impressed by the

Firebird Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures ** Fenghuang, sometimes called Chinese phoenix * Vermilion bird, one of the four symbols of the Chinese constella ...

in director

Ivan Ivanov-Vano Ivan Petrovich Ivanov-Vano (; – 25 March 1987), born Ivanov, was a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian animation director, animator, screenwriter, educator, professor at Gerasimov Institute of Cine ...

's animation film '' Konyok Gorbunok'' (

Soyuzmultfilm Soyuzmultfilm ( rus, Союзмультфи́льм, p=səˌjʉsmʊlʲtˈfʲilʲm , ''Unioncartoon'') (also known as SMF Animation Studio in English, formerly known as Soyuzdetmultfilm, ''Unionchildcartoon'') is a Russian animation studio, produ ...

studio).

Arcs

After several aborted attempts at a first chapter in the 1950s published in the magazines ''

Manga Shōnen was a pioneering Japanese manga magazine founded in 1947 by Ken’ichi Katō and published monthly until 1955. Emerging in the immediate aftermath of World War II during a time of cultural reconstruction and political upheaval, the magazine pl ...

and Shōjo Club'', Tezuka began ''Dawn'' in 1967, serialized in '' COM''. The serialization of ''Phoenix'' would continue throughout his career, moving to ''Manga Shōnen'' after ''COM'''s closure in the mid-70s. The final volume, ''Sun'', was serialized in ''The Wild Age''. ; :The first volume, originally serialized in 1967. This story takes place in 240–70 AD, in the era of Queen

Himiko , also known as the , was a shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku in . Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220–265) and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler ...

of the

Yamatai Yamatai or Yamatai-koku is the Sino-Japanese name of an ancient country in Wa (Japan) during the late Yayoi period The Chinese text ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'' first recorded the name as ()Schuessler, Axel (2014). "Phonological Notes ...

. Using her army, led by feudal general Sarutahiko, to invade the Kumaso, she seeks the Phoenix and eternal youth. ; :The second volume, originally serialized in 1967–68. In ''Phoenix''s

chronology Chronology (from Latin , from Ancient Greek , , ; and , ''wikt:-logia, -logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. It is also "the deter ...

, this is the final story chronologically, taking place near the end of mankind. In 3404, the world has become super-modernized, but humanity has reached its peak and shows decline. A young man named Masato Yamanobe is living with his girlfriend, Tamami, a shapeshifting alien. Pursued by Masato's boss,

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, they eventually take shelter at the isolated base of

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...

Dr. Saruta, who attempts to preserve life on Earth with the assistance of his robot, Robita. Eventually, nuclear war breaks out. ; :The third volume, originally serialized in 1968–69. This story takes place in 320–50 (

Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumulus, tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century AD.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞 ...

period), and is based on the '' Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto'' legend. The decadent king of

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...

is trying to have his own version of Japan's history written. Meanwhile, a "barbarian" tribe, the Kumaso, is writing an unbiased history. The king of Yamato sends his youngest son, Oguna, to murder the barbarian chief, Takeru. On his journey, Oguna encounters the Phoenix. ; :The fourth volume, originally serialized in 1969; also known as ''Space''. The story takes place in 2577 AD, where four astronauts must escape their ruined spaceship in escape pods. The survivors eventually crash into a mysterious planet. Among them is Saruta, who contends with Makimura for the heart of their female companion, Nana. On this strange planet, they eventually meet the Phoenix. ; :The fifth volume, originally serialized in 1969–1970. The story occurs in 720–752 AD, the period in which the

Daibutsu or 'giant Buddha' is the Japanese language, Japanese term, often used informally, for large Japanese sculpture, statues of List of Buddhas, Buddha. The oldest is that at Asuka-dera (609) and the best-known is that at Tōdai-ji in Nara, Nara, N ...

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...

was built during the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

. One-eyed and one-armed young man Gao, an ancestor of Saruta, turns into a murderous bandit when he is rejected by his village. He attacks a sculptor, Akanemaru, and the two men's paths diverge, but their fates remain linked. Akanemaru becomes obsessed with the Phoenix to the point that he loses sight of his original dreams, while Gao eventually finds a state of grace despite his continuing hardships. ''Karma'' is widely considered the masterpiece of the ''Phoenix'' series.

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

and

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

video games, both developed by

Konami , commonly known as Konami, , is a Japanese multinational entertainment company and video game developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, Tokyo. The company also produces and distributes trading card ...

, were based on this volume. ; :The sixth volume, originally serialized in 1970–1971. The story takes place in 2482–3344 AD. In an age of robotics, technology and science, young Leon dies in a car accident. He is returned to life by scientific surgery, but his now mostly-artificial brain makes him see living things – including humans – as distorted clay figures, while he sees machines and robots as beauties. Leon falls in love with a worker robot, Chihiro, whom he sees as a beautiful girl, and would fight for this forbidden love. A side plot features the robot Robita, who previously appeared in ''Future''. ; :Serialized in ''COM'', 1971. Published in English by Viz as an appendix to the second volume of ''Civil War'' (''Turbulent Times''). Based on the story of the Hagoromo. ; :Published in ''Manga Shōnen (Asahi Sononorama)'', 1976–1978. A science fiction epic about the rise and fall of civilization on the deceptively named desert planet of Eden and one boy's universe-spanning search for the planet of his ancestors: Earth. Features numerous cameos from other Science fiction-based Phoenix stories, including the shapeshifting alien "Moopies" first seen in ''Future'', Makimura from ''Universe'' and an early model of the Chihiro robot from ''Resurrection''. Black Jack also made an appearance here, under a different name. ; :Published in ''Manga Shōnen'', 1978–1980. The story is about a woodcutter named Benta and his childhood sweetheart, Obu, who are separated and caught up in the events of the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...

. Various historical figures, such as

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and '' kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Japan, in 1118 as the first son of Taira ...

, appear as major and minor characters. Although the character of Gao (from ''Ho-ō'') appears as a 400-year-old hermit and thus links ''Ranse-hen'' to the rest of the series, this particular arc stands out for its much more naturalistic approach, with next to no fantasy elements in it (except for those used for comedic effect, such as telephones in the 12th century). The Viz (English) edition is entitled ''Civil War'' and is split into two volumes, with ''Robe of Feathers'' included as an appendix to the second volume. ; :Published in ''Manga Shōnen'', 1980. A TV producer who attempts to procure human

clones Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh, Ireland * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland * Clones railway station, Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massiv ...

to use in a ''

The Most Dangerous Game "The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in ''Collier's'' on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter ...

''-style

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

program learns the error of his ways when he is mistaken for a clone himself. This episode is notable for only featuring the Phoenix in flashbacks and also for introducing her half-human daughter who does not appear again after this episode. ; :Published in ''Manga Shōnen'', 1981. The story of a female Buddhist nun ( bhikkhuni) who is imprisoned in a time-warp by the Phoenix as punishment for her sins along with her faithful retainer and is forced to become a healer treating the victims of wars from all over time and space including humans, youkai and various extraterrestrials. This chapter was loosely based on the Hyakki Yakō

emakimono Illustrated handscrolls, , or is an illustrated horizontal narration system of painted handscrolls that dates back to Nara-period (710–794 CE) Japan. Initially copying their much older Chinese counterparts in style, during the succeeding H ...

by the famous Japanese artist

Tosa Mitsunobu was a Japanese painter, the founder of the Tosa school of Japanese painting. Born into a family that had traditionally served as painters to the Imperial court, he was head of the court painting bureau from 1493 to 1496. In 1518, he was appointe ...

(although in the context of the story it's the complete opposite). ; :Published in ''The Wild Age'', 1986–88. This is the longest story, and was the final volume completed before Tezuka's death. It centers on Harima, a young

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

soldier from the

Baekje Kingdom Baekje or Paekche (; ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BCE to 660 CE. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. While the three kingdoms were in separate existence, Baekje had the h ...

whose head is replaced with that of a wolf by

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

soldiers following the defeat of the joint Baekje-Yamato force at the

Battle of Baekgang The Battle of Baekgang () or Battle of Baekgang-gu, also known as the Battle of Hakusukinoe () in Japan, and as the Battle of Baijiangkou ( zh, c=白江口之战, p=Bāijiāngkǒu Zhīzhàn, t=白江口之戰) in China, was a battle between Baek ...

. He then escapes to Japan where he becomes the feudal lord Inugami and becomes caught in the middle of the

Jinshin War The was a war of succession that took place in the Yamato state near the end of Asuka period. It broke out in 672 following the death of Emperor Tenji. The name refers to the ''jinshin'' (Ch. ''renshen'' 壬申) or ninth year of the sexagenary c ...

, as well as joining a greater battle between supernatural forces and time-travelling to a bleak future world ruled by a theocracy that claimed to have captured the Phoenix. This chapter stands in stark contrast to the earlier historical Phoenix stories, which tended to de-mythologize the mythical characters therein, for instance in ''Dawn'', many

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

gods are portrayed as mere humans. In this chapter, however, a wide variety of mythical creatures are shown fighting against

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

. ;Early Works :Covers the prototype arcs of the series from the 1950s: the unfinished Manga Shōnen version of the Dawn arc from 1954–55, and the Egypt, Greece and Rome arcs that ran in Sh''ō''jo Club from 1956–57.

Characters

* Hi no Tori:

Keiko Takeshita Keiko Takeshita (竹下景子 ''Takeshita Keiko''; born on September 15, 1953, in Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Japan) is a Japanese actress. She starred in the Japanese version of '' From Up on Poppy Hill'' as Hana Matsuzaki. Filmography Film *'' Blue C ...

/Suzanne Gilad * Saruta: Tetsuo Komura/

Danny Burstein Danny Burstein (born June 16, 1964) is an American actor and singer. Known for his work on Broadway theatre, Broadway stage, he's received numerous accolades including a Tony Awards, Tony Award, a Drama League Award and two Drama Desk Award, Dram ...

* Narrator:

Akira Kume was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He died on 23 April 2020 from heart failure. Filmography Films *'' The Insect Woman'' (1963) - Investigator *'' Tora! Tora! Tora!'' (1970) - First Secretary Katsuzo Okumura (uncredited) *'' Karafuto 1945 ...

/Robert O'Gorman ;Dawn * Nagi: Takeuchi Junko/Michelle Newman * Sarutahiko: Tetsuo Komura *

Ryōko Kinomiya was a Japanese actress and voice actress. She was born Ryōko Sakurai in Kyoto, Japan. She was known for her low voice. Kinomiya was the Japanese dub voice of Faye Dunaway. In 2008 she won a Merit Award at the 2nd Seiyu Awards. Kinomiya died ...

/Fiona Jones * Hinaku:

Sakiko Tamagawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She is affiliated with Sigma Seven. She voices Rei Kuki in '' Genji Tsuushin Agedama'', Princess Kakyuu Natsumi Tsujimoto in '' You're Under Arrest'' season 1, You're Under Arrest the ...

Carrie Keranen Carrie Keranen is an American voice actress. Her roles include Misato Katsuragi in the Netflix dub of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Satsuki Kiryuin in '' Kill la Kill'', Casca in '' Berserk'', and Alya Césaire in '' Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug ...

Susanoo __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (, ; historical orthography: , ), often referred to by the honorific title Susanoo-no-Mikoto (), is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese im ...

: Eizo Tsuda/

James Urbaniak James Christian Urbaniak (born September 17, 1963) is an American character actor. He is best known for his roles as Simon Grim in three Hal Hartley films: '' Henry Fool'' (1997), '' Fay Grim'' (2006) and '' Ned Rifle'' (2014), Robert Crumb in '' ...

* Guzuri: Michio Nakao/ Jay Snyder * Ama no Yumihiko:

Masaki Terasoma is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Biography After graduating from Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Terasoma joined Haiyuza Theatre Company. In 1984, he made his film debut in '' W's Tragedy''. ...

/ Addie Blaustein *

Ninigi is a deity in Japanese mythology. (-no-Mikoto here is an honorific title applied to the names of Japanese gods; Ninigi is the specific god's name.) Grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Ninigi is regarded according to Japanese mythology as the ...

Akio Ōtsuka is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is attached to Mausu Promotion. The astringent and calm quality of his deep voice has landed him many roles in films, dubbing, animation, and video games. He i ...

Richard Epcar Richard Epcar is an American voice actor, voice director, and writer who has voiced over 1,200 characters in animation, video games and anime. Some of his major roles include Raiden in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise, The Joker in several proje ...

* Shaman: Hikaru Miyata * Soldier: Yousuke Akimoto * Uzume: Yumi Nakatani/

Erica Schroeder Erica Schroeder (born April 27, 1975),https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=828626443878803&id=164914246916696 sometimes credited as Bella Hudson, is an American voice actress, best known for voicing Lyserg Diethel in both anime adapt ...

* Uraji:

Yūsaku Yara is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo, Japan. His real name is , and his former stage name was . Previously, he was the representative director of the voice actor office vi-vo, but it was dissolved due to old age. He is best k ...

Marc Diraison Marc Diraison is an American voice actor, ADR director and script writer who has worked for Bang Zoom! Entertainment, NYAV Post, 4Kids Entertainment and DuArt Film and Video. He is best known as the English voice of Guts in ''Berserk'' an ...

* Ojiji: Eisuke Yoda/Richard Springle * Obaba: Natsuko Sebata * Soldier:

Dai Matsumoto , also credited Hiroshi Matsumoto, is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. His major roles include Dokugakuji in '' Saiyuki'', Felix Aaron Thenardier in ''Lord Marksman and Vanadis'', and Soichiro Sakurada the patriarch of th ...

* Kumaso Takeru:

Daisuke Namikawa is a Japanese actor and singer associated with Stay Luck. He began acting as a child and is sometimes mistaken with Daisuke Hirakawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. Despite his wide range of roles, he usua ...

* Yazuchi:

Hirofumi Nojima is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Suginami, Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production. He is the son of voice actor Akio Nojima and the older brother of voice actor Kenji Nojima. Filmography Anime Video games Tokusatsu Dubb ...

* Fuki:

Akiko Nakagawa is a Japanese voice actress who was born in Sapporo. She is married to Inuyasha music composer Kaoru Wada. She is one of the voice actresses for Miyuki Nanase in ''Kindaichi Case Files'' series. Notable voice roles *Anne in Little Snow Fairy S ...

* Tajikarao: Toshihide Tsuchiya * Kamamushi:

Shōzō Iizuka was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Fukushima Prefecture. He graduated from the fine arts department of Nihon University. He is most known for the roles of Hakaider (''Android Kikaider''), Doctor Neo Cortex ( ''Crash Bandicoot ...

David Brimmer David Brimmer is an American voice actor and fight choreographer. He also goes by the names David J. Brimmer and J. David Brimmer. As a voice actor, he has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, DuArt Film and Video, Headline Studios, ...

* Chamberlain:

Mahito Tsujimura was a Japanese actor and voice actor who was represented by 81 Produce. Tsujimura died on November 27, 2018. Filmography Television animation *'' Andersen Stories'' (1971) - Satyr, Hans *'' Paris no Isabelle'' (1979) - Leon *''Galaxy Express 9 ...

;Resurrection * Leona: Sasaki Nozomu/

Christopher Kromer Christopher Edward "Chris" Kromer (born August 1, 1973) is an American actor and television host. He is co-host of the reality series '' Beat the House'' on HGTV. Early life Kromer was born in Queens, New York and was raised in New Jersey ...

* Lamp:

Masashi Hirose is a Japanese voice actor from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He works at Production Baobab. He is known for the roles of Ramba Ral (''Mobile Suit Gundam''), Rikishiman (''Kinnikuman''), Gosterro ('' Blue Comet SPT Layzner'') and Nakano-sensei ('' ...

/ Mike Pollock * Chihiro: Misa Kobayashi/

Eden Riegel Eden Sonja Jane Riegel (born January 1, 1981) is an American actress. She portrayed Bianca Montgomery in the daytime drama ''All My Children'', and propelled the character into a gay icon, as well as a popular figure within the medium. Nominat ...

* Nielsen:

Shinji Ogawa was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Setagaya, Tokyo. He was affiliated with the Herringbone agency. He was best known as the dubover artist for Michael Douglas and Timothy Dalton, and for voicing Hyō in ''Fist of the North Star' ...

/ Ted Lewis * Reiko: Fumiko Osaka/ Kathleen McInerney * Leona's Father: Mantarô Iwao/ Marc Thompson * Young Leona:

Reiko Takagi is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She is represented by Sigma Seven. Some of her major roles are Kaolla Su in '' Love Hina'', Yamato Daiwa in '' Battle B-Daman'', Sakura Kusakabe in '' Bludgeoning Angel Dok ...

;Strange creatures * Sakonnosuke:

Mayumi Asano is a Japanese voice actress who is currently part of Office Osawa. Filmography Television Video games *'' Armored Core: Last Raven'' (2005) – Zinaida *''Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2'' (2017) – Baiken *''Samurai Shodown'' (2021) – Baiken *' ...

/ Kathleen McInerney * Yagi Iemasa: Tetsuo Komura * Yaobikuni: Tamie Kubota * Kahei:

Bin Shimada Bin Shimada (; born November 20, 1954) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narratorDoi, Hitoshi.Shimada Bin. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 17, 2010Archivedby WebCite July 20, 2010. affiliated with the talent management firm Aoni Production. Film ...

/ Mike Pollock * Haniwa Jindayu:

Kazuhiko Kishino was a Japanese actor and voice actor who was represented by Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. He was a graduate of Doshisha University and resided in Osaka Prefecture. He died of acute heart failure on February 22, 2020. As a voice ...

;Sun * Inugami no Sukune/Harima:

Yasunori Matsumoto is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with Sigma Seven. Some of Matsumoto's most notable roles are Wataru Akiyama in '' Initial D'', Jean Havoc in ''Fullmetal Alchemist'', Magnum Ace in '' Shippū! Iron Leaguer'', Gourry Gabriev in ''S ...

/Gary Littman * Obaba: Seiko Tomoe/

Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson is an American voice actress who has done voice-over work in cartoons and shows. Her best-known role was providing the English dub voice of the main villain Empress Rita Repulsa in the ''Power Rangers'' television series, starti ...

Azumi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Koyama. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Big Comic Superior'' from 1994 to 2008, with its chapters collected in 48 volumes. A sequel series with the same title ...

-no-

Muraji (from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master") was an ancient

Japan

ese hereditary title denoting rank a ...

Saruta: Tetsuo Komura * Marimo:

Ai Uchikawa is a Japanese voice actress. Uchikawa is currently affiliated with Sigma Seven. Filmography Television Animation * ''Chouja Reideen'' (1996), Kirari Saijyou * '' Brave Command Dagwon'' (1996), ''Volleyball Staff'' * '' Mystery of Nonomura Hospi ...

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Steven Jay Blum Steven Jay Blum (; born April 29, 1960) is an American voice actor. Known for his distinctively deep voice, his roles include Spike Spiegel from the anime series ''Cowboy Bebop''; Amon (The Legend of Korra), Amon from ''The Legend of Korra''; ...

* Ōama no Miko:

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* Ibukimaru:

Daisuke Gouri is a common masculine Japanese given name. Written forms Daisuke can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *大輔, "big, assist" *大介, "big, mediate" *大祐, "big, bless" *大助, "big, help" *大典, "big, law/rule/c ...

Michael McConnohie Michael McConnohie is an American voice actor, writer and director who has provided many voice roles in movies, anime, and video games. He and fellow actress Melodee Spevack run a production company called VoxWorks. For twenty-plus years he has ...

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: Atsuko Koganezawa * Ōtomo no Miko:

Hiroshi Kamiya is a Japanese voice actor, singer and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production. He is best known for the voice of Levi Ackerman in ''Attack on Titan'', Koyomi Araragi in the ''Monogatari'' series, Trafalgar Law in ''One Piece'', Mephisto Phe ...

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Prince Takechi was a member of the royal family in Japan during the Asuka period. He was the eldest son of Emperor Tenmu. He fought on the side of his father in the Jinshin War (672), a battle of succession, which resulted in his father becoming Emperor. At t ...

Kenji Nojima is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with the voice talent agency Aoni Production. His first major role in voice-over was Spark in the '' Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' series. He voiced Hikaru Ichijyo in a n ...

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* Tang General: Koichi Sakaguchi * Soldier: Kouji Haramaki * Hoben:

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/Richard Toth * Getsudan:

Hisao Egawa is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo who works for Aoni Production. Egawa is most known for the roles of Shin'ichi Maki in ''Slam Dunk'', Geki Kuroiwa in '' Brave Command Dagwon'', Geki Hyūma and Goldymarg in ''The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'', Og ...

* Nichidan:

Hiroshi Iwasaki is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Saitama Prefecture, attached to the Seinenza Theater Company. Iwasaki is best known for dubbing over the voices of Stanley Tucci, Rowan Atkinson and the ''Star Wars'' character C-3PO. Filmography Live a ...

* Mokudan: Kousei Hirota * Kadan:

Naomi Kusumi is a Japanese voice actor. He worked at the Seinenza Theater Company in 1999, and currently works at Mausu Promotion. He is often typecast in either overweight or middle-aged roles in voice acting. He is the official Japanese dubbing voice for ...

* Kokushi:

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* Rubetsu: Takayuki Sugo/ Jay Snyder * Iki no Karakuni:

Takeshi Watabe was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He was born in Kōchi Prefecture. He usually played villains and performed the voices for many ''anime'' characters and ''tokusatsu'' villains. He is most famous for voicing Kaminari in ''Doraemon''. He took ...

* Soga no Hatayasu:

Yuzuru Fujimoto was a Japanese voice actor. Filmography Television animation ;1960s *'' Gigantor'' (1963) – Narrator *''Ōgon Bat'' (1967) – Narrator *''Humanoid Monster Bem'' (1968) – Narrator ;1970s *''Science Ninja Team Gatchaman'' (1972) – A dete ...

/John Avner * Soga no Yasumaro:

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;Future * Masato Yamanobe:

Michael Sinterniklaas Michael Tremain Sinterniklaas () is a French-born voice actor and ADR director based in the United States. He has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of Japanese anime films and television series, as well as cartoons and v ...

* Robita:

Shigeru Ushiyama is a Japanese actor who specializes in Voice acting in Japan, voice acting. He is affiliated with Theatre Company Subaru, Gekidan Subaru and is married to fellow voice actress Keiko Aizawa. Filmography Television animation *''Mobile Suit Gundam ...

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* Old Masato:

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* Tamami:

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* Girl:

* Adam:

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;Eden17 * Com: Honoka Yoshida * George:

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* Romi:

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* Sudarban:

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Publication

English edition

''Phoenix'' is currently published in English by

Viz Communications Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, L ...

. Although the second volume was initially published by the now defunct Pulp manga anthology in a larger edition, in 2002, Viz took over the rest of the manga series, and re-released the second volume.

Frederik Schodt Frederik L. Schodt (born January 22, 1950) is an American translator, interpreter, and writer. Biography Schodt's father was in the US foreign service, and he grew up in Norway, Australia, and Japan. The family first went to Japan in 1965 w ...

, Jared Cook, Shinji Sakamoto, and Midori Ueda, members of a Tokyo group called "Dadakai", had already translated the first five volumes of the series around 1977/78, but after handing these translation to Tezuka Productions, they collected dust for nearly twenty-five years. Finally, Schodt and Cook finished translating the rest of the series and Viz published the entire series in English, starting in 2002 and completing it in March 2008. It has been criticized for being a dumbing-down, including overlapping artwork with unnecessary new narration, and altering character names (such as Sarutahiko to Saruta) to make their reincarnations more obvious to the reader. However, Tezuka was known to update his manga every few years, so the U.S. version could reflect the last known edition of the series. The Viz editions are released "flipped" (the original right-to-left orientation is reversed for easier reading in English). Some of the shorter stories have been consolidated into one book (based on the Japanese publication), and ''Troubled Times'' has been split across two; this resulted in each Viz book having a similar page count. While many of the actual Viz books are out of print, they became available again through digital purchase on Kindle. Viz later offered the digital version of ''Phoenix'' manga in 2014.

Volumes in English

;Vol. 1 – Dawn :Released March 2003. ;Vol. 2 – A Tale of the Future / Future :This volume was released first, in May 2002, as a stand-alone graphic novel; ''Dawn'' was released a year later, as ''Vol. 1'', followed by the rest of the series. ''A Tale of the Future'' was initially released in a larger size; the series releases, starting with ''Dawn'', are

digest-sized Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine, but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately . It is also a and format, similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes evolved from the printing ...

. ''A Tale of the Future'' was reprinted in the smaller size in 2004, titled ''Future'', with ''Vol. 2'' appended to the title. ;Vol. 3 – Yamato / Space :Collects ''Yamato'' and ''Space'' in one book; released November 2003. ;Vol. 4 – Karma :Originally titled ''Ho-ō''; released May 2004. Listed at #2 in

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...

's "Best Comix of 2004". ;Vol. 5 – Resurrection :Released December 14, 2004. ;Vol. 6 – Nostalgia :Released March 26, 2006. ;Vol. 7 – Civil War, Part 1 :Originally titled ''Troubled Times'', and here split into two books; the first was released June 13, 2006. ;Vol. 8 – Civil War, Part 2 / Robe of Feathers :Collects the ending of ''Troubled Times'', and includes ''Robe of Feathers''; released September 12, 2006. ;Vol. 9 – Strange Beings / Life :Collects ''Strange Beings'' and ''Life'' in one book; released December 19, 2006. ;Vol. 10 – Sun, Part 1 :Released March 20, 2007. ;Vol. 11 – Sun, Part 2 :Released September 18, 2007. ;Vol. 12 – Early Works :Released March 18, 2008.

Adaptations

Live-action film

A live-action film entitled '' Phoenix'', based on the ''Dawn'' storyline, directed by

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won t ...

and including some animated sequences directed by Tezuka, was released in 1978. The cast included

Tomisaburo Wakayama , born Masaru Okumura (奥村勝),Leous, G. (''c.'' 2003)Tomisaburo WakayamaRetrieved on May 23, 2010. was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling '' ronin'' warrior in the six ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' samurai films.Stout ...

and

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including '' The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus '' Harakiri'', '' Samurai Rebellion'' and '' Kwaidan''. Nakada ...

. It was released in the United States on

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

by Video Action under the cover title ''The Phoenix (Hinotori)'' in 1982, using a subtitled print,

letterboxed Letter-boxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting video-graphic image has mattes of empty space above and belo ...

only in the split-screen sequence. To date, the film is available on DVD only in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, where it is titled ''Fénix''. The film included a brief appearance by

Astro Boy ''Astro Boy'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. It was serialized in Kobunsha's ''Shōnen'' from 1952 to 1968. The 112 chapters were collected into 23 volumes by Akita Shoten. Da ...

, substituting for another character to illustrate his attempts to get on a horse. The score was co-composed by

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, jazz pianist, and singer. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to ma ...

and Jun Fukamachi.

Anime

Most volumes of ''Phoenix'' were adapted into

. The best-known feature film, ''

Phoenix 2772 is a 1980 Japanese animated science fiction fantasy drama film directed and written by Osamu Tezuka and Taku Sugiyama. The film is based on Tezuka's manga series '' Phoenix''. Plot ''Phoenix 2772'' is set in the distant future where the planet E ...

'', loosely adapts elements from various ''Phoenix'' volumes and other Tezuka works into a complete whole cloth scenario. A second animated feature, ''Phoenix: Karma Chapter'' was released on December 20, 1986, and was later succeeded by two sequel

OVAs , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

, ''Yamato Chapter'' and ''Space Chapter'', in 1987. A 13-episode anime television series aired in 2004 in Japan, and was released in English in October 2007 by

Anime Works Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment company that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American mar ...

. The anime premiered in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

CVM Television CVM Television Limited (CVM TV) is a television station in Kingston, Jamaica owned by VertiCast Media Group. The station's name is an acronym for the three original major shareholders granted the television license in 1991: Community Television S ...

in June 2017. A short film by the same staff as the TV series, ''Phoenix: Robe of Feathers'', was released on July 17, 2004.

Dōgo Onsen is a hot spring in the city of Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, 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 ...

hot spring bathhouse released a three-episode net anime collaboration with ''Phoenix'' in 2019–2020. A four-episode anime ONA adaptation by

Studio 4°C is a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka and Kōji Morimoto in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense. History has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film titles include ' ...

, titled ''Phoenix: Eden17'', premiered worldwide on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

(U.S. on

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 ...

) on September 13, 2023. It was directed by Shōjirō Nishimi, with character designs and animations handled by Tatsuzou Nishida, Eiko Tanaka serving as producer, and Katsunari Mano and Saku Konohana writing the series' scripts. A film version with a different ending, ''Phoenix: Reminiscence of Flower'', premiered in Japanese theaters on November 3 of the same year.

Video games

In 1987,

adapted the ''Karma'' arc to the

2 computer and the

game console. Despite being based on the same material, they are completely different games (a vertical shoot 'em up and a horizontal platformer, respectively) produced by separate teams. The Phoenix also made a cameo appearance in the 2003 ''Astro Boy'' series and 2004 '' Astro Boy: Omega Factor'' game for the

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, and to international markets that June. It was later released in mainland China in 2004, under the name iQue Game Boy Advanc ...

, along with a number of other Tezuka characters. * '' Hi no Tori Hououhen'' (1987, MSX2) * '' Hi no Tori Hououhen: Gaou no Bouken'' (1987, Famicom) * '' Black Jack Hinotorihen'' (2006, Nintendo DS) * ''DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 1'' (2008, Nintendo DS) * ''DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 2'' (2008, Nintendo DS) * ''DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 3'' (2008, Nintendo DS)

Reception and legacy

''Phoenix'' is considered one of the greatest manga of all time, and is often ranked as one of Tezuka's greatest manga. In 2006, ''Phoenix'' ranked 1st in the

Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival was an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by ...

's special 'professionals' ranking (consisting of critics, editors, people working in the industry, etc.) for the greatest manga of all time, which it held to mark its 10th anniversary. In a 2009 poll held by

Asahi Shimbun is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...

for 'Greatest Shōwa Manga', ''Phoenix'' ranked 12th, the 3rd highest Tezuka manga behind ''

'' and '' Black Jack''. Mangaka

Naoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his professional career has created two series simultaneously. The stories to many of these were co-written in collaboration with hi ...

has spoken about how the first time he read ''Phoenix'' he was shocked that a work of this quality existed, and that since reading it, he has never been as significantly impacted by anything since, so much so that he would mark it as the moment he became an adult. Comic magazine editor Martin Skidmore called it a 'real contender for comics’ greatest work of any kind'.

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

has referred to it as 'Japanese pop culture at its zenith', stating that it draws critical comparisons to 'everything from

Shakespearean tragedy Shakespearean tragedy is the designation given to most tragedies written by William Shakespeare. Many of his history plays share the qualifiers of a Shakespearean tragedy, but because they are based on real figures throughout the history of Eng ...

to early

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

'. In an interview, mangaka

Hitoshi Iwaaki is a Japanese manga artist, whose works include the science-fiction/horror series '' Parasyte''. Career During high school, he was reading a lot of manga by Osamu Tezuka, which inspired him to begin drawing manga himself. He began working as ...

named it among his favorite manga. In her book The Art of Osamu Tezuka: God of Manga''',

Helen McCarthy Helen McCarthy (born 27 February 1951) is the British author of such anime reference books as ''500 Manga Heroes and Villains'', ''Anime!'', ''The Anime Movie Guide'' and ''Hayao Miyazaki: Master of Japanese Animation''. She is the co-author o ...

says it has 'a strong claim to be considered a contemporary equivalent of Wagner’s

Ring cycle (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compos ...

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

, in their review of Vol. 10, stated 'You've read ''nothing'' like this, and it's doubtful you ever will again.'

Video game designer Video game design is the process of designing the rules and content of video games in the Video game development#Pre-production, pre-production stage and designing the gameplay, environment, storyline and characters in the Video game development ...

Yuji Horii is a Japanese author, video game designer, writer and director best known as the creator of the ''Dragon Quest'' franchise, supervising and writing the scenario for ''Chrono Trigger'', and '' The Portopia Serial Murder Case'', released in 1983 ...

and

manga artist A manga artist, also known as a mangaka (), is a Cartoonist, comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist before entering the indus ...

Katsuhiro Otomo is a Japanese Mangaka, manga artist, screenwriter, animator, and film director. He first rose to prominence as a pioneer founder of the New Wave (manga), New Wave in the 1970s. He is best known as the creator of ''Akira (franchise), Akira'', bo ...

stated it to be among their favorite Tezuka manga. Critic Andrew D. Arnold, writing for

, in reviewing the 'Karma' arc stated that it was 'one of the few comix to go beyond supreme artistry into the sublime' and that 'one can barely touch upon the depths of this deeply sophisticated work in the confines of a review. It would take something more along the lines of an

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...

. Tezuka has created a book that combines the excitement, plotting, and characterization of the best novels with the

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

of the best spiritual essays and the beauty of the graphical arts into a singular

masterpiece A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

of world

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

', and that while it is 'as entertaining as any comic can be, it miraculously also achieves what lesser religious comix strive for and fail at:

enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

.' The titular Phoenix is considered an icon of manga, and a sculpture of the character is featured as a prominent permanent exhibition in the

Kyoto International Manga Museum The Kyoto International Manga Museum (京都国際マンガミュージアム, Kyōto Kokusai Manga Myūjiamu) is located in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The museum's collection includes approximately 300,000 items as of 2016, with 50,000 volumes ...

. A statute of the Phoenix is also featured outside the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. The Resurrection arc of ''Phoenix'' inspired the lyrical theme of the 2018 song " M.D.O." by heavy metal band Lovebites. In celebration of what would have been Tezuka's 90th birthday, Evil Line Records released the compilation album ''New Gene, Inspired from Phoenix'' on October 30, 2019. It features songs inspired by ''Phoenix'' written and performed by various artists, including

Glim Spanky is a rock band from Nagano Prefecture, Japan, consisting of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Remi Matsuo and lead guitarist Hiroki Kamemoto. Originally formed by Matsuo as a quartet for a high school festival in 2007, the group became a duo when ...

Kizuna AI is a Japanese virtual YouTuber (VTuber) and fictional character currently part of Kizuna AI Inc., a subsidiary of digital entertainment company Activ8. From her debut in 2016 until 2021, she was the most subscribed VTuber on YouTube, with ...

Tavito Nanao is a Japanese singer-songwriter who debuted in 1998. He has worked with a great number of musicians, including Takkyu Ishino, Salyu and Yakenohara. Nanao has reached a wider audience since 2007, after his album '' 911 Fantasia'', a 3CD musical ...

and

Naotarō Moriyama (born April 23, 1976) is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. His mother is Ryōko Moriyama, a well-known folk singer. Moriyama came out with the album "Kawaita Uta wa Sakana no Esa ni Chōdo Ii" in 2002, including the song "Sakura". Discogra ...

References

External links

Tezuka Osamu @World
, Tezuka's official site (in Japanese and English)
Official ''Phoenix'' Page at publisher VIZ Media, LLC
*

* (''Hi no tori'', live-action film, 1978) * (''Hi no tori 2772: Ai no kosumozôn'', anime film, 1980) * (''Hi no tori: Hôô-hen'', anime film, 1986) * (''Hi no tori: Yamato-hen'', OVA, 1987) * (''Hi no tori: Uchû-hen'', OVA, 1987) * {{Studio 4°C 1967 manga 1987 anime OVAs 2023 anime ONAs Anime series based on manga Cultural depictions of Himiko Disney+ original anime Fantasy anime and manga Gekiga Gekiga by Osamu Tezuka Hulu original anime Manga adapted into films NHK original programming Osamu Tezuka anime Osamu Tezuka manga Phoenixes in popular culture Shōnen manga Studio 4°C Tezuka Productions Unfinished comics Video games developed in Japan Viz Media manga Yamato Takeru Legend