Devilman

Devilman
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Akira Fudo (foreground) and Devilman (background)
デビルマン
(Debiruman)
Genre
Manga
Written byGo Nagai
Published byKodansha
English publisher
MagazineWeekly Shōnen Magazine
DemographicShōnen
Original runJune 11, 1972June 24, 1973
Volumes5 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed by
Produced by
  • Ken Ariga
  • Yoshifumi Hatano
Written byMasaki Tsuji
Music byGoh Misawa
StudioToei Animation
Licensed by
Original networkANN (NET)
Original run July 8, 1972 April 7, 1973
Episodes39 (List of episodes)
Further information
Manga
Shin Devilman
Written byYasutaka Nagai
Illustrated byGo Nagai
Published byKodansha
English publisher
MagazineShōnen Magazine Special
DemographicShōnen
Original runMay 25, 1979May 8, 1981
Volumes1
Novel series
Shin Devilman
Written byYasutaka Nagai
Illustrated byGo Nagai
Published byAsahi Sonorama
ImprintSonorama Bunko
Original runMay 13, 1981March 31, 1982
Volumes4
Novel
Devilman: The Birth
Written byYasutaka Nagai
Illustrated byKazuo Komatsubara
Published byKodansha
DemographicMale
PublishedJuly 7, 1987
Original video animation
  • Devilman: The Birth
  • Devilman: Demon Bird Sirène
Directed byUmanosuke Iida
Produced by
  • Toshio Tanaka
  • Ryohei Suzuki
  • Katsuhiko Hasegawa
  • Koichi Murata
Written by
  • Go Nagai
  • Umanosuke Iida
Music byKenji Kawai
StudioOh! Production
Licensed by
Released
  • November 1, 1987 (The Birth)
  • February 25, 1990 (Demon Bird Sirène)
Runtime50 minutes
Episodes2
Novel series
Devilman: The Novel
Written byYasutaka Nagai
Illustrated byGo Nagai
Published byMediaWorks
ImprintDengeki Bunko
DemographicMale
Original runMay 25, 1999August 25, 1999
Volumes4
Manga
Neo Devilman
Written byVarious (anthology)
Published byKodansha
DemographicSeinen
Original runJune 21, 1999February 21, 2000
Volumes3
Manga
Demon Knight
Written byGo Nagai
Published byKodansha
MagazineMandala
DemographicSeinen
Original runMarch 23, 2007July 3, 2009
Manga
Devilman vs Getter Robo
Written byGo Nagai
Illustrated byDynamic Pro
Published byAkita Shoten
MagazineChampion Red
DemographicShōnen
Published2010
Volumes1
Manga
Silene-chan
Written byGo Nagai
Published byNihon Bungeisha
MagazineComic Heaven
DemographicSeinen
Original runAugust 9, 2012February 9, 2013
Manga
Devilman Gaiden: Ningen Senki
Written byFujihiko Hosono
Published byKodansha
MagazineMonthly Young Magazine
DemographicSeinen
Original runJanuary 23, 2023June 20, 2023
Spin-off manga
Live-action film
ONA
icon Anime and manga portal

Devilman (Japanese: デビルマン, Hepburn: Debiruman) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. The manga focuses on a high school student named Akira Fudo who absorbs the powers of the demon called "Amon" with help of his friend Ryo Asuka in order to battle creatures hidden in human society, thus calling himself the "Devilman" in the process. The series was originally ordered by Toei Animation as a toned-down anime version of Nagai's previous manga series, Demon Lord Dante. However, Nagai wrote a darker-toned manga in order to alert readers of the dangers of the wars based on how dark the narrative becomes with each of Akira's challenges.

Devilman's 39-episode anime series was developed by Toei Animation in 1972, while Nagai began the Devilman as a manga in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine, barely a month before the anime series started. The manga was published between June 1972 and June 1973, while multiple publishers have released it in collected volumes (tankōbon). Seven Seas Entertainment published the English translation of the original manga in two volumes in 2018. The series has since spawned numerous OVAs, manga, novels, films, and a sequel. Devilman and other characters from the series have shown up in cameo appearances numerous times in Go Nagai's other works. The most notable is Tomoharu Katsumata's 1973 feature film Mazinger Z vs. Devilman, which features Devilman teaming up with Nagai's titular robot to fight Dr. Hell. In 2018, a remake titled Devilman Crybaby directed by Masaaki Yuasa was created showing an alternate more modern-like retelling of the manga.

The manga has sold 50 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling manga series. Despite mixed reception in regards to whether or not the art was appealing, critics enjoyed Nagai's darker take on the superhero tropes mostly due to how violent the manga was and recommended the manga to most readers who are not sensitive to gore. The series' themes and Akira's design have influenced multiple other series such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and X.

  1. ^ Thompson, Jason (May 9, 2011). "Manga's Greatest Apocalypses". Gizmodo. G/O Media. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  2. ^ 【トラウマ注意】エグいファンタジーまんが15選 (in Japanese). eBook Initiative Japan Co., Ltd. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Thompson was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cotter, Padraig (June 28, 2021). "Why Devilman Crybaby's Run Looks So Weird". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Hanson, Brian (June 10, 2011). "Hey, Answerman! - You Can't Always Get What You Want". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 4, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.