| Hoshin Engi | |
 First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Taikobo | |
| 封神演義 (Hōshin Engi) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Ryu Fujisaki |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | June 24, 1996 – November 6, 2000 |
| Volumes | 23 |
| Anime television series | |
| Soul Hunter | |
| Directed by | Junji Nishimura |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Junji Nishimura |
| Music by | Ryo Sakai |
| Studio | Studio Deen |
| Licensed by | |
| Original network | TV Tokyo |
| English network | |
| Original run | July 3, 1999 – December 25, 1999 |
| Episodes | 26 |
| Anime television series | |
| Hakyu Hoshin Engi | |
| Directed by | Masahiro Aizawa |
| Written by | Natsuko Takahashi |
| Music by | Maiko Iuchi |
| Studio | C-Station |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, Sun TV, KBS Kyoto, BS11, AT-X |
| Original run | January 12, 2018 – June 29, 2018 |
| Episodes | 23 |
| Manga | |
| Hoshin Engi Gaiden: Senkai Dōsho | |
| Written by | Ryu Fujisaki |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| Imprint | Young Jump Comics |
| Magazine | Weekly Young Jump |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Original run | April 26, 2018 – June 14, 2018 |
| Volumes | 1 |
Hoshin Engi (Japanese: 封神演義, Hepburn: Hōshin Engi) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ryu Fujisaki, inspired by the Chinese literary classic Investiture of the Gods, a shenmo novel. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from June 1996 to November 2000, with its chapters collected in 23 tankōbon volumes. The story involves Chinese mythology and history of China, in particular the last members of the Yin dynasty, and the plot to overthrow them. In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Viz Media. Fujisaki also wrote a short gaiden manga, titled Hoshin Engi Gaiden: Senkai Dōsho, serialized in Weekly Young Jump from April to June 2018.
A 26-episode anime television series, released in English under the title Soul Hunter, was broadcast on TV Tokyo from July to December 1999. A second 23-episode anime television series adaptation, titled Hakyu Hoshin Engi, was broadcast from January to June 2018. The first anime series was first licensed in North America by ADV Films in 2001; it was later acquired by Discotek Media in 2016.
The Hoshin Engi manga has had over 22 million copies in circulation.
- ^ "The Official Website for Hoshin Engi". Viz Media. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- ^ Beard, Jeremy A. "Soul Hunter". THEM Anime Reviews. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Thompson, Jason (July 3, 2012). Manga: The Complete Guide (Kindle). Del Rey Books. pp. 383–384. ISBN 978-0-345-53944-1.
Ryu Fujisaki's Hoshin Engi (1996), a sci-fi/fantasy title with all the nonstop slugfests and occasional comedy associated with Weekly Shônen Jump, was based on Tsutomu Ano's fantasy novels, which were in turn based on the ancient Chinese novel Fengshen Yangyi ("Creation of the Gods"). Fusing fantasy, history, martial arts battles, and science fiction, Hoshin Engi represents the new wave of fantasy manga that resist categorization into a single genre.