Devilman
Devilman (Japanese: デビルマン, Hepburn: Debiruman) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Go Nagai. It follows high school student 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, although Devilman ended up having a darker tone which reflected Nagai's anti-war sentiments.
Devilman's 39-episode anime series was developed by Toei Animation in 1972, while Nagai's manga in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine debuted 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 tankōbon volumes. Seven Seas Entertainment published the English translation of the original manga in two volumes in 2018. The series has since spawned numerous original video animations (OVAs), manga spin-offs, novels, films, and a sequel. Devilman and other characters from the series have made numerous cameo appearances in 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 released, functioning as an alternate, modernized retelling of the manga.
Devilman is among Nagai's most popular and influential works. The manga has sold 50 million copies worldwide. Although the artwork was polarizing, critics praised the series for Nagai's darker take on superhero tropes and noted its graphic violence. The series' themes and Akira's design have influenced multiple other series such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and X.
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