Golgo 13

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Golgo 13
Cover of the first tankōbon volume, featuring Duke Togo
ゴルゴ13
(Gorugo Sātīn)
GenreThriller[1]
Manga
Written by
  • Takao Saito (1968–2021)
  • Saito Production (2021–present)
Published by
English publisher
MagazineBig Comic
DemographicSeinen
Original runOctober 1968 – present
Volumes212 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Produced by
  • Yutaka Saito
  • Haruyuki Kawajima
Written byWada Yoshinori
Music byTakeo Yamashita
Studio
Saito Production
Original networkTBS
Original run April 1971 – July 1971
Episodes40
Anime television series
Directed byShunji Ōga
Produced by
  • Susumu Matsuyama
  • Shunji Aoki
Written byJunichi Iioka
Music by
Siren Visual
  • NA: Sentai Filmworks
    • Original networkTV Tokyo
    English network
    Original run April 11, 2008 – March 27, 2009
    Episodes50 (List of episodes)
    Manga
    Gunsmith Dave
    Written by
    • Takao Saito
    • Saito Production
    Published byShogakukan
    MagazineBig Comic Zōkan
    DemographicSeinen
    Original runJuly 17, 2021 – May 17, 2022
    Volumes1
    Manga
    Golgo Camp
    Written byYukio Miyama
    Published byShogakukan
    MagazineManga One
    DemographicSeinen
    Original runAugust 28, 2021 – November 26, 2022
    Volumes1
    Manga
    G no Idenshi: Shōjo Fanette
    Written by
    • Takao Saito
    • Saito Production
    Published byShogakukan
    MagazineBig Comic Zōkan
    DemographicSeinen
    Original runJuly 15, 2022 – present
    Volumes1
    Films
    OVA
    Video games
    icon Anime and manga portal

    Golgo 13 (Japanese: ゴルゴ13, Hepburn: Gorugo Sātīn) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Takao Saito, published in Shogakukan's seinen manga magazine Big Comic since October 1968. The series follows the title character, a professional assassin for hire. Golgo 13 is the oldest manga still in publication, and its tankōbon edition was certified by Guinness World Records as the highest number of volumes for a manga series. Saito said before his death in 2021 that he wanted the manga to continue on without him and previously raised concerns the manga may be unfinished after he passes away. The Saito Production group of manga creators will continue its publication with the assistance of the Big Comic's editorial department.

    The series has been adapted into two live-action feature films, an anime film, an original video animation, an anime television series and six video games.

    With a cumulative total of 300 million copies in circulation in various formats, including compilation books, it is the second-best-selling manga series and the top-selling seinen manga series in history. The manga won the 1975 Shogakukan Manga Award for general manga and the Grand Prize at the 2002 Japan Cartoonists Association Awards.

    Story

    Golgo 13 is a professional assassin. His real name, age and birthplace are unknown and there is no consensus in the worldwide intelligence community as to his true identity.

    scoped M16
    rifle. His most frequently used alias is Duke Togo (デューク・東郷, Dyūku Tōgō), but he also goes by Tadashi Togo (東郷 隆, Tōgō Tadashi) and Togo Rodriguez (トーゴ・ロドリゲス, Tōgo Rodorigesu).

    Duke Togo has a very quiet personality and will only talk when he needs to, he shows very little to no emotion when carrying out an assassination and is willing to kill anyone who will threaten to expose him. He accepts many different assassination jobs, from anyone who can afford his services. From simply shooting a violin string to taking out powerful organized crime bosses and political figures, these killings have often attracted retaliations against Golgo 13, even at one stage having the FBI, the CIA, and even the United States military out to kill him, causing Togo to always have to watch his own back and pay attention to his surroundings in order to stop other assassins and contract killers employed to kill him in often creative ways. Golgo 13 also employs many different people himself to assist him in his assassination jobs, such as in providing extra information on his targets to modifying his weapons, vehicles, and gadgets.

    The name "Golgo 13" is a reference to the

    Golgotha, the place of Jesus' crucifixion, while the number 13 is considered an unlucky number.[3] Also, Golgo 13's logo is a skeleton wearing a crown of thorns
    .

    Duke Togo's past is a mystery. Although his Asian appearance suggests that he may be of Japanese origin, many of Golgo 13's stories have presented different speculations about his true identity while presenting contradictory information, leaving the audience uncertain which information is true. It is known that he may be the biological father of many different children all over the world from the many sexual encounters he has had with women throughout the series, such as a four-year-old son named Joey from ex-Provisional Irish Republican Army fighter Catherine McCall.[4][5]

    With respect to the character's age, a large number of stories are dated as they are centered around current events of the time. However, Golgo 13's age has not increased significantly to account for these events. He has also suffered multiple injuries throughout the series, leaving many different scars on his body.[6]

    Production

    Early on, Takao Saito developed a system where he created the page layout based on a script written by the editorial department. He also inked the main characters' faces, while assistants provided the backgrounds and other elements. He did extensive research to provide accuracy, especially when the plot dealt with technology.[7] Kazuo Koike was one of the writers on the series in the beginning.[8][9] Author Yoichi Funado wrote approximately 30 stories for Golgo 13, three of which he later novelized.[10] Takashi Nagasaki was Saito's editor on the series in the mid-1980s, and later wrote two stories for the manga under the pen name "Keishi Edogawa".[11]

    According to Jason Thompson, several Golgo 13 stories have not been reprinted for being "offensive or libelous". Thompson lists one from 1986 because of complaints from the Iranian embassy in Japan, another from 1988 about money laundering in the Vatican, and one from 1989 about a Hollywood actor blackmailed when someone discovers he has AIDS.[12]

    In 2013, Saito stated that because he often worried about his manga being cancelled, he had an ending planned out that even included the panel layout. He said he had no idea when Golgo 13 would end, claiming "The manga has continued so long that it is no longer the property of the author; it belongs to the readers."[13] Two years later, Big Comic's fourth issue of 2015 announced that the series was "heading towards its conclusion."[14]

    Due to difficulties that arose from the restrictions implemented by the government to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan, Golgo 13 began its first hiatus in its 52-year history in May 2020.[15] It returned on July 7, 2020.[16]

    Saito died of pancreatic cancer at 84 on September 24, 2021.[17][18] According to Shogakukan, Saito said before his death that he wanted the manga to continue on without him. The Saito Production group of manga creators continues its publication with the assistance of Big Comic's editorial department.[19]

    Media

    Manga

    Main article: List of Golgo 13 chapters

    Written and illustrated by

    bunkoban edition has 171 volumes.[23]

    In 1986, Leed Publishing released four Golgo 13 stories translated by Patrick Connolly: "Into the Wolves' Lair", "Galinpero", "The Ice Lake Hit" and "The Ivory Connection".[12][24]

    In 1989 and 1990, Leed and

    Vic Tokai published two further Golgo 13 comic books, "The Impossible Hit" and "The Border Hopper", as part of the promotion for two Golgo 13 video games.[12]
    The comics were released to the US public via a mail-in offer with the purchase of the games and were later even found packaged with the video games. Each issue contained one complete story and had nothing to do with the storylines of the video games themselves.

    In 1991, Leed Publishing and Viz Media published The Professional: Golgo 13, a three-part mini-series.[12] The Professional was a re-printing of "The Argentine Tiger", a story where Golgo is hired by the British Government to assassinate the reportedly dead ex-president of Argentina Juan Perón.

    In 2006, Golgo 13 was brought back by Viz as part of their Viz Signature collection. The stories are picked from the forty-year history of the manga, and do not necessarily represent the original's order of publication. A total of thirteen volumes were published, with the thirteenth volume being published on February 19, 2008. Each volume ends with an editorial commentary on Golgo 13 as a cultural phenomenon in Japan.[6]

    A spin-off manga titled Gunsmith Dave (銃器職人・デイブ) and focusing on the character Dave McCartney began serialization in the August special issue of Big Comic on July 17, 2021.[25] The spin-off ended its "first season" on May 17, 2022.[26] Saito and Saito Production are credited with creating the manga.[27]

    A second spin-off, Golgo Camp (ゴルゴCAMP) created by Yukio Miyama, was launched on Shogakukan's Manga One app on August 28, 2021.[28] It is a gag comedy and follows Golgo 13 at a modern-day campsite.[29]

    A third spin-off, G no Idenshi: Shōjo Fanette (Gの遺伝子 少女ファネット), began serialization in the August issue of Big Comic Zōkan on July 15, 2022.[26] It focuses on the French junior high school student Fanette, who has Golgo's genes.[30]

    Live action

    Main articles: Golgo 13 (film) and Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon

    Persian supporting cast. It was followed by Golgo 13: Assignment Kowloon in 1977, directed by Yukio Noda, which replaced Takakura with Sonny Chiba. In 2011, production company Davis Film obtained the American film rights to Golgo.[31]

    Anime

    1971 television series

    In November 2023, it was reported that the 1971 anime adaptation of Golgo 13, allegedly lost for many years, was found and would be broadcast on television for the first time in over 50 years. Selected episodes were broadcast on BS-TBS, under the title Golgo 13 Selection, on December 10–17, 2023.[32][33] The series' entire 40 episodes started streaming on Amazon Prime and other streaming services in Japan on December 29, 2023, premiering the first ten episodes. Ten more episodes have been released at the end of each month, with all episodes available by the end of March 2024.[34][35]

    Golgo 13: The Professional

    Main article: Golgo 13: The Professional

    Golgo 13: The Professional, known simply as Golgo 13 in Japan, is a 1983 animated featured film. Golgo 13's voice is provided by Tetsurō Sagawa in the Japanese version, and Gregory Snegoff in Streamline Pictures' English dub. It incorporates CGI animation, which was in its infancy at the time. This is most notable in the scene where army helicopters circle around Dawson Tower and attack Golgo as he climbs toward Dawson's office on the top floor.

    Golgo 13: Queen Bee

    Main article: Golgo 13: Queen Bee

    Golgo 13: Queen Bee is an original video animation that was released in 1998. Tesshō Genda provides the voice of Golgo 13 in the Japanese version, while in the English version, he is voiced by John DiMaggio.

    2008 television series

    Main article: List of Golgo 13 episodes

    A Golgo 13 anime television series was produced by The Answer Studio and aired on TV Tokyo and other stations from April 11, 2008, to March 27, 2009, for 50 episodes.[36] Hiroshi Tachi provides the voice of Golgo 13. The series was licensed by Sentai Filmworks, with the first DVD released on July 13, 2010.[37] In English, Golgo is voiced by David Wald.

    The anime aired in North America on the Anime Network on Demand channel.[38] It is also aired on television in the Philippines by TV5 and in South Korea by Animax Korea.[39]

    The first opening theme song is "Take the Wave" by Naifu for the first 25 episodes, and the second is "So Far Away" by Pinc Inc for the remaining. The first ending theme song for the first 12 episodes is "Garasu no Haiwei (Highway of Glass)" by doa,[40] while "Yume no Hitotsu" by Garnet Crow is used for episodes 13–25. The third ending theme is "Sono Egao Yo Eien ni" by Kitahara Aiko for episodes 26 to 38,[41] and the final ending song is "Mou Kimi wo Hitori ni Sasenai" by U-ka Saegusa in dB from 39–50.

    Video games

    Several video games based on Golgo 13 have been released:

    There was also an

    LCD game based on Golgo 13 released only in Japan by Popy in 1982, as well as several pachinko and pachislot machines released in Japan between 2001 and 2017,[43]
    one of which receiving a simulator port for the PlayStation in 2002.

    A version of Golgo 13's signature weapon, the scoped M16, was released in the Japanese version of Alliance of Valiant Arms as a usable weapon.[44]

    Other media

    In addition, the title character has appeared in a number of TV commercials in Japan, including

    Lotte Black Black.[46] There was also a radio drama featuring Masane Tsukayama
    as Golgo 13.

    An Airsoft gun has been made by Tokyo Marui based on the rifle Golgo 13 uses.[47] A figure based on Golgo 13 was released on August 25, 2009.[48][49]

    Reception

    Golgo 13 won the 21st

    iaidō [the martial art of drawing one's sword and mimicking a deadly blow]. It is the same movement and the same shape. I love Japanese samurai stories and that is why, unconsciously, Golgo moves like a samurai. That is why I thought foreigners wouldn't understand the story."[54]

    By March 2021, Golgo 13 had over 300 million copies in circulation in various formats, including compilation books, it is the second-best-selling manga series and the top-selling seinen manga series in history.[55]

    coriolis effect, saying that the "whole mystique of Golgo 13 is that he's just that damn good. He CAN make those shots—and he can do it with one shot."[57]

    References

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    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Golgo_13&oldid=1219652318"