or or is a
manga
Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) 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 prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
and
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
created in 1963 by
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
writer
Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist
Jiro Kuwata
was a Japanese manga artist.
Biography
A gifted artist, Kuwata started out as a manga artist at the young age of 13, when he created in 1948. His turning point came in 1957, when he created (which was adapted into a tokusatsu TV series in 19 ...
.
8 Man is considered
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's earliest
cyborg
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
, pre-dating ''
Kamen Rider.''
The manga was published in
Weekly Shōnen Magazine
is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published on Wednesdays in Japan by Kodansha, first published on March 17, 1959. The magazine is mainly read by an older audience, with a significant portion of its readership falling under the male hig ...
and ran from 1963 to 1966. The anime series was produced by Eiken in association with TCJ Animation Center. It was broadcast on
Tokyo Broadcasting System
formerly is a Japanese media and licensed broadcasting holding company. It is the parent company of the television network and radio network . It has a 28-affiliate television network called JNN (Japan News Network), as well as a 34-affili ...
and ran from November 17, 1963, to December 31, 1964, with a total of 56 episodes, as well as a "farewell" special episode, "Goodbye, 8 Man".
Plot
Detective Yokoda is murdered by criminals and his body is retrieved by Professor Tani. Tani takes the body to his laboratory where he attempts to transfer Yokoda's life force into an
android body, an experiment that has already failed seven times. Yokoda is reborn as the
armour-skinned android 8 Man and is able to dash at impossible speeds as well as
shape-shift into other people. He takes on his former body, this time taking on the name "Hachiro Azuma." He keeps this identity a secret, known only to Tani and his police boss, Chief Tanaka. Even his girlfriend Sachiko and his friend Ichiro are not aware that he is an android. As 8-Man, Hachiro fights crime–eventually avenging his own murder. To rejuvenate his powers, he smokes "energy" cigarettes that he carries in a case on his belt.
In Japan, the character's origin varies significantly between the original manga, the TV series, and the live-action movie. In the original Japanese manga and TV series, the character's name does not change when he is reborn as 8 Man. The "Detective Yokoda" name was created for the live-action version. In the manga, Detective Azuma is trapped in a warehouse and gunned down, while the TV series has him killed when he is run over by a car. In contrast, the original Japanese version had the main character named as "8 Man", as he is considered an extra member of the Japanese police force. There are seven regular police precincts and 8 Man is treated as an unofficial eighth precinct.
The Japanese manga was presented as serial novella stories along with a set of one-shot stories. Many of these stories were edited down and adapted for the TV series. The novella stories were originally printed every week in ''Shukuu Shōnen Magazine'' in 16-page increments that consisted of 15 story pages and one title page. Ten additional one-shot stories were presented in seasonal and holiday specials of ''Shuukuu Shōnen Magazine''. These stories were generally between 30 and 40 pages in length.
In the North American version of the series, the resurrected detective/android is known as "Tobor" or the word "robot" spelled backwards. Tani is referred to as "Professor Genius" and the sobriquet of 8-Man is slightly changed to "8th-Man," the name explained as he is the 8th attempt to be a super-robot. The story content was directed toward a wider audience of both young and adult viewers. As such, much of the violence was toned down for Western audiences. Due to changes in cigarette advertising laws in the 1960s, television characters were not allowed to be seen smoking. As this was a major plot device in the series, the show was forced to be removed from broadcast in the United States.
Original Japanese manga story titles
Novella stories
*怪人ゲーレン (Kaijin Geren) - Galen, the Mystery Man
*サタンの兄弟 (Satan no Kyodai) - Satan's Brothers
*怪力ロボット007 (Kairiki Robotto 007) - Strange Powered Robot 007
*光線兵器レーザー (Kosen Heiki Reza) - The Laser Beam Gun
*超人サイバー (Chojin Saiba) - Cyber, the Superhuman
*人間ミサイル (Ningen Misairu) - The Human Missile
*殺人ロボット005 (Satsujin Robotto 005) - Murderous Robot 005
*魔女エスパー (Majo Esupa) - Esper, the Witch
*超人類ミュータント (Chojinrui Myutanto) - Superhuman Mutant
*魔人コズマ (Majin Kozuma) - The Demon Kozuma
: The strip's artist Jiro Kuwata was imprisoned for possession of a handgun before the final 16-page serial of "The Demon Kozuma" was completed. The final serial was drawn by Takaharu Kusunoki for the magazine version. Jiro Kuwata later redrew the final pages of the story himself by request of Kazumasa Hirai and Rim Publishing, so that they could publish a complete version of the final story. The publishers were not able to use Kusunoki's artwork, so the story was omitted or left incomplete in previous official releases
Short episode stories
*死刑囚タランチュラ - The Condemned Criminal Tarantula
*決闘 - The Duel
*シャドウ・ボクサー - Shadow Boxer
*復讐鬼ゴースト - Vengeful Demon Ghost
*超振動砲 - The Super Vibration Gun
*マッド・マシン - Mad Machine
*サイボーグPV1号 - Cyborg Number PV1
*殺し屋イライジャ - The Assassin Elijah
*燃える水 - Burning Water
*幽霊ハイウェイ - Phantom Highway
*太陽衛星サンダー (単行本未収録) - Solar Satellite "Thunder" (unreleased story)
: This was intended as a lead-in to a series of 23 manga stories adapted from the TV series.
Original Japanese TV series episode titles
# エイトマン登場 - Introducing Eightman
# 殺し屋ゲーレン - Galen, the Hitman
# サタンの兄弟 - Satan's Brother
# 死刑台B3 - The B3 Gallows
# 暗黒カプセル - The Darkness Capsule
# 黄金ギャング - The Gold Gang
# 消音ジェット機 - The Stealth Jetplane
# 超小型ミサイル - The Ultra Micro Missile
# 光線銃レーザー - The Lazer Ray Gun
# ロボット007 - Robot 007
# まぼろしの暗殺者 - The Phantom Assassin
# 海底のウラン - The Undersea Uranium
# 人間パンチカード - The Human Punch Card
# スーパーパイロット - The Super Pilot
# 黒い幽霊 - The Black Ghost
# 怪盗黄金虫 - Goldbeetle, the Mysterious Thief
# 超音波ドクター - The Ultrasonic Wave Doctor
# 台風男爵 - The Typhoon Baron
# ゲーレンの逆襲 - Galen Strikes Again
# スパイ指令100号 - Spy Directive No. 100
# ロボットタイガー - The Robot Tiger
# ゼロへの挑戦 - Challenge to Zero
# ナポレオン13世 - Napoleon the 13th
# サラマンダー作戦 - Operation: Salamander
# 超人サイバー - Cyber, the Superhuman
# 地球ゼロアワー - Zero Hour: Earth
# 大怪物イーラ - Eeler, the Giant Monster
# バクテリア作戦 - Operation: Bacteria
# 人間ミサイル - The Human Missile
# サイボーグ人間C1号 - Cyborg No. C1
# 幽霊ハイウェイ - The Phantom Highway
# 太陽衛星サンダー - Thunder, the Solar Satellite
# 人工生命ヴァルカン - Vulcan, the Artificial Lifeform
# 決闘 - The Duel
# 冷凍光線 - The Freeze Ray
# バイラス13号 - Virus No. 13
# 悪夢の7日間 - The 7 Day Nightmare
# 怪人ゴースト - The Mysterious Ghost
# まぼろしを作る少年 - The Boy Who Made a Phantom
# 透明ロボット・ジュピター - Jupiter, the Invisible Robot
# エイトマン暗殺指令 - Order: Assassinate Eightman
# 女王蜂モンスター - The Queen Bee Monster
# 魔女エスパー - Esper, the Witch
# 世界電撃プラン - The World Blitz Plan
# 死刑囚タランチュラ - Tarantula, the Condemned Criminal
# 空飛ぶ魔人 - The Flying Devil
# バブル・ボール作戦 - Operation: Bubble Ball
# 火星人SAW - SAW, the Martian
# 30億人の人質 - 3 Billion Hostages
# 怪像ジャイアント - Giant, the Mysterious Statue
# 狙われた地球 - Target Earth
# 人喰魚ピラニア - The Man-Eating Piranha
# ムタールの反乱 - Moutard's Rebellion
# シャークの掟 - Law of the Shark
# 超人類ミュータント(前編) - Superhuman Mutant (Part One)
# 超人類ミュータント(後編) - Superhuman Mutant (Part Two)
* "Good-Bye Eight-Man" - a special look back at the TV series.
The U.S. syndicated version
In 1965, ''8 Man'' was brought to the
U.S.
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
as ''8th Man'' (sometimes called "Tobor the 8th Man," as in its English-language theme music), with
ABC Films
Worldvision Enterprises, Inc. was an American television program and home video distributor established in 1954 as ABC Film Syndication, the domestic and overseas program distribution arm of the ABC Television Network. They primarily licensed p ...
as its syndicated distributor. Only 52 of the original 56 episodes were translated into English.
The characters were renamed as follows:
* Yokota/Azuma/8 Man - Special Agent Brady/Tobor ("robot" spelled backward)/8th Man
* Tani - Professor Genius
* Tanaka - Chief Fumble Thumbs
* Sachiko - Jenny Hartsweet
* Ichiro - Skip
Theme song
Call Tobor, the 8 Man
Reception
8 Man was ranked ninth in the Mania Entertainment's 10 Most Iconic Anime Heroes. The author of the ranking, Thomas Zoth, commented, "Before ''
Cyborg 009
is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including '' Monthly Shōnen King'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', ''Shōnen Big Comic'', '' COM'', '' ...
'', ''
The Six Million Dollar Man
''The Six Million Dollar Man'' is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors. After a NASA test flight accident, Austin is re ...
'', and ''
RoboCop'', there was 8 Man: The first cyborg manga and anime hero. Building on ''
Astro Boy
''Astro Boy'', known in Japan by its original name , 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 '' tankōbon'' ...
'', 8 Man helped to shape the trajectory of robot and cyborg heroes for the next decade."
Legacy
The 8 Man franchise was revived in the early 1990s with a live-action film, video game, and new animated series.
Video game
In 1991,
SNK
is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...
released a
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
edition of ''
Eight Man'' for the
Neo Geo
Neo Geo is a family of video game hardware developed by SNK. On the market from 1990 to 2004, the brand originated with the release of an arcade system, the Neo Geo MVS and its home console counterpart, the Neo Geo AES.
The Neo Geo MVS was su ...
arcade and home video game system (both versions are identical), where the player took the role of 8 Man and his Robo-comrade 9 Man in a fight against an invading evil robot army. The game was released internationally. While the game stayed true to the concept of a crime-fighting super-robot, it was widely criticized for being tedious and relying too much on the gimmick of its speed-running effect.
In 2009, he appeared in the crossover ''Shonen Sunday & Shonen Magazine White Comic'' for the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
.
Live action movie
In 1992, a live-action film version of 8 Man was produced in Japan. Titled ''Eitoman - Subete no Sabishī Yoru no Tame ni'' (, lit. ''8 Man - For All the Lonely Nights''), it was directed by Yasuhiro Horiuchi and starred Kai Shishido as the title character and
Toshihide Wakamatsu as Detective Yokota. Distributed in the United States by
Fox Lorber
Genius Products (also known as Genius Entertainment) was an entertainment company based in Santa Monica, California, United States.
The ''Baby Genius'' line was one of a number of "smart toys" that came out in response to a study book about the ...
video simply as ''8 Man'', the movie was widely panned for its choppy editing, mediocre direction, and low-budget feel. Many modern American viewers, unfamiliar with the older animated series, felt the movie was an inferior version of ''RoboCop,'' although the latter was a much more recent franchise.
''8 Man After''
In 1993, the mantle of 8 Man was taken up by Hazama Itsuru in the
OVA
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
series ''8 Man After''. Existing in a world far more corrupt than that of his predecessor, the new 8 Man had no qualms about being extremely violent towards the cybernetic criminals who had murdered him previously. It was licensed by
Streamline Pictures where it went out of print until being released on DVD by
Image Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment (formerly Image Entertainment) is an American film production company and home video distributor, distributing film and television productions in North America, with approximately 3,200 exclusive DVD titles and approximately 34 ...
in 2001. It has since been released by
Discotek Media
Discotek Media is an American entertainment company based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, focused on distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series.
Formed in 2005, Discotek primarily focuses on licensing retro titles fr ...
in 2016 with Japanese audio, featuring English subtitles for the first time.
''8 Man Infinity''
A manga comic strip called is being authored by Kyoichi Nanatsuki under Kodansha, which is being serialized under Kodansha's ''Magazine Z''.
''8 Man vs. Cyborg 009''
A crossover between 8 Man and
Cyborg 009
is a Japanese science fiction manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori. It was serialized in many different Japanese magazines, including '' Monthly Shōnen King'', ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'', ''Shōnen Big Comic'', '' COM'', '' ...
by Kyoichi Nanatsuki (script) and Masato Hayate (art), began serialization in ''
Champion Red
is a monthly Japanese ''seinen'' manga magazine, published on the 19th each month by Akita Shoten since August 19, 2002 (cover date October 2002), initially published as a ''shōnen'' magazine. Since 2015, the magazine slogan is .
was a sp ...
'' on July 18, 2020.
References
Notes
External links
* (1963)
* (1965)
* (1992)
* (1993)
*
{{Eiken
1963 anime television series debuts
1963 manga
1987 films
1991 video games
1992 films
1993 anime OVAs
1994 manga
2005 manga
Anime and manga characters who can move at superhuman speeds
Arcade video games
Discotek Media
Eiken (studio)
Fictional cyborgs
Fictional Japanese police officers
Fictional robots
Fuji TV original programming
Japanese television dramas based on manga
J.C.Staff
Jiro Kuwata
Kazumasa Hirai (author)
Kodansha manga
Robot superheroes
Seinen manga
Shapeshifter characters in comics
Shōnen manga
TBS Television (Japan) original programming
Cyborgs in anime and manga
Television series about shapeshifting