''Apocalypse Zero'', known in Japan as , 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 use ...
series written and illustrated by
Takayuki Yamaguchi. It was serialized in
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita on 10 August 1948. As of 2020, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi.
Magazines Male-oriented manga magazines ''Shōnen'' magazines
* – Bi ...
's ''
Weekly Shōnen Champion
is a Japanese ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Akita Shoten.
History
''Shōnen Champion'' was first published on July 15, 1969. It has had numerous popular series by manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, Shinji Mizushima, Masa ...
'' from July 1994 to August 1996.
The manga was adapted into a two episode
original video animation
, 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 ...
in 1996, animated by
Ashi Productions and produced by
Big West Advertising,
Victor Entertainment
, also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music E ...
and
Tomy
is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...
.
Plot
Kakugo and Harara are brothers trained by their father, Oboro, to slay monsters that have begun roaming the streets of a
post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; ast ...
, 21st century Tokyo following a devastatingly, powerful
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
. In order to aid them in their quest, Oboro entrusts his two sons with ,
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. exoskeleton
An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton ( endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...
s forged using the souls of deceased warriors by their grandfather, a former scientist of the
Imperial Army of Japan
The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Shiro Hagakure. However, Harara becomes possessed by a mysterious evil from deep within his armor, mutating his body into a far more androgynist one as well as filling him with a desire to destroy all of mankind in order to help cleanse the Earth of contamination. Some years later, Kakugo moves to "''Reverse Cross High School''", located in one of the ruined districts of Tokyo near the castle from which Harara commands their demon army. It's now up to Kakugo to defeat his evil sibling and put a stop to their wicked legions.
Characters
Main
;
:
:The main protagonist of the series, owner of the Fortified Armor Shell known as . Unlike Harara, Kakugo stuck to his duty to protect innocent citizens in trouble. This leads to several encounters with a large number of monsters which inhabit the city until finally he comes face-to-face with Harara himself. Kakugo is a stern and humorless, yet compassionate and honorable person, wearing glasses and a white uniform inspired by the regimental uniforms worn by the
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, when it was dissolved following Japan's surrender ...
. Kakugo is a master of the of martial arts and has eight steel balls embedded in his body, which he can absorb into himself to coat his skin in metal or eject from his body to use as weapons. His signature technique is (lit. "cause and effect"), which is a counter move that redirects all of the energy of an opponents attack back to them. Zero is mentioned to be the prototype for all other Fortified Armor Shells and is inhabited by the vengeful souls of the 3000 Japanese soldiers sacrificed to create it. The spirits within Zero form a
collective consciousness
Collective consciousness, collective conscience, or collective conscious (french: conscience collective) is the set of shared beliefs, ideas, and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society.''Collins Dictionary of Sociolog ...
, manifesting as a mass of grimacing skulls, and are able to communicate with Kakugo and advise him in battle.
:His armored form resembles a red-eyed
tokusatsu
is a Japanese term for live action film or television drama that makes heavy use of practical special effects. ''Tokusatsu'' entertainment mainly refers to science fiction, war, fantasy, or horror media featuring such technology but is someti ...
superhero with a long scarf similar to the ''
Kamen Rider
The , also known as ''Masked Rider Series'' (until Decade), is a Japanese superhero media franchise consisting of tokusatsu television programs, films, manga, and anime, created by manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. ''Kamen Rider'' media gener ...
'' series.
:
Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. It has created a number of multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being '' Resident Evil'', '' Monster Hunter'', '' Street Fighter'', '' Mega Man'', '' ...
artist
Kinu Nishimura had said that Kakugo was the main inspiration for ''
Cyberbots
''Cyberbots: Fullmetal Madness'', released in Japan as simply , is a fighting game developed and published by Capcom in 1995. It is a spin-off of the beat'em up game ''Armored Warriors''. ''Cyberbots'' was ported to the Sega Saturn and the PlaySta ...
'' protagonist, Jin Saotome.
:Kiyotaka Ishimaru from the ''
Danganronpa
is a Japanese video game franchise created by Kazutaka Kodaka and developed and owned by Spike Chunsoft (formerly Spike). The series primarily surrounds various groups of apparent high school students who are forced into murdering each oth ...
'' franchise bears resemblance to Kakugo.
;
:
:Kakugo's older brother and the main antagonist of the series. Harara possesses the Fortified Armor Shell . Bonding with Kasumi caused his body to assume a
hermaphroditic form and drove him to insanity, killing his father Oboro in combat and defeating Kakugo. Believing humanity responsible for the death of the environment, he has become determined to destroy all humans with the aid of beings known as Tactical Fiends. Like his brother, Harara has multiple steel balls embedded in his body which he can absorb to coat his body in metal and increase his strength. His signature technique, , draws energy from the Earth into a strike that can force an opponent's internal organs to violently erupt from their body. The Fortified Armor Shell Kasumi has a feminine form and is inhabited by the malicious spirit of Mei Inukai, whose endless hatred for humanity after her infant son was sacrificed during Kasumi's creation drives Harara's desire to exterminate humanity.
:After Kakugo defeats the Tactical Fiend Eikichi, Harara directly possesses Eikichi's body in an attempt to finally destroy Kakugo. In the ensuing battle, Kakugo manages to emerge victorious over his sibling, leaving Harara in a coma for most of the manga.
Reverse Cross High School
;
:
:A girl who goes to the same high school as Kakugo. Although frequently called unattractive and chubby, Horie is a kind and bold girl who falls in love with Kakugo after witnessing him destroy the city's monsters. She is later kidnapped by Chidokuro and turned into a Tactical Fiend, thus forcing Kakugo to fight against her, until he kisses her, which results in her turning back to her normal self. Series creator, Takayuki Yamaguchi named her after Mitsuko Horie (whom he's a fan of), in fact, her name is actually an anagram for "''Mitsuko''". Horie herself would later go on to voice Tsumiko in the OVA.
;
:
:A feared delinquent at the school, he's a childhood friend to Horie and resents anyone who goes after her. Haoka initially dislikes Kakugo, but eventually comes to respect him. In the OVA, he is injured by Eikichi after managing to carry the case containing Kakugo's Zero armor to the battle, but reappears alive during the finale.
;
:
:One of Haoka's friends, usually seen with Pyonsuke. He is attacked by Dogumakuro's Flower, but is saved by Kakugo. He's very good at drawing, as shown in Volume 4 where he drew a rough sketch of Chidokuro when the school guards asked him to identify Horie's captor.
;
:
:Haoka's other friend. Generally seen with Ponta. He often carries a sword for protection.
;
:
:A friend of Horie. She is distinguished by the bandages she always wears over her face; it is never revealed why she wears them.
;
:
:A senior student and leader of a group of volunteers for the school's protection. When Harara (whose taken over Eikichi's body) begins exudes killing intent which causes all the other students present (including Hoshino's own lieutenants) to collapse, he's one of the few to withstand it.
;
:
:One of the teachers at the school. Despite his job, Zenigata doesn't really take teaching seriously, even going as far as drinking alcohol on school grounds and sleeping through his classes while playing a recording to do his work. He's also very dismissive of, and shows little worry for, his students but secretly is quite supportive of them.
;
:
:The head of the school in New Tokyo. He is a
stalker, even having wired Tsumiko's uniform to spy on her, but he really cares for his students. After Tsumiko is kidnapped by Chidokuro, he and other students unsuccessfully try to rescue her. He later appears to sacrifice his life in order to save them all from one of Harara's demons, but is later on revealed to be alive when he is regurgitated, along with a number of skeletons.
;Kazu Shimada
:
:A student at Kakugo's school, he falls victim to Hamuko. After having his face sucked off, he is devoured by her and later regurgitated in a partially-digested state during Hamuko's battle with Kakugo, dying shortly afterwards. His body is later cremated by Kakugo after the fight.
;Hiroko Uchiyama
:
:Shimada's girlfriend, she was killed by Hamuko right in front of him.
Harara's lieutenants
;
:''Voiced by:''
Yuzuru Fujimoto (Japanese)
:Harara's adviser. He later gains the ability to transform into a winged lion.
;
:''Voiced by:''
Kenichi Ogata (Japanese);
Terrence Stone (English)
:An executive at Harara's fortress. He is responsible for reporting the threat of Kakugo to him. He also stores the Kasumi armor inside his body.
;
:
:Harara's Security Chief. Originally an elderly human who tried to defeat Harara, he was turned into a
samurai armor-clad demon. He later dons the Fortified Armor Shell , empowered by the souls of 400 of Harara's defeated soldiers, in order to fight Kakugo.
;
:''Voiced by:''
Ryotaro Okiayu (Japanese);
Doug Stone
Doug Stone (born Douglas Jackson Brooks; June 19, 1956) is an American country music singer and actor. He debuted in 1990 with the single " I'd Be Better Off (In a Pine Box)", the first release from his 1990 self-titled debut album for Epic Rec ...
(English)
:Harara's Security adviser, a musclebound human who tried to defeat him, but was converted to his cause. He delivers fighters for Harara to kill at his fortress. He is adorned with the same steel balls and Kakugo and Harara, but the sheer number embedded in his body allows him to coat more of his skin in metal and assume a demonic armored form.
;
:''Voiced by:''
Shigeru Chiba (Japanese);
Tony Pope
Anthony J. Pope (March 22, 1947 – February 11, 2004), also known as "Anthony Mozdy", was an American voice actor. He is best remembered for voicing Goofy for eleven years. He also worked on the first two DVDs of LeapFrog, voicing Mr. Websley a ...
(English)
:The general of the Tactical Fiends, a cowardly mustachioed man in a dark helmet (based on ''
Berserk
Berserk (meaning "very angry" or "out of control") may refer to:
* ''Berserk'' (manga), a 1989 Japanese manga by Kentaro Miura
** ''Berserk'' (1997 TV series), the first anime adaption of the manga
** ''Berserk'' (2016 TV series), a second adap ...
s
Femto). He manages to transform Kakugo into a Tactical Fiend only to be killed by Kakugo when he reverts to being a human.
Harara's Tactical Fiends
;
:
:A large, obese monster with clown-like features and the first Tactical Fiend Kakugo encounters. She enjoys killing females outright and consuming the men with them. She also wears the faces of her most recent victim as a
pasty
A pasty () is a British baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, South West England, but has spread all over the British Isles. It is made by placing an uncooked filling, typically meat and vegetab ...
. Although initially attempting to simply subdue her, Kakugo finally kills her after disabling her powers.
;
:''Voiced by:''
Ryotaro Okiayu (Japanese);
Derek Stephen Prince (English)
:The third Tactical Fiend encountered (second in the OVA), Dogumakuro is a mutant rock star capable of electrocuting his opponents with his tongue. He can also deploy a microphone from his groin that emits powerful music waves. Kakugo manages to overcome his techniques and defeats him by shattering his skull and evaporating his body.
;
:
:An elderly Tactical Fiend who is sent to attack Kakugo. He can solidify his saliva and form weapons with it, and his penis is a dragon head with the same skill. Though he manages to gain the upper hand against the unarmored Kakugo, he is quickly defeated once Kakugo gains his Zero Armor. His body is then possessed by Harara, though since he has already died by this point,
rigor mortis
Rigor mortis (Latin: ''rigor'' "stiffness", and ''mortis'' "of death"), or postmortem rigidity, is the third stage of death. It is one of the recognizable signs of death, characterized by stiffening of the limbs of the corpse caused by chem ...
sets in, allowing Kakugo to gain the upper hand and defeat him, incapacitating Harara.
;
:
:Taking on the form of a nurse, Megumi is a Tactical Fiend who attempts to seduce men before killing them. In her monster form, she has large breasts that serve as tentacles, and is capable of full regeneration. Kakugo kills her by fully dismembering her.
Others
;
:
:The father of Kakugo and Harara who was responsible for their training. After Harara is driven to insanity by bonding with Kasumi, he demands to fight his father. Oboro dons his own Fortified Armor Shell, , and is killed in the ensuing duel.
;
:The grandfather of Kakugo and Harara, who created the Fortified Armor Shells and the Tactical Fiend technology for Japan to win the
Pacific War, causing thousands of deaths through his brutal and inhumane experiments. He was said to be executed by the Japanese government to cover up his experiments, but he secretly survived thanks to his science.
;
:A nurse working for Shiro Hagakure, wife to a
Japanese Imperial soldier named Shinobu Inukai. Both of them were murdered to use their son Tamataro for the creation of the Kasumi armor, but Mei's grudge reached the armor and infused it with hate towards humanity. It was only dissipated after Kakugo destroys the armor and Tsumiko redeems Tamataro's spirit through her love.
Media
Manga
The ''Apocalypse Zero''
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 use ...
series was written and illustrated by
Takayuki Yamaguchi. It was originally serialized in the
Akita Shoten
is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Teio Akita on 10 August 1948. As of 2020, the company's president is Shigeru Higuchi.
Magazines Male-oriented manga magazines ''Shōnen'' magazines
* – Bi ...
magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Champion
is a Japanese ''shōnen'' manga magazine published by Akita Shoten.
History
''Shōnen Champion'' was first published on July 15, 1969. It has had numerous popular series by manga artists such as Osamu Tezuka, Go Nagai, Shinji Mizushima, Masa ...
'' from 1994 to 1996. A total of 11 ''
tankōbon
is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or m ...
'' (chapter collections) volumes were published by Akita Shoten. An
English translation of the manga was published as a
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...
in the US by
Media Blasters
Media Blasters, sometimes abbreviated as MB, is an American entertainment corporation that was founded by John Sirabella in 1997 and is based in New York City. It is in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American ...
beginning on January 19, 2005. The manga was sold
shrink wrap
Shrink may refer to:
Common meanings
* Miniaturization
*Shrink, a slang term for:
** a psychiatrist
** a psychoanalyst
** a psychologist
A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cogn ...
ped, presumably due to the large amount of violence. Only six of the original 11 volumes were translated and released, as Media Blasters chose to cease publication of the series in early 2007.
The manga was published in Italy by
Dynamic Italia
Dynit Srl is one of the main Italian manga and anime publishers. Its head office is in the Cadriano ''frazione'' in Granarolo dell'Emilia, Province of Bologna. , flipping it in a left-to-right format.
From 2010 to 2014, Yamaguchi wrote ''Exoskull Zero'', a
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is phys ...
of ''Apocalypse Zero'' featuring a similar protagonist in a slightly different plot. It was published in Akita Shoten's
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 ...
magazine.
OVA
The ''Apocalypse Zero''
anime
is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...
OVA was co-produced by
Victor Entertainment
, also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music E ...
,
Tomy
is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...
and
Big West Advertising, it was animated by
Ashi Productions and directed by
Toshihiro Hirano. It was released in Japan in two volumes from October 23, 1996, to December 18, 1996, on VHS and Laserdisc. The OVA was planned to have ten episodes, but was canceled after the completion of the second episode. The reasons for the OVA's cancellation are currently unknown. The anime was released in Italy in 1999 on VHS, licensed by Dynamic Italia. The US license for ''Apocalypse Zero'' was acquired by Media Blasters who created a dubbed English language version of the anime translated by Takashi Sakudo and produced by
Bang Zoom! Studios. The two VHS volumes were released from June 20 to August 22, 2000. A
DVD release containing both episodes was released on August 28, 2001.
A
Region 2 DVD of the series with both episodes was released in Japan by
Toshiba
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems ...
in 2003.
Video game
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, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
based on ''Apocalypse Zero'' was released on the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...
on March 21, 1997, exclusively in Japan by
Tomy
is a Japanese entertainment company that makes children's toys and merchandise. It was created from a merger on March 1st 2006 of two companies: Tomy (founded in 1924 as Tomiyama, changing the name to Tomy in 1963) and long-time rival Tak ...
. The game is a standard 3D
fighting game
A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining atta ...
allowing the player to go head-to-head against the CPU or against another player. It features seven characters to choose from based on both the anime and manga, and animated cut scenes taken from the OVA.
Reception
Due to the use of gratuitous violence and repulsive imagery, critical reception to ''Apocalypse Zero'' in the west has been largely negative.
John Oppliger of
AnimeNation called the ''Apocalypse Zero'' OVA "the most viscerally violent and gruesome anime" he has seen and "arguably the most grotesque anime ever made".
''
Animerica'' called ''Apocalypse Zero'' the "Best Anime Splattervision" in its "Best of the Best" awards. "When a 45-minute video features a scene where someone's face is sucked off, and that's not even the most shocking thing in the video," the magazine proclaimed, "you know you'll be getting your horror-show money's worth."
Despite this, the manga was well received and popular in Japan. ''Apocalypse Zero'' managed to be one of the finalists for the 1997
Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize
Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan.
Curren ...
, losing out to
Doraemon
''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ''tankōbon'' volumes and p ...
by
Fujiko Fujio
was a manga writing duo formed by Japanese manga artists and . They formed their partnership in 1951, and used the Fujiko Fujio name from 1954 until dissolution of the partnership in 1987, upon Fujimoto's illness. The pair was best known ...
.
The Road to Glory: Manga Awards - Tezuka Cultural Award
/ref>
Context
The Japanese title is an allusion to An Encouragement of Learning (Gakumon no Susume) from Yukichi Fukuzawa
was a Japanese educator, philosopher, writer, entrepreneur and samurai who founded Keio University, the newspaper ''Jiji-Shinpō'', and the Institute of Medical Science (Japan), Institute for Study of Infectious Diseases.
Fukuzawa was an earl ...
, an important early Japanese advocate during Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were r ...
.
References
External links
*
{{Ashi Productions
1994 manga
1996 anime OVAs
Action anime and manga
Akita Shoten manga
Ashi Productions
Post-apocalyptic anime and manga
Shōnen manga
Tomy games