is an unfinished manga series written and illustrated by Osamu Tezuka. Tezuka considered ''Phoenix'' his "life's work"; it consists of 12 books, each of which tells a separate, self-contained story and takes place in a different

era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

. The plots go back and forth from the remote future to prehistoric times. The story was never completed, having been cut short by Tezuka's death in 1989. Several of the stories have been adapted into

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 ...

series and OVAs, and a

live-action Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ...

film. As of 2007, the entire manga series is available in English-language translations.

Overview

''Phoenix'' is about

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is ...

. Each story generally involves a search for

immortality Immortality is the concept of eternal life. Some modern species may possess biological immortality. Some scientists, futurists, and philosophers have theorized about the immortality of the human body, with some suggesting that human immorta ...

, embodied by the blood of the eponymous bird of fire, which, as drawn by Tezuka, resembles the ''

Fenghuang ''Fènghuáng'' (, ) are mythological birds found in Sinospheric mythology that reign over all other birds. The males were originally called ''fèng'' and the females ''huáng'', but such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and ...

''. The blood is believed to grant eternal life, but immortality in ''Phoenix'' is either unobtainable or a terrible curse, whereas

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

-style reincarnation is presented as the natural path of life. The stories spring back and forth through time; the first, ''Dawn,'' takes place in ancient times, and the second, ''Future,'' takes place in the far future. Subsequent stories alternate between the past and future, allowing Tezuka to explore his themes in both historical and

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 uni ...

settings. Throughout the stories there are various

recurring character A recurring character is a fictional character, usually in a prime time TV series, who frequently appears from time to time during the series' run. Recurring characters often play major roles in more than one episode, sometimes being the main f ...

s, some from Tezuka's famous star system. A character named Saruta appears repeatedly, for example, in the form of various ancestors and descendants, all of whom endure harsh trials in their respective eras. Tezuka began work on a preliminary version of ''Phoenix'' in 1954, and the series continued in various forms until his death in 1989. As it progresses, the stories seemed to be converging on the present day. Due to Tezuka dying before the manga's completion, it is not known how this would have played out. Scholar and translator Frederik L. Schodt, who knew Tezuka in life, wrote that he fantasized about a secret ending, "waiting in a safe somewhere to be revealed posthumously." This was not the case, and Tezuka's final intentions with ''Phoenix'' remain unknown; its episodic nature leaves each volume highly accessible nonetheless. Many of the ''Phoenix'' stories feature an intensely experimental layout and visual design. For example, ''Universe'' tells the story of four spacefarers who are forced to leave their spaceship in separate escape pods. The panels of the story are organized such that each character has his own vertical or horizontal tier on the page, emphasizing the astronauts' isolation; the tiers combine and separate as characters join and split up. In an astonishing sequence after one character's death, he is represented for a number of pages by a series of empty black panels. Tezuka was said to have been influenced to create the series after listening to the

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

of Igor Stravinsky. He also told that he created the image of Phoenix as he was impressed by the

Firebird Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures * Bennu, Egyptian firebird * Huma bird, Persian firebird * Firebird (Slavic folklore) Bird species ''Various sp ...

in director

Ivan Ivanov-Vano Ivan Petrovich Ivanov-Vano (russian: Иван Петрович Иванов-Вано; – 25 March 1987), born Ivanov, was a Soviet Union, Soviet and Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, Russian animation director, animator, screenwri ...

's animation film '' Konyok Gorbunok'' (

Soyuzmultfilm Soyuzmultfilm ( rus, Союзмультфи́льм, p=səˌjʉsmʊlʲtˈfʲilʲm , ''Union Cartoon'') (also known as SMF Animation Studio in English, Formerly known as Soyuzdetmultfilm) is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Launched in ...

studio).

Arcs

After several aborted attempts at a first chapter in the 1950s published in the magazine ''

Manga Shōnen was a monthly manga magazine published by Gakudōsha between December 1947 and October 1955. The magazine was important in forming and promoting shōnen manga in post-war Japan. Legacy The magazine was first published on 20 December 1947. ...

'', Tezuka began ''Dawn'' in 1967, serialized in '' COM''. The serialization of ''Phoenix'' would continue throughout his career, moving to ''Manga Shōnen'' after ''COM'''s closure in the mid-70s. The final volume, ''Sun'', was serialized in ''The Wild Age''. ; :The first volume, originally serialized in 1967. This story took place in 240–70 AD, in the era of Queen

Himiko , also known as , was a shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku in . Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220–265) and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler fol ...

of the

Yamatai Yamatai or Yamatai-koku is the Sino-Japanese name of an ancient country in Wa (Japan) during the late Yayoi period The Chinese text '' Records of the Three Kingdoms'' first recorded the name as () or (; using reconstructed Middle Chinese ...

. Using her army, led by feudal general Sarutahiko, to invade the

Kumaso The were a mythical people of ancient Japan mentioned in the ''Kojiki'', believed to have lived in the south of Kyūshū until at least the Nara period. The last leader of the Kumaso, Torishi-Kaya was killed by Yamato Takeru in 397. The name of K ...

, she seeks the Phoenix and eternal youth. ; :The second volume, originally serialized in 1967–68. In ''Phoenixs

chronology Chronology (from Latin ''chronologia'', from Ancient Greek , ''chrónos'', "time"; and , ''-logia'') is the science of arranging events in their order of occurrence in time. Consider, for example, the use of a timeline or sequence of events. I ...

, this is the final story chronologically; taking place near the end of mankind. In 3404, the world has become super-modernized, but humanity has reached its peak and shows decline. A young man named Masato Yamanobe is living with his girlfriend, Tamami, a shapeshifting alien. Pursued by Masato's boss,

Rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, they eventually take shelter at the isolated base of

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or " insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly a ...

Dr. Saruta, who attempts to preserve life on Earth with the assistance of his robot, Robita. Eventually, nuclear war breaks out. ; :The third volume, originally serialized in 1968–69. This story took place in 320–50 ( Kofun period), and is based on the '' Yamato-takeru-no-mikoto'' legend. The decadent king of Yamato is trying to have his own version of Japan's history written. Meanwhile, a "barbarian" tribe, the Kumaso, is writing an unbiased history. The king of Yamato sends his youngest son, Oguna, to murder the barbarian chief, Takeru. On his journey, Oguna encounters the Phoenix. ; :The fourth volume, originally serialized in 1969; also known as ''Space''. The story took place in 2577 AD, where four astronauts must escape their ruined spaceship in escape pods. The survivors eventually crash into a mysterious planet. Among them is Saruta, who contends with Makimura for the heart of their female companion, Nana. On this strange planet, they eventually meet the Phoenix. ; :The fifth volume, originally serialized in 1969–1970. The story occurred in 720–752 AD (the period in which the

Daibutsu or 'giant Buddha' is the Japanese term, often used informally, for large statues of Buddha. The oldest is that at Asuka-dera (609) and the best-known is that at Tōdai-ji in Nara (752). Tōdai-ji's daibutsu is a part of the UNESCO World Heritag ...

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

was built), during the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

. One-eyed and one-armed young man Gao, an ancestor of Saruta, turns into a murderous bandit when he is rejected by his village. He attacks a sculptor, Akanemaru, and the two men's paths diverge, but their fates remain linked. Akanemaru becomes obsessed with the Phoenix to the point that he loses sight of his original dreams, while Gao eventually finds a state of grace despite his continuing hardships. ''Hō-ō'' is widely considered the masterpiece of the ''Phoenix'' series. MSX and

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit Third generation of video game consoles, third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redes ...

video games, both developed by

Konami , is a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Chūō, Tokyo, it also produces and distributes trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, pachinko machines, slot machines, and arcade cabinets. Konami has casino ...

, were based on this volume. The Viz (English) edition is entitled "''Karma''". ; :The sixth volume, originally serialized in 1970–1971. The story took place in 2482–3344 AD. In an age of robotics, technology and science, young Leon dies in a car accident. He is returned to life by scientific surgery, but his now mostly-artificial brain makes him see living things – including humans – as distorted clay figures, while he sees machines and robots as beauties. Leon falls in love with a worker robot, Chihiro, whom he sees as a beautiful girl, and would fight for this forbidden love. He would also find out the secret behind his accident. A side plot features the robot Robita, who previously appeared in ''Future''. ; :Serialized in ''COM'', 1971. Published in English by Viz as an appendix to the second volume of ''Civil War'' (''Turbulent Times''). Based on the story of the Hagoromo. ; :Published in ''COM'', 1971; continued in ''Manga Shōnen'', 1976–1978. A science fiction epic about the rise and fall of civilization on the deceptively named desert planet of Eden; and one boy's universe-spanning search for the planet of his ancestors: Earth. Features numerous cameos from other Science fiction-based Phoenix stories, including the shapeshifting alien "Moopies" first seen in ''Future'', Makimura from ''Universe'' and an early model of the Chihiro robot from ''Resurrection''. Black Jack also made an appearance here, under a different name. ; :Published in ''Manga Shōnen'', 1978–1980. The story is about a woodcutter named Benta and his childhood sweetheart, Obu, who are separated and caught up in the events of the Genpei War. Various historical figures, such as

Taira no Kiyomori was a military leader and ''kugyō'' of the late Heian period of Japan. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan. Early life Kiyomori was born in Heian-kyō, Japan, in 1118 as the first so ...

, appear as major and minor characters. Although the character of Gao (from ''Ho-ō'') appears as a 400-year-old hermit and thus links ''Ranse-hen'' to the rest of the series, this particular arc stands out for its much more naturalistic approach, with next to no fantasy elements in it (except for those used for comedic effect, such as telephones in the 12th century). The Viz (English) edition is entitled ''Civil War'' and is split into two volumes, with ''Robe of Feathers'' included as an appendix to the second volume. ; :Published in ''Manga Shōnen'', 1980. A TV producer who attempts to procure human

clones Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

to use in a ''

The Most Dangerous Game "The Most Dangerous Game", also published as "The Hounds of Zaroff", is a short story by Richard Connell, first published in ''Collier's'' on January 19, 1924, with illustrations by Wilmot Emerton Heitland. The story features a big-game hunter ...

''-style reality TV program learns the error of his ways when he is mistaken for a clone himself. This episode is notable for only featuring the Phoenix in flashbacks and also for introducing her half-human daughter who does not appear again after this episode. ; :Published in ''Manga Shōnen'', 1981. The story of a female Buddhist nun ( bhikkhuni) who is imprisoned in a time-warp by the Phoenix as punishment for her sins along with her faithful retainer and is forced to become a healer treating the victims of wars from all over time and space including humans, youkai and various extraterrestrials. This chapter was loosely based on the Hyakki Yakō

emakimono or is an illustrated horizontal narration system of painted handscrolls that dates back to Nara-period (710–794 CE) Japan. Initially copying their much older Chinese counterparts in style, during the succeeding Heian (794–1185) and Ka ...

by the famous Japanese artist Tosa Mitsunobu (although in the context of the story it's the complete opposite). ; :Published in ''The Wild Age'', 1986–88. This is the longest story, and was the final volume completed before Tezuka's death. It centers on Harima, a young

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

soldier from the

Baekje Kingdom Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jumon ...

whose head is replaced with that of a wolf by

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

soldiers following the defeat of the joint Baekje-Yamato force at the Battle of Baekgang. He then escapes to Japan where he becomes the feudal lord Inugami and becomes caught in the middle of the

Jinshin War The was a war of succession in Japan during the Asuka period of the Yamato state. It broke out in 672 following the death of Emperor Tenji. The name refers to the ''jinshin'' (壬申) or ninth year of the sixty-year Jikkan Jūnishi calendrica ...

, as well as joining a greater battle between supernatural forces and time-travelling to a bleak future world ruled by a theocracy that claimed to have captured the Phoenix. This chapter stands in stark contrast to the earlier historical Phoenix stories, which tended to de-mythologize the mythical characters therein, for instance in ''Dawn'', many

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

gods are portrayed as mere humans. In this chapter, however, a wide variety of mythical creatures are shown fighting against

Bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

. ;Early Works :Covers the prototype version of the series from the 1950s.

Characters

*Hi no Tori:

Keiko Takeshita Keiko Takeshita (竹下景子 ''Takeshita Keiko''; born on September 15, 1953 in Higashi-ku, Nagoya, Japan) is a Japanese actress. She starred in the Japanese version of '' From Up on Poppy Hill'' as Hana Matsuzaki. Filmography Film *'' Blue Ch ...

/ Suzanne Gilad *Saruta: Tetsuo Komura/

Danny Burstein Danny Burstein (born June 16, 1964) is an American actor and singer, most known for his work on the Broadway stage. A seven-time Tony Award nominee, Burstein won the 2020 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his performance as Ha ...

*Narrator: Akira Kume/ Robert O'Gorman ;Dawn *Nagi: Takeuchi Junko/ Michelle Newman * Sarutahiko: Tetsuo Komura *

Ryōko Kinomiya was a Japanese actress and voice actress. She was born Ryōko Sakurai in Kyoto, Japan. She was known for her low voice. Kinomiya was the Japanese dub voice of Faye Dunaway. In 2008 she won a Merit Award at the 2nd Seiyu Awards. Kinomiya died o ...

Fiona Jones Fiona Elizabeth Ann Jones (née Hamilton; 27 February 1957 – 28 January 2007) was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. She was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Newark in Labour's landslide victory in the 1997 general e ...

*Hinaku:

Sakiko Tamagawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Tokyo. She is affiliated with Sigma Seven. She voices Rei Kuki in '' Genji Tsuushin Agedama'', Natsumi Tsujimoto in '' You're Under Arrest'', Kazama's mother in '' Crayon Shin-chan'', and Toy ...

Carrie Keranen Carrie Keranen is an American voice actress, production manager, producer and voice director. She is best known for her work with 4Kids Entertainment, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post, Studiopolis and Funimation. Her ...

* Susanoo: Eizo Tsuda/

James Urbaniak James Christian Urbaniak (born September 17, 1963) is an American character actor. He is best known for his roles as Simon Grim in three Hal Hartley films: '' Henry Fool'' (1997), '' Fay Grim'' (2006) and '' Ned Rifle'' (2014), Robert Crumb in ...

*Guzuri: Michio Nakao/

Jay Snyder James Hadley Snyder (born February 16, 1970), known professionally as Dan Green, is an American voice actor, voice director, and screenwriter. He is best known for being the voice of Yugi Muto/Yami Yugi for ''Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters'', the anime ...

*Ama no Yumihiko:

Masaki Terasoma is a Japanese actor and voice actor. He is affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Biography After graduating from Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, Terasoma joined Haiyuza Theatre Company. In 1984, he made his film debut in '' W's Tragedy''. Af ...

Addie Blaustein Madeleine Joan Blaustein (born Adam Blaustein, October 9, 1960 – December 11, 2008), also known as Kendra Bancroft, was an American voice actress and comic writer who was known for her voice acting work for 4Kids Entertainment, DuArt Film an ...

Ninigi is a deity in Japanese mythology. Grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Ninigi is regarded according to Japanese mythology as the great-grandfather of Japan’s first emperor, Emperor Jimmu. The three sacred treasures brought with Ninigi fro ...

Akio Ōtsuka is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is attached to Mausu Promotion. The astringent and calm quality of his deep voice has landed him many roles in films, dubbing, animation, and video games. He is ...

Richard Epcar Richard Epcar is an American voice actor, voice director, and writer who has voiced over 1,200 characters in animation, video games and anime. Some of his major roles include Raiden in the ''Mortal Kombat'' franchise, The Joker in several proje ...

*Shaman:

Hikaru Miyata is a Japanese unisex given name meaning "light" or "radiance". Possible writings Hikaru can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: * 光, "light" * 輝, "radiance" The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana. It is m ...

*Soldier: Yousuke Akimoto *

Uzume is the goddess of dawn, mirth, meditation, revelry and the arts in the Shinto religion of Japan, and the wife of fellow-god Sarutahiko Ōkami. She famously relates to the tale of the missing sun deity, Amaterasu Omikami. Her name can also be p ...

Yumi Nakatani is the Japanese term for a bow. As used in English, refers more specifically to traditional Japanese asymmetrical bows, and includes the longer and the shorter used in the practice of and , or Japanese archery. The was an important wea ...

/ Erica Schroeder *Uraji:

Yūsaku Yara is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo, Japan. He is affiliated with Vi-Vo. His real name is , and his former stage name was . He is best known for his roles in ''Saint Seiya'' as Sagittarius Aiolos, ''Chibi Maruko-chan'' as H ...

Marc Diraison Marc R. Diraison (born February 7, 1975) is an American voice actor, ADR director, and script writer who has worked for Bang Zoom! Entertainment, NYAV Post, 4Kids Entertainment and DuArt Film and Video. He is best known as the voice of Guts ...

*Ojiji: Eisuke Yoda/ Richard Springle *Obaba: Natsuko Sebata *Soldier:

Dai Matsumoto , also credited Hiroshi Matsumoto, is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. His major roles include Dokugakuji in '' Saiyuki'', Felix Aaron Thenardier in '' Lord Marksman and Vanadis'', and Soichiro Sakurada the patriarch of th ...

Takeru:

Daisuke Namikawa is a Japanese actor and singer associated with Stay Luck. He began acting as a child and is sometimes mistaken with Daisuke Hirakawa, as their names only differ by one character when written in kanji. Despite his wide range of roles, he usuall ...

*Yazuchi:

Hirofumi Nojima is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Suginami, Tokyo, who is affiliated with Aoni Production. He is the son of voice actor Akio Nojima, and elder brother of voice actor Kenji Nojima. Filmography Anime Video games Tokusatsu Dubbin ...

*Fuki:

Akiko Nakagawa is a Japanese voice actress who was born in Sapporo. She is married to Inuyasha music composer Kaoru Wada. She is one of the voice actresses for Miyuki Nanase in ''Kindaichi Case Files'' series. Notable voice roles *Sōta Higurashi in Inuyasha *A ...

* Tajikarao:

Toshihide Tsuchiya Toshihide is a masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Toshihide can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *敏英, "agile, hero" *敏秀, "agile, excellence" *敏栄, "agile, prosperous" * ...

*Kamamushi: Shōzō Iizuka/

David Brimmer David Brimmer is an American voice actor and fight choreographer. He also goes by the names David J. Brimmer and J. David Brimmer. As a voice actor, he has worked for 4Kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, DuArt Film and Video, Headline Studios, ...

*Chamberlain:

Mahito Tsujimura was a Japanese actor and voice actor who was represented by 81 Produce. Tsujimura died on November 27, 2018. Filmography Television animation *'' Andersen Stories'' (1971) - Satyr, Hans *'' Paris no Isabelle'' (1979) - Leon *'' Galaxy Express 99 ...

;Resurrection *Leona: Sasaki Nozomu/ Christopher Kromer *Lamp:

Masashi Hirose is a Japanese voice actor from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. He works at Production Baobab. He is known for the roles of Ramba Ral (''Mobile Suit Gundam''), Rikishiman (''Kinnikuman''), Gosterro ('' Blue Comet SPT Layzner'') and Nakano-sensei (' ...

/ Mike Pollock *Chihiro: Misa Kobayashi/

Eden Riegel Eden Sonja Jane Riegel (born January 1, 1981) is an American actress. She portrayed Bianca Montgomery in the daytime drama ''All My Children'', and propelled the character into a gay icon, as well as a popular figure within the medium. Nominated ...

*Nielsen:

Shinji Ogawa was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Setagaya, Tokyo. He was affiliated with the Herringbone agency. He was best known as the dubover artist for Michael Douglas and Timothy Dalton, and for voicing Hyō in ''Fist of the North Star'' ...

/ Ted Lewis *Reiko: Fumiko Osaka/ Kathleen McInerney *Leona's Father: Mantarô Iwao/ Marc Thompson *Young Leona:

Reiko Takagi is a Japanese voice actress and narrator from Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She is represented by Sigma Seven. Some of her major roles are Kaolla Su in ''Love Hina'', Luxandra Frail in '' Divergence Eve'', Tadase Hotori in ''Shugo Chara!'', Maki in ...

/ Christopher Kromer ;Strange creatures *Sakonnosuke:

Mayumi Asano is a Japanese voice actress who is currently part of Office Osawa. Filmography Television Video games *'' Armored Core: Last Raven'' (2005) – Zinaida *'' Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2'' (2017) – Baiken *'' Samurai Shodown'' (2021) – Baiken * ...

/ Kathleen McInerney *Yagi Iemasa: Tetsuo Komura * Yaobikuni: Tamie Kubota *Kahei: Bin Shimada/ Mike Pollock *Haniwa Jindayu:

Kazuhiko Kishino was a Japanese actor and voice actor who was represented by Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. He was a graduate of Doshisha University and resided in Osaka Prefecture. He died of acute heart failure on February 22, 2020. As a voice ...

;Sun *Inugami no Sukune/Harima:

Yasunori Matsumoto is a Japanese actor and voice actor affiliated with Sigma Seven. Some of Matsumoto's most notable roles are Wataru Akiyama in '' Initial D'', Jean Havoc in '' Fullmetal Alchemist'', Magnum Ace in Shippū! Iron Leaguer, Gourry Gabriev in '' Sl ...

Gary Littman Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran * Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Uni ...

*Obaba:

Seiko Tomoe , commonly known as Seiko ( , ), is a Japanese maker of watches, clocks, electronic devices, semiconductors, jewelry, and optical products. Founded in 1881 by Kintarō Hattori in Tokyo, Seiko introduced one of the first quartz watches and the ...

Barbara Goodson Barbara Goodson is an American voice actress who has done voice-over work in cartoons and shows. Her best-known role was providing the English dub voice of the main villain Empress Rita Repulsa in the ''Power Rangers'' franchise, starting with ' ...

Azumi is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Koyama. Its story concerns the title character, a young woman brought up as part of a team of assassins, charged with killing the warlords that threaten the uneasy peace in Feudal Jap ...

-no-

Muraji (from Old Japanese: ''muraⁿzi'' < *''mura-nusi'' "village master") was an ancient Japanese hereditary title denoting rank and political standing (a ''

Saruta: Tetsuo Komura *Marimo:

Ai Uchikawa is a Japanese voice actress. Uchikawa is currently affiliated with Sigma Seven. Filmography Television Animation * ''Chouja Reideen'' (1996), Kirari Saijyou * ''Brave Command Dagwon'' (1996), ''Volleyball Staff'' * '' Mystery of Nonomura Hospit ...

/ Michelle Ruff *

Emperor Tenji , also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')天智天皇 (38)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession.Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 52 ...

Masaru Ikeda is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo. He is a graduate of the Tokyo Metro Fifth Commerce Senior High School and is currently affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. He is best known for his roles in '' Yatterma ...

/ Steven Jay Blum * Ōama no Miko:

Naoya Uchida is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo, Japan. He has played several minor roles of authority in various television dramas. He debuted in 1972 in the NHK program , and continued acting in theater and television dramas until the late 1990 ...

Crispin Freeman Crispin Freeman is an American voice actor, voice director, and screenwriter who is best known for voicing characters in English-language dubs of Japanese anime, animation, and video games. Some of his prominent anime roles include Zelgadis Grayw ...

*Ibukimaru: Daisuke Gouri/

Michael McConnohie Michael McConnohie is an American voice actor, writer and director who has provided many voice roles in movies, anime, and video games. He and fellow actress Melodee Spevack run a production company called VoxWorks. Some of his major works includ ...

* Empress Consort:

Atsuko Koganezawa Atsuko is a feminine Japanese given name. Possible writings Atsuko can be written using different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *惇子, "kind, child" *淳子, "pure, child" *敦子, "kindliness, child" *篤子, "fer ...

* Ōtomo no Miko: Hiroshi Kamiya/ Liam O'Brien *

Prince Takechi was a member of the royal family in Japan during the Asuka period. He was the eldest son of Emperor Tenmu. He fought on the side of his father in the Jinshin War (672), a battle of succession, which resulted in his father becoming Emperor. At ...

Kenji Nojima is a Japanese voice actor and singer affiliated with the voice talent agency Aoni Production. His first major role in voice-over was Spark in the '' Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight'' series. He voiced Hikaru Ichijyo in a nu ...

/ Sebastian Arcelus *

Tang Tang or TANG most often refers to: * Tang dynasty * Tang (drink mix) Tang or TANG may also refer to: Chinese states and dynasties * Jin (Chinese state) (11th century – 376 BC), a state during the Spring and Autumn period, called Tang (唐) b ...

General: Koichi Sakaguchi *Soldier: Kouji Haramaki *Hoben: Tamio Ohki/ Richard Toth *Getsudan:

Hisao Egawa is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo who works for Aoni Production. Egawa is most known for the roles of Shin'ichi Maki in ''Slam Dunk'', Geki Kuroiwa in '' Brave Command Dagwon'', Geki Hyūma and Goldymarg in '' The King of Braves GaoGaiGar'', ...

*Nichidan:

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*Mokudan: Kousei Hirota *Kadan:

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* Kokushi:

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*Rubetsu:

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*Iki no Karakuni:

Takeshi Watabe was a Japanese actor and voice actor. He was born in Kōchi Prefecture. He usually played villains and performed the voices for many ''anime'' characters and ''tokusatsu'' villains. He is most famous for voicing Kaminari in ''Doraemon''. He took ...

*Soga no Hatayasu:

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/ John Avner *Soga no Yasumaro:

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;Future *Masato Yamanobe:

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*Old Masato:

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*Tamami:

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*Girl:

*Adam:

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Publication

English edition

''Phoenix'' is currently published in English by

Viz Communications VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...

. Although the second volume was initially published by the now defunct Pulp manga anthology in a larger edition, in 2002, Viz took over the rest of the manga series, and re-released the second volume. Frederik Schodt, Jared Cook, Shinji Sakamoto, and Midori Ueda, members of a Tokyo group called "Dadakai," had already translated the first five volumes of the series around 1977/78, but after handing these translation to Tezuka Productions, they collected dust for nearly twenty-five years. Finally, Schodt and Cook finished translating the rest of the series and Viz published the entire series in English, starting in 2002 and completing it in March 2008. It has been criticized for being a dumbing-down, including overlapping artwork with unnecessary new narration, and altering character names (such as Sarutahiko to Saruta) to make their reincarnations more obvious to the reader. However, Tezuka was known to update his manga every few years; so the U.S. version could reflect the last known edition of the series. The Viz editions are released "flipped" (the original right-to-left orientation is reversed for easier reading in English). Some of the shorter stories have been consolidated into one book (based on the Japanese publication), and ''Troubled Times'' has been split across two; this resulted in each Viz book having a similar page count. While many of the actual Viz books are out of print, they became available again through digital purchase on Kindle. Viz later offered the digital version of ''Phoenix'' manga on 2014.

Volumes in English

;Vol. 1 – Dawn :Released March 2003. ;Vol. 2 – A Tale of the Future / Future :This volume was released first, in May 2002, as a stand-alone graphic novel; ''Dawn'' was released a year later, as ''Vol. 1'', followed by the rest of the series. ''A Tale of the Future'' was initially released in a larger size; the series releases, starting with ''Dawn'', are

digest-sized Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately , but can also be and , similar to the size of a DVD case. These sizes have evolved from the printin ...

. ''A Tale of the Future'' was reprinted in the smaller size in 2004, titled ''Future'', with ''Vol. 2'' appended to the title. ;Vol. 3 – Yamato / Space :Collects ''Yamato'' and ''Space'' in one book; released November 2003. ;Vol. 4 – Karma :Originally titled ''Ho-ō''; released May 2004. Listed at #2 in

Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...

's "Best Comix of 2004". ;Vol. 5 – Resurrection :Released December 14, 2004. ;Vol. 6 – Nostalgia :Released March 26, 2006. ;Vol. 7 – Civil War, Part 1 :Originally titled ''Troubled Times'', and here split into two books; the first was released June 13, 2006. ;Vol. 8 – Civil War, Part 2 / Robe of Feathers :Collects the ending of ''Troubled Times'', and includes ''Robe of Feathers''; released September 12, 2006. ;Vol. 9 – Strange Beings / Life :Collects ''Strange Beings'' and ''Life'' in one book; released December 19, 2006. ;Vol. 10 – Sun, Part 1 :Released March 20, 2007. ;Vol. 11 – Sun, Part 2 :Released September 18, 2007. ;Vol. 12 – Early Works :Released March 18, 2008.

Adaptations

Live-action film

A live-action film entitled '' Hi no Tori'', based on the ''Dawn'' storyline, directed by

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won ...

and including some animated sequences directed by Tezuka, was released in 1978. The cast included

Tomisaburo Wakayama , born Masaru Okumura (奥村勝),Leous, G. (''c.'' 2003)Tomisaburo WakayamaRetrieved on May 23, 2010. was a Japanese actor best known for playing Ogami Ittō, the scowling, 19th-century '' ronin'' warrior in the six ''Lone Wolf and Cub'' samura ...

and

Tatsuya Nakadai is a Japanese film actor. He was featured in 11 films directed by Masaki Kobayashi, including ''The Human Condition'' trilogy, wherein he starred as the lead character Kaji, plus ''Harakiri'', ''Samurai Rebellion'' and ''Kwaidan''. Nakadai wor ...

. It was released in the United States on VHS by Video Action under the cover title ''The Phoenix (Hinotori)'' in 1982, using a subtitled print,

letterboxed Letterboxing is the practice of transferring film shot in a widescreen aspect ratio to standard-width video formats while preserving the film's original aspect ratio. The resulting videographic image has mattes (black bars) above and below ...

only in the split-screen sequence. To date, the film is available on DVD only in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, where it is titled ''Fénix''. The film included a brief appearance by

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'' ...

, substituting for another character to illustrate his attempts to get on a horse. The score was co-composed by

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

and Jun Fukamachi.

Anime

Several volumes of ''Phoenix'' were adapted into

. The best-known feature film, ''

Phoenix 2772 is a 1980 Japanese animated science fiction fantasy drama film directed and written by Osamu Tezuka and Taku Sugiyama. The film is based on Tezuka's manga series ''Phoenix''. Plot ''Phoenix 2772'' is set in the distant future where the planet E ...

'', loosely adapts elements from various ''Phoenix'' volumes and other Tezuka works into a complete whole cloth scenario. A second animated feature, ''Phoenix: Karma Chapter'' was released on December 20, 1986, and was later succeeded by two sequel OVAs, ''Yamato Chapter'' and ''Space Chapter'', in 1987. A 13-episode anime television series also aired in 2004 in Japan, and was released in English in October 2007 by

Anime Works 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 ...

. As of 21 June 2017, the anime has premiered in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

CVM Television CVM Television (CVM TV) is a television station in Kingston, Jamaica, broadcasting news, entertainment, and sports programmes. It is known for its newscasts, Caribbean lifestyle shows, and also airs Caribbean and overseas movie and TV productions ...

. A new anime adaptation by

Studio 4°C is a Japanese animation studio founded by Eiko Tanaka and Koji Morimoto in 1986. The name comes from the temperature at which water is most dense. History Studio 4 °C has produced numerous feature films, OVAs, and shorts. Early film t ...

titled ''Phoenix: Eden17'' was announced on November 30, 2022. It will be streamed worldwide on

Disney+ Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...

Episode list

Video games

A MSX adaptation of ''Karma'' was created by

. The Phoenix also made a cameo appearance in the 2003 Astro Boy series and 2004 '' Astro Boy: Omega Factor'' game for the Nintendo

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...

, along with a number of other Tezuka characters. *'' Hi no Tori Hououhen'' (1987, MSX2) *'' Hi no Tori Hououhen: Gaou no Bouken'' (1987, Famicom) *'' Black Jack Hinotorihen'' (2006, Nintendo DS) *''DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 1'' (2008, Nintendo DS) *''DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 2'' (2008, Nintendo DS) *''DS de Yomu Series: Tezuka Osamu Hi no Tori 3'' (2008, Nintendo DS)

Reception and legacy

''Phoenix'' is considered one of the greatest manga of all time, and is often ranked as one of Tezuka's greatest manga. In 2006, ''Phoenix'' ranked 1st in the

Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by a ...

's special 'experts' ranking (consisting of critics, editors, people working in the industry, etc.) for the greatest manga of all time, which it held to mark its 10th anniversary. In a 2009 poll held by

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition a ...

for 'Greatest Shōwa Manga', ''Phoenix'' ranked 12th, the 3rd highest Tezuka manga behind ''

'' and '' Black Jack''. Mangaka

Naoki Urasawa is a Japanese manga artist and musician. He has been drawing manga since he was four years old, and for most of his professional career has created two series simultaneously. The stories to many of these were co-written in collaboration with his ...

has spoken about how the first time he read ''Phoenix'' he was shocked that a work of this quality existed, and that since reading it, he has never been as significantly impacted by anything since, so much so that he would mark it as the moment he became an adult. The titular Phoenix is considered an icon of manga, and a sculpture of the character is featured as a prominent permanent exhibition in the

Kyoto International Manga Museum The Kyoto International Manga Museum (京都国際マンガミュージアム, Kyōto Kokusai Manga Myūjiamu) is located in Nakagyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The museum's collection includes approximately 300,000 items as of 2016, with 50,000 volumes ...

. A statute of the Phoenix is also featured outside the Osamu Tezuka Manga Museum. The Resurrection arc of ''Phoenix'' inspired the lyrical theme of the 2018 song " M.D.O." by heavy metal band Lovebites. In celebration of what would have been Tezuka's 90th birthday, Evil Line Records released the compilation album ''New Gene, Inspired from Phoenix'' on October 30, 2019. It features songs inspired by ''Phoenix'' written and performed by various artists, including

Glim Spanky is a Japanese rock band from Nagano Prefecture, consisting of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Remi Matsuo and lead guitarist Hiroki Kamemoto. Originally formed in 2007 as a quartet, the group became a duo in February 2010. Their name comes from ...

Kizuna AI is a Japanese virtual YouTuber (VTuber) currently part of Kizuna AI Inc., a subsidiary of digital entertainment company Activ8. From her debut in 2016 until 2021, she was the most subscribed VTuber on Youtube, with more than 4 million subsc ...

Tavito Nanao is a Japanese singer-songwriter who debuted in 1998. He has worked with a great number of musicians, including Takkyu Ishino, Salyu and Yakenohara. Nanao has reached a wider audience since 2007, after his album '' 911 Fantasia'', a 3CD musical ...

and Naotarō Moriyama.

Notes

References

External links

Tezuka Osamu @World
, Tezuka's official site (in Japanese and English)
Official ''Phoenix'' Page at publisher VIZ Media, LLC
*

* (''Hi no tori'', live-action film, 1978) * (''Hi no tori 2772: Ai no kosumozôn'', anime film, 1980) * (''Hi no tori: Hôô-hen'', anime film, 1986) * (''Hi no tori: Yamato-hen'', OVA, 1987) * (''Hi no tori: Uchû-hen'', OVA, 1987) {{Studio 4°C 1967 manga 1978 films 1980 anime films 1986 anime films 1987 anime OVAs 2004 anime television series debuts Anime series based on manga Animated films based on manga Fantasy anime and manga Films directed by Rintaro Live-action films based on manga Manga adapted into films NHK original programming Osamu Tezuka anime Osamu Tezuka characters Osamu Tezuka manga Unfinished comics Phoenixes in popular culture Shōnen manga Studio 4°C Tezuka Productions Viz Media manga Gekiga Gekiga by Osamu Tezuka Video games developed in Japan Cultural depictions of Himiko