Golgo 13 - the manga and anime series of the 1983 adult thriller

November 25, 2020

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

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

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

History

Golgo 13 is a professional assassin. His real name, age and place of birth are unknown and there is no consensus in the global intelligence community as to his true identity. Most of his work is completed through the use of a custom M16 rifle with sight. Its most used alias is Duke Togo (デューク・東郷, Dyūku Tōgō), but it 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 speak when necessary, show very little or no emotion when he carries out an assassination and is willing to kill anyone who threatens 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 murders have often attracted retaliation against Golgo 13. Even in a phase with the FBI, CIA, and even the U.S. military to kill him, causing Togo must always watch his back. Pay attention to his surroundings to stop other assassins and contract hitmen employed to kill him in often creative ways. Golgo 13 also employs many different people to assist him in his assassination jobs, such as providing extra information on his objectives to modify his weapons, vehicles, and gadgets.

The name "Golgo 13" is a reference to the death of Jesus Christ. Golgo is short for Golgotha, the place of Jesus' crucifixion, while the number 13 is considered an unfortunate number. Additionally, the Golgo 13 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 the Golgo 13 stories presented various speculations about his true identity while presenting contradictory information, leaving the public unsure which information was true.

He is known to be the biological father of many different children around the world from the numerous sexual encounters he had with women throughout the series, such as a four-year-old son named Joey of the former Provisional Irish Republican Army. freedom fighter Catherine McCall.

Regarding the age of the character, a large number of stories are dated as they are centered around current events of the era. However, the age of Golgo 13 did not increase significantly to account for these events. He also suffered multiple injuries throughout the series, leaving many different scars on his body.

Golgo 13: The professional - The 1983 film

Golgo 13: The Professional, known simply as Golgo 13 (ゴルゴ 13) in Japan, is a 1983 Japanese animated film based on Takao Saito's Golgo 13 manga series. The film was directed by Osamu Dezaki, produced by Nobuo Inada and was written from a screenplay by Shukei Nagasaka. The film features the voice acting of Tetsurō Sagawa, Gorō Naya, Toshiko Fujita, Kōsei Tomita, Kiyoshi Kobayashi and Reiko Mutō. The film was released by Toho-Towa on May 28, 1983.

It is the first animated film based on the manga and the third overall film about Golgo 13 after two previous live-action films (the second film with Sonny Chiba in the role of Golgo 13). Golgo 13: The Professional is also the first animated film to incorporate CGI animation, created by Koichi Omura and Satomi Mikuriya at Toyo Links Co., Ltd. The most notable example of this is during the helicopter attack on the Dawson Tower.

Professional killer Duke Togo - codenamed "Golgo 13" - is hired to assassinate Robert Dawson, son of oil baron Leonard Dawson and heir to Dawson Enterprises, and he succeeds. Later, after hitting a powerful crime boss in Sicily named Dr. Z, Golgo is suddenly attacked by the US military and the CIA. His local contact, a watchmaker, is also killed by a genetically enhanced super soldier named Snake. Aided by the Pentagon, the FBI and the CIA, Dawson is determined to kill Golgo and avenge the death of his son.

A military force, led by Lt. Bob Bragan, attempts to ambush Golgo while hiring a wealthy Holocaust survivor in San Francisco, California to assassinate a former Nazi officer. The plan fails and Bragan's entire force is wiped out. However, a dying Bragan manages to injure Golgo. Meanwhile, Rita, the mechanic who provided Golgo with his escape car, is murdered by Snake.

After being consumed with revenge, Dawson begins allowing the rest of his family to be harmed. For Snake's cooperation, she allows him to rape Laura, Robert's widow, and sends his niece, Emily, and the butler, Albert, to an airport to kill Golgo with a firearm hidden in a doll. The shot misses and Albert takes his gun. Golgo shoots Albert in the chest, a crowd gathers and Golgo casually walks away.

Dawson, in a meeting with the FBI, the CIA and the Pentagon, calls for the release of Gold and Silver, two notorious killers who were part of a covert government operation to test the survival rate of mercenaries in the jungles of South America. . When the group rejects his request because Gold and Silver are on death row, Dawson threatens to stop all operations controlled by his company, including oil refineries and banks. The group accepts his requests out of fear that the country's economy will collapse. When Laura asks to know why Dawson refused to seek revenge on whoever ordered the hit on Robert, he refuses to answer.

Pablo, an informant from Golgo, informs him that Dawson has ordered to hit him and that he is currently in Dawson's tower awaiting his advance. Pablo goes on to inform Golgo that his wife and children are being held hostage in the tower. Pablo attempts to shoot Golgo, but is killed first by Golgo.

Golgo arrives at New York City's Dawson Tower and begins his ascent to the top floor on foot. First he plays cat and mouse with a fleet of war helicopters sent to kill him. While on the move, Golgo is attacked by Snake and a brutal fight occurs between the two in an elevator. A Bell AH-1 attack helicopter fires at the elevator, killing Snake as Golgo hides from the edge not seen by the helicopter. Gold and Silver are then sent to ambush Golgo. During the attack, Golgo neutralizes them both; repeatedly hitting Gold on the head with the butt of his revolver and shooting him. Silver, blinded by anger at the death of his companion, runs towards Golgo, who quickly shoves a grenade into his mouth, killing him. Golgo then proceeds to Dawson.

Admitting bankruptcy, Dawson orders an end to all action against Golgo. Golgo finally meets Dawson on top of his building. After a brief monologue, Dawson attempts suicide by jumping out of the window. As he falls, Dawson recalls Robert's suicide note, which reveals that despite receiving a lot of care from his father during his life, Robert was overcome with grief at the possibility that he would never fulfill his father's ambitions; unable to commit suicide, he asked Golgo to kill him. Before Dawson falls to the ground, Golgo shoots him in the head. Dawson falls upside down, shattering his skull and all the evidence shot at him. His death is deemed accidental by the authorities.

Later, Golgo meets Laura, who has since become a prostitute. After recognizing him, he takes a gun and points it at Golgo, then turns his back on her and walks away, Laura then proceeds to shoot him as the shot rings out, Golgo walks into the night as the credits roll.

The manga

Written and drawn by Takao Saito, Golgo 13 has been serialized in the monthly manga magazine Big Comic since the January 1969 issue, published in October 1968. The chapters have been collected in tankōbon volumes by Shogakukan and Leed Publishing, a spin-off of Saito Production by the author, from 21 June 1973. In April 2021, 200 volumes of the tankōbon edition were published, while the bunkoban edition has 148 volumes.

In 1986, Leed Publishing published four Golgo 13 stories translated by Patrick Connolly: “Into the Wolves' Lair”, “Galinpero”, “The Ice Lake Hit” and “The Ivory Connection”.

In 1989 and 1990, Leed and Vic Tokai released two more Golgo 13 comics, "The Impossible Hit" and "The Border Hopper", as part of the promotion of two Golgo 13 video games. The comics were released in the United States via a 'postal offer with the purchase of the games and later were also found packed with the video games. Each issue contained a complete story and had nothing to do with the storylines of the video games themselves.

In 1991, Leed Publishing and Viz Media released The Professional: Golgo 13, a three-part miniseries. The Professional was a reprint of "The Argentine Tiger", a story in which Golgo is hired by the British government to assassinate the presumably dead Argentine former president Juan Perón.

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

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. Saito and Saito Production are credited with creating the manga. A second spin-off, Golgo Camp (ゴルゴ CAMP) created by Yukio Miyama, launched on Shogakukan's Manga One app on August 28, 2021. It's a gag comedy and follows Golgo 13 in a modern campsite.

Technical data

Golgo 13 - The Professional - the film

Original title Golgo 13 Gurugo 13
Original language Japanese
Country of Production Japan
Year 1983
Duration 91 min
Gender action
Regia osamu dezaki
Film script Shukei Nagasaka, Takao Saito
Producer Nobuo Inada
Executive producer Yutaka Fujioka, Mataichiro Yamamoto
Production house Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Distribution in Italian Yamato Videos
Music Toshiyuki Ohmori
Art director Shichiro Kobayashi

Original voice actors

Tetsurou Sagawa: Golgo 13
Gorō Naya as Leonard Dawson
Kei TomiyamaRobert Dawson
Kumiko Takizawa as Rita
Reiko Muto as Laura Dawson
Toshiko Fujita as Dr. Zed / Cindy
Kiyoshi Kobayashi: General T. Jefferson
Takeshi AonoPablo
Koichi Chiba: Informant
Koichi Kitamura: Albert
Issei Futamata: Cindy's servant
Daisuke Gōri: Cindy's bodyguard
Kazuo Hayashi: Computer operator 1
Shingo KanemotoF. Garbin
Ichirou Murakoshi: E. Young
Rokurō Naya: Bishop Moretti
Shunsuke Shima: I pay
Kōsei Tomita: Lieutenant Bob Bragen
Yusaku Yara: Laboratory technician

Manga

Author Takao Saito
Editor Shogakukan
Magazine Big Comics
Target seinen
1 edition October 1968 - ongoing
Tankōbon 201 (in progress)
Publisher it. BD - J-Pop editions
1st edition it. 2014 – 2015

OVA

Goal 13: Queen Bee
Author Takao Saito
Regia osamu dezaki
Artistic Dir Mieko Ichihara
Studio BMG Victor, Filmlink International, Goodhill Vision
1 edition 1998
Episodes unique
Relationship 4:3
Duration 60 min

Anime TV series

Golgo 13
Author Takao Saito
Regia Shunji Ōga
Subject Hiroshi Kashiwabara, Junichi Iioka
Char. design Kazuyoshi Takeuchi
Artistic Dir Toshiharu Mizutani
Music daisuke ikeda
Studio Sotsu
Network TV Tokyo
1st TV April 11, 2008 - March 27, 2009
Episodes 50 (complete)
Relationship 4:3
Duration 30 min