Zetman

Zetman
Cover art of the first volume of Zetman
Genre	Action[1] Science fiction[2] Superhero[1]
Manga
Written by	Masakazu Katsura
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	Young Jump Comics
Magazine	Weekly Young Jump
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	October 31, 2002 – July 24, 2014
Volumes	20 (List of volumes)
Anime television series
Directed by	Osamu Nabeshima
Produced by	Takashi Takano Shūichi Kitada Yoshihiro Furusawa Jun'ichi Hatano Yōsuke Tsuruki
Written by	Atsuhiro Tomioka
Music by	Gabriele Roberto Suble Yū Yanaura Megumi Sasano Yasushi Sasamoto
Studio	TMS Entertainment
Licensed by	AU Madman Entertainment NA Viz Media
Original network	Yomiuri TV, Tokyo MX, BS11
English network	NA Neon Alley
Original run	April 2, 2012 – June 25, 2012
Episodes	13 (List of episodes)
Anime and manga portal

Zetman (stylized as ZETMAN) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masakazu Katsura. The series started as a 49-page one-shot in the 1994 Autumn Special of Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump. A more mature and full-fledged series ran in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Jump from 2002 to 2014. A 13-episode anime television series adaptation by TMS Entertainment was broadcast in Japan from April to June 2012. In North America, the anime series was licensed for English language release by Viz Media.

Plot[]

The story starts off with a face-off between two rival superheroes, ZET and Alphas, and then traces their origins – Jin Kanzaki, a young man with the ability to transform into a superhuman being known as ZET, and Kouga Amagi, a young man with a strong sense of justice who uses technology to fight as Alphas.

The fates of these two men and those around them intertwine as they fight to protect mankind and destroy monstrous abominations known as Players, who ironically are the creations of the Amagi Corporation, the company founded by Kouga's grandfather, Mitsugai Amagi.

Characters[]

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Jin Kanzaki (神崎 人, Kanzaki Jin) or Jin (ジン) / ZET

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa, Romi Park (young) (Japanese); Jason Griffith, Casey Mongillo (young) (English)^[3]

A mysterious young man bearing a circular lump on the back of his left hand, Jin was a result of the N.E.T. Project by the Amagi Corporation to create the perfect being to fight and destroy the escaped Players. He was however released by Gorō Kanzaki, who wanted nothing more for Jin than to grow up as a normal human. After the death of his 'grandfather', Kanzaki, Jin stayed with Akemi Kawakami until he witnessed her 'death' under the hands of the Amagi Corp., in an effort to retrieve their creation. He has been living in a slum alone ever since, monitored closely by his creators, especially Mitsugai. One day, he meets Hanako in the slums. After inviting her to live with him and saving her life on two occasions, he begins to have feelings for her; evident when he swears to protect her with all his might, followed by making love to her afterwards. He even starts calling Hanako his girlfriend. After the Amagi mansion is destroyed, he goes into hiding along with Kouga and Konoha, Mei, Shimura, Hanae and the two black suits until Kouga has Seizou clear him of all charges. While on a date with Hanako, he is attacked by the Sweeper, transforms in front of Hanako and blacks out, leading him to believe either he or the Sweeper killed her. Believing that, he thinks his life is now meaningless, and as soon as he gets the enhanced gum, he goes off on a suicide mission against EVOL.

Jin is able to transform a creature known as "ZET", a mutant possessing superhuman abilities, but often mistaken for another Player. The transformation is slow, though it may be accelerated due to extreme rage and conditions. He had lost this ability briefly, but regained it with the use of a special gum. He later has a ceramic stake put in his heart by Seiji, thus allowing him to transform without the gum into "White" ZET. It is later revealed by Hanae that the pendant his grandfather gave him has the ability to transform Jin into the "True ZET." The source of his strength appears to be the mysterious lump on his hand. After a Jin clone injected him with a formula that reacts badly with his gum, he has been having blackouts, not remembering what happened after a period of time. After his latest encounter with the Sweeper, he asks Hanae to create a stronger version of the gum, which transforms him into "White" ZET. He then learns of Seiji's plan to attack Amagi Corp., so he and the two black suits go to stop him. While there, they manage to kill the second Chameleon Player and a swarm of Corpse Riders (the latter with the help of Oyama), but he is overpowered by the Knight Player. Jin attempted to get the Knight Player to betray Haitani after the effects of the gum wore off, but failed and became unconscious as Kouga/Alphas came to the rescue. He gained consciousness in time to stop Kouga from inserting the "Crimson Stake" into Jin's chest (which would turn Jin into the "True ZET"), saying that it was exactly what Haitani wants to happen. Soon afterwards, he blacks out again and finds himself surrounded by destruction, supposedly by his hand. The design of ZET was based on an anime character created by Amagi Corp.

Kouga Amagi (天城 高雅, Amagi Kōga) or Kouga (コウガ, Kōga) / Alphas (アルファス, Arufasu)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano, Yuki Kaida (young) (Japanese); Grant George, Colin Francis (young) (English)^[3]

Konoha's older brother and grandson of Mitsugai Amagi. Both academically and sports-inclined, especially soccer. However, although he is popular with girls, he does not really know how to act around them, and Jin says he is "so honest, it hurts." Due to his attraction to an anime 'Ginga Chōjin Alphas', Kouga has developed a strong sense of justice since young. Urged by his encounter with Jin during a fire accident (caused by a Player) to become a hero of justice. He had been depending on a trio of researchers since middle school for gadgets which could assist him in his escapades. He lost his right forearm during his captivity by Jirou Nakata, together with his sense of justice. After he managed to save Mayu, he is fitted with a smart prosthetic arm (eventually revealed by Hayami to have a tracking system in it), and is required to undergo several months of rehabilitation.

During this time, Kouga regains his composure and is dating Mayu. After learning about the Players and his grandfather's involvement in the project, he initiates the Alphas Project with the Trio, who created a high-performance combat body suit resembling Kouga's childhood hero, complete with high-tech weaponry and gadgets, to combat his grandfather's creations. However, his Alphas suit is not strong enough to help him take on Souya, as he learned the hard way. He is very protective of his family, especially his sister, Konoha. In his first battle as Alphas, he teams up with Jin/ZET to defeat the Shrimp EVOL, and discovers Jin's identity as ZET. He then tells Jin that he is currently the best hope the world has of defeating the players, and that he will strive to catch up to him. After Hayami attempted to capture Jin, he goes into hiding along with Konoha, Jin, Mei, Shimura, Hanae, and the two black suits until Kouga manages to convince his father to clear Jin of all charges, though Seizou warns Kouga not to trust Jin. During the assault on Amagi Corp., he is captured and detained by Hayami. Hayami then proceeds to inject Kouga with a bug created by the clone of Ichirō, which would bring his body to perform superhuman abilities. However, as soon as the bug wears out, his body will be left in a crippled state, something Hayami is fine with. As soon as he regains consciousness, he enters his Alphasz suit and uses both his newly acquired powers and his weapons to defeat the Knight Player. During his conversation with Haitani afterwards, he reveals that if Jin becomes the monster he swore to destroy, he would kill him himself. In response, Haitani gives him the "Crimson Stake" to place into Jin's chest, in order to become the true ZET and to see if Jin can remain himself. However, before he can place the stake into Jin's chest, Jin stopped him, telling him this is exactly what Haitani wants to happen. It is currently unknown what happened to Kouga after Jin experienced another blackout.

Konoha Amagi (天城 小葉, Amagi Konoha)

Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (Japanese); Sophie Roberts (Teen), Stephanie Sheh (Young) (English)

Sister to Kouga and granddaughter of Mitsugai. She bears a distinct dislike to her grandfather due to childhood trauma. Konoha first met Jin during her secret volunteer work with her mother when they were still small, and has been harboring feelings for him ever since. Addressed Jin as 'Tenshi-kun/Mr. Angel' after seeing him fall from the sky to her aid when she was bullied by a group of hooligans, and only learns Jin's name after. When she saw Jin emerge from the building destroyed by the Fire Player and see him faint, she picks up his grandfather's pendant, which she continued to hold onto until the Jin clones stole it from her during the assault on Amagi manor.

She is unaware of Jin being ZET, nor of her family's involvement with the Players. She was recently involved in a life-threatening attack by the Ebizō/Shrimp EVOL, an incident that she retains the memories of due to Kouga's refusing of mind-wiping her. After Hayami attempted to capture Jin, she and Kouga went into hiding along with Jin, Shimura, Mei, Hanae and the two black suits, until Kouga has Jin cleared of all charges. Soon afterwards, she and her mother are kidnapped by Suzuki and used as hostages during Seiji's attack on Amagi Corp.

Hanako Tanaka (田中 花子, Tanaka Hanako)

Voiced by: Mariya Ise (Japanese); Erin Fitzgerald (English)

A tomboyish teenage girl. She has had constant headaches since she was born, leading her to go to the nurse's office quite often as a result. Because of this, students thought she was just slacking off, and was bullied by them, leaving her traumatized and unwilling to go to high school. After this, her parents started becoming apathetic to her, forcing her to run away. She met Jin as he was living in the slum she ran away to. When Jin saved her from the homicidal Crab Player, she was offered to live with him and become a family with him. She then quickly developed romantic feelings for him. She was later nearly raped by the Cockroach Player, but was saved by the combination of a call from the Shrimp Player and a group of Sweepers. When she was asked by Jin if she wanted to live away from him, she broke down crying, but was comforted by Jin telling her that he will protect her if she decides to stay, which she does. Soon after, Jin seems to reciprocate her feelings for him when she has sex with him. However, Jin convinces her to go home the next day, at least until he can get them their own home. Before she leaves, she texts her full name to Jin, and he goes on to call her Hanako, even though she hates being called that. While on a Christmas Eve date with Jin, the Sweeper attacked Jin, causing him to transform in front of her, leaving her terrified. Because he blacked out, Jin believes that either the Sweeper killed her, or he did it himself. It is revealed that after the attack on Jin, she was kidnapped by Seiji and kept as a hostage in the attack on Amagi Corp. During a conversation with Seiji, she reveals that she still loves Jin, even if he is ZET. After the full transformation of ZET, she kneels near a G3 waiting to be killed by him. She was revealed to be a player in the form of the sand monster that turns people into piles of sand, but was later killed by Jin.

Amagai Corporation[]

Mitsugai Amagi (天城 光鎧, Amagi Mitsugai)

Voiced by: Shozo Iizuka (Japanese); Steve Kramer (English)

Founder and ex-CEO of the Amagi Corporation, who believed in a distinct divide between the rich and the poor. In the pursuit of his dream to create the perfect artificial humans, he initiated the N.E.T. Project, but it eventually led to the escape of his creations, named 'Players'. Having a heavy sense of responsibility for the incident, Mitsugai then commenced Project Z.E.T. to set things right, though once again his plans were foiled by the betrayal of Kanzaki. He then became hell-bent on retrieving ZET back after countless failures to create a new one.

Mitsugai's methods were often hard-handed, but after the destruction of his laboratory a second time by Players, he seems to have softened up, now giving Jin a choice of either becoming ZET or living as a normal human, though it is unknown if this is just a facade or not. He has also agreed to help Kouga in any way he can. After he finds Shibaki, he once again attempts to convince Jin to become the "true" ZET. However, during the clone Jin's assault on Mitsuagi's third secret laboratory and the Amagi mansion, he is left injured and is forced to recuperate at Amagi Corp.

Seizou Amagi (天城 清造, Amagi Seizō).

Voiced by: Masashi Hirose (Japanese); Stephen Mann (English)

Son of Mitsugai, husband of Youko and father to Kouga and Konoha. Current CEO of the Amagi Corporation. An arrogant, sober and cold-hearted man and with elitist attitude because of his family's name. Was named one of the masterminds of the NET Project by Jirou, but he feigns ignorance to all the various secret Projects under Amagi Corp. After Youko went to see Kouga who was being treated for his wounds, Seizou told her off, saying he was humiliated by her ineptitude as a mother. After that, she asked him to be alone with her so he could hear her plea: to get a divorce, but Seizo denied her with rage.

After the Amagi mansion is destroyed, he orders Hayami to arrest Jin, forcing him and his friends into hiding. However, after Hayami failed to capture Jin, he revealed to Hayami that he had been investigated since the "Jirou Incident" and the appearance of "Katou", which brought him to the conclusion that Hayami was covering his operations. He then forces Hayami to use the Scanner Brain Machine, a.k.a. "The Chair" so he could get everything Hayami knew. When Hayami resists, Seizou show's him Kabe's handgun, causing Hayami to realize that he was being forced to sit on "The Chair" with the purpose of committing suicide just as Kabe did before, under the false belief that "the Chair" would help to erase his memories related to Jirou Nakata, in case the police interrogated him. Seizou alleged that he did so because Kabe's actions were a threat to Kouga and The Corporation, and he tells Hayami that he knows he is 'Kato', the person Kabe was feeding information to the whole time. Hayami denies he was Katou, and after a brief fight he was subdued and put on "The Chair", turning him into a vegetative state.

When Kouga explained the situation with Jin to him, he had Jin cleared of all charges. However, he warns Kouga not to trust Jin, as he may join EVOL. Later, it was revealed by Seiji that Seizou is funding EVOL, and during the attack on Amagi Corp, this fact was confirmed by a raging Susuki after he was taken hostage by Hayami, and yelled at him in front of everyone about his funding in human experiments, which took the lives of his wife and his son Katou. Seiji discussed with The Sweeper the deals that Seizou and the EVOL's Leader had been making, as a result of their negligence by Jin's awakening as Karisma. Finally, the shocking truth of Seizou's alliance with EVOL is revealed before Mitsugai and Black Suit A's eyes, with the former remarking that Seiji was not lying to Jin when he asked him join him in his war against EVOL, after all.

Hayami (早見)

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese); Matthew Mercer (English)

An executive in Amagi Corp. and assistant to Seizou. He supports Kouga's actions as Alphas, though it is revealed that he only does so to prevent Kouga from taking over Amagi Corp. Kouga's way of thinking as Alphas tends to give him a headache when they mess up his plans. When the Amagi mansion was blown up, he was ordered by Seizou to arrest Jin, to which he agrees. However, he and the strike force he brought with him were quickly, but non-fatally, dispatched by a semi-transformed Jin. Soon afterwards, it was believed by Seizou that under the alias of "Katou", Hayami plotted the Amagi clan's downfall, leading to the incident with Jirou. Seizou then used a machine to search Hayami's memories to prove this, leaving Hayami in a vegetative state. However, he was brought back by an unknown individual, revealing to Kouga that though he is not "Katou", he was in league with him in a plan to bring down the Amagi clan, which would allow Hayami to take position as the new C.E.O. of Amagi Corp. Soon after his revelation to Kouga, he injects him with one of the insects made by a clone of Ichirō, in order for Kouga's body to reach superhuman levels and help him achieve his agenda. Afterwards, he, Seiji and Suzuki ("Katou") launch a terrorist attack on a New Year's Eve party that Seizou is hosting, in an attempt to make Seizou confess to all the injustices that he committed on film. One of the hostages tries to grab a machine gun from one of the underlings, and in the chaos, Hayami is shot in the chest and seemingly killed.

EVOL[]

EVOL leader (マスター, Masutā)

Voiced by: Kōji Ishii (Japanese); Taylor Henry (English)

The mysterious leader of EVOL, he intends to conquer the world and wipe out humanity. It is unknown what the extent of his power is, though he has the power to keep players from reverting, and his player form was modeled after a wolf (while he was fully organic). He was one of the original 13 Players that rebelled, and the creator of the G2 and G3 Players. He believes that now they are able to create ZET clones, there is no reason to keep Jin alive. After Seiji's declaration of war, the leader reveals himself to be the owner of the EVOL club. When Seiji threatens to destroy EVOL, Seed beheads and attaches the leader's head to itself, and they proceed to presumably kill Seiji, though he is aware that Seiji survived and orders the Sweeper to keep an eye on him. He soon learns of Seiji launching an attack on Amagi Corp., and orders the Sweeper to kill Seiji.

Seiji Haitani (灰谷 政次, Haitani Seiji)/Anvil (エンヴィル, Envuiru)

Voiced by: Kōji Yusa (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)

The brains of EVOL, Haitani is considered the first major antagonist of the series. He seems to have an interest in Jin, as he implanted a ceramic spike into Jin's heart in order to allow him to freely become ZET. He is shown to be merciless when it comes to getting what he wants, going as far as to fake the decapitating of Akemi's son in an attempt to get Jin to give him Kanzaki's pendant. While Jin and Kouga are on their respective dates, Haitani delivers a declaration of war to the human race. Afterwards, as he threatens to destroy EVOL if Jin is killed, Seed beheads and attaches the leader's head to itself, and they proceed to presumably kill Haitani. He survives, and soon meets up with Suzuki, the person Youko is staying with. He then delivers a message to Jin, telling him to join forces with him to defeat EVOL, also revealing to him that the Amagi Corp. was funding EVOL and that the black suits were in on it, though that part was a lie. He then launches an attack on Amagi Corp. along with Hayami, the Knight Player, the Joker Player, and Suzuki ("Katou"). During the attack, it is revealed that Haitani is holding Hanako hostage, as a means of making Jin do what he wants. After the death of the Knight Player, he starts activating explosives across Amagi Tower, and he confronts Kouga/Alphasz with the opportunity to help Jin achieve his "True ZET" form, in order to see if he can remain his true self or become an ally of EVOL. When Jin shows that he is able to remain himself, Haitani transforms into Anvil in order to prevent Inzen/Degel from killing Jin.

As Anvil, Haitani appears as an angelic being with demonic wings, the complete opposite of Inzen's Degel form. He has even stated that his powers are the opposite of Degel's, so they are pretty much neutralized by each other. The eye in the middle of his chest, if gazed into by Inzen/Degel, is able to keep him frozen in place. He desires to become one with Degel, though is unable to because of their opposing natures.

The Sweeper (掃除人, Sōjinin)

Voiced by: Rikiya Koyama (Japanese); Marc Diraison (English)

Little is known about him except for his appearances to kill off defective players and that there are dozens of him. He also shows some interest in ZET and wishes to fight with him.

Souya Inzen (陰禅 宗弥, Inzen Sōya) / Degel (デゼル, Dezeru)

Another high ranking EVOL. He and Seiji are two of the three main EVOLs, along with their mysterious leader. He is shown to disapprove of the tactics Seiji uses to get what he wants, and is weary of him doing whatever he wants. He is also a firm believer of the ends justifying the means. Inzen is shown to be strong enough to defeat Kouga/Alphasz in an instant. When he first appeared, he and Kosuri/Bat Player kidnapped the creator of the "Ginga Chōjin Alphasz" anime series for unknown reasons. He later appears during Haitani's attack on Amagi Corp., intent on ending the rogue Player for his betrayal as well as kill Jin, believing him to be too dangerous to allow to live.

As Degel, he appears in a towering demonic form with angelic wings, the complete opposite of Haitani's Anvil form. He is also able to shoot demonic-appearing rods out of his hands, which have the ability to transform into soldiers that follow his commands.

Other characters[]

Jirou Nakata (中田 二郎, Nakata Jirō)

Voiced by: Katsunosuke Hori (Japanese); Dave Mallow (English)

The father of Ichirou, one of the Players. Jirou is a former scientist of Amagi Corp. and an expert in researching the creation of the Players. He admits that the only people he ever cared for were his wife and son, and was devastated when he witnessed his son's murder. When he discovered that the Players were to be used as a means of entertainment, he spoke out against the idea to Kabe, and was sealed inside his underground laboratory soon after, along with the corpse of his son. He soon revived Ichirou by turning him into a Player, and the two survived in the laboratory for sixteen years on nothing but water and medications. When they were set free, he began to plot his revenge against Amagi Corp. along with Ichirou and Katou, a greedy Amagi employee. He then set his sights on vengeance through Kouga, under the pretense of helping him become a better hero through tests meant to make Kouga abandon his emotions and make decisions based on cold, hard logic. However, because Kouga refused to abandon his ideals, he managed to "fail" every single test, ending with innocent people getting killed. When he brought Kouga and many of his fangirls to his base, he proceeded to kill the fans when Kouga failed his tests, until only Mayu remained. After trying to coerce Kouga to join his side by telling him about Mitsuagi's involvement with the Player's creation, a man working for "Katou" arrived and proceeded to shoot him and attempt to use footage obtained throughout the building to ruin the Amagi family's name. When Ichirou set the building to self-destruct, he killed "Katou's" assassin and attempted to kill Mayu and Kouga, but was stopped by Ichirou's powers. Ichirou then used his powers to make his father, to his dismay, shoot him in the head.

Gorō Kanzaki (神崎 悟郎, Kanzaki Gorō)

Voiced by: Mitsuo Senda (Japanese); Adam Nevel (English)

A pioneer in both the N.E.T. and Z.E.T. Projects in the Amagi Corporation, Kanzaki escaped with an infant Jin in defiance to turning his 'child' into a killing machine. Later disguised himself as a homeless old man and posed as the grandfather of the growing Jin. He was killed in a bid to protect Jin from an awakened Player. Kanzaki's head was however retrieved by the Amagi Corp. and hooked up to a computer so as to obtain unknown information about ZET/Jin. Their efforts were in vain however when a crying Jin, unable to bear seeing his grandfather in such a state, pulled off the life support plug, with Kanzaki asking Jin if he had been taking his meals regularly as a final greeting. However, it was revealed that Mitsuagi had the life support plug put back in. His head was then stolen two years later by the second Chameleon Player, with the intentions of cracking the secrets within his head. He managed to make Jin lose his powers of ZET by tricking Mitsugai, but it was brief when the Amagi Corp. came up with a gum which allowed Jin access to his original abilities.

Akemi Kawakami (川上 明美, Kawakami Akemi)

The foster parent to Jin after Kanzaki. Always addressed as "old lady" or "auntie" by Jin, Akemi was an ex-hostess who had a son she lost custody of to her ex-husband. Her face was slashed by a crazed client, who in turn suffered near fatal injuries by a young Jin, having recalled how his grandfather was killed. She has been selling crepes at a roadside stall ever since. She was seemingly killed right in front of Jin's eyes in a bid to let Jin return to the Amagi Corp., but was later revealed by Mitsugai to be alive, and was given back custody of her son with the help of Amagi Corp. She received a box of money saved by Jin as a parting gift. Two years later, she came at Jin's request to give him back his grandfather's pendant, while reassuring him that he is still family no matter what.

Youko Amagi (天城 葉子, Amagi Yōko)

Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); Cricket Brown (English)

Seizou's wife, and mother to Kouga and Konoha. She was chastised by Mitsugai for doing volunteer work in secret, resulting in Konoha's childhood trauma. She then ran away from home while continuing her volunteer work, and never returned. However, she and Seizou are not officially divorced yet. It is eventually revealed that she has been staying at the home of her lover, Suzuki. She and Konoha are soon kidnapped by Seiji and Suzuki, the latter revealing that Seizou funded human experiments on his wife and his son, Katou. Soon afterwards, Amagi Tower starts to be destroyed, and in the chaos, she is seen falling into an inferno, but she was saved by Suzuki.

Satoshi Suzuki (鈴木 聡史, Suzuki Satoshi)

A friend of Jin's and Youko's lover. After Youko ran away, she went to live with him, where they continued to help the homeless. After Jin was nearly captured, he offers him and those with him sanctuary. Soon afterwards, it is revealed that he is working with Seiji, and the two of them kidnap Konoha and Youko. During Seiji's planned attack on Amagi Corp., he reveals to Seizou, Youko and Konoha that Seizou's funding of human experiments cost him the lives of his wife and his son, Katou. Thus, he reveals that he was "Katou", the mastermind behind the incident with Jirou.

Mayu Hashimoto (橋本 茉柚, Hashimoto Mayu)

Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)

A teenage girl who is a fan of Kouga's. She had a history of prostitution. She and many other women were invited to a "party hosted by Kouga", but created by Jirou Nakata as a way of bringing Kouga to his side. During the party, all the other girls were killed, but before she could be killed by the Kouga clones, she was rescued by Ichirou, who could not stand by and let his father kill any more innocent people. While trying to escape with Kouga, she was shot by Jirou, though survived due to a makeshift bulletproof vest created by Kouga. After they escaped, her memory of the incident was erased by Amagi Corp. Two years after the event, she and Kouga are dating, though she considers herself unworthy of him, due to her past of prostitution. When she was on a Christmas Eve date with Kouga, she tried to have sex with him. However, Kouga's memories of the incident with Jirou prevented him from doing so, devastating Mayu.

Media[]

Manga[]

The manga was first a one-shot from a set of four published between 1989 and 1994 in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine.^[4] Other one-shots compiled were "Shin-no-Shin", "Woman in the Man" and "Shadow Lady".^[5] Zetman started serialization as a full-fledged series in the seinen magazine Weekly Young Jump in 2002. The series temporarily ceased its publication, as the last chapter of its "Act 1" was published on July 24, 2014.^[6] As of October 2014, the serial chapters were collected into twenty tankōbon, the first one released on November 19, 2003,^[7] and the 20th one on October 17, 2014.^[8] Outside Japan, the series is licensed by Editorial Ivrea in Argentina,^[9] by Grupo Editorial Vid in Mexico,^[10] by Star Comics in Italy,^[11] by Glénat in Spain,^[12] and in France by Tonkam.^[13]

Anime[]

Zetman was adapted into an anime television series that premiered on April 2, 2012.^[14] It is directed by Osamu Nabeshima, screenplay by Atsuhiro Tomioka, and character design by Hirotoshi Takaya. Gabriele Roberto supervised the music.^[15][16] The anime itself is only partially accurate to the manga as the animators removed and/or altered various portions of the original story.^{[citation needed]} The anime is available to watch streaming on Hulu^[17] and Viz Media's streaming service.^[18]

No.	Title	Original airdate
1	"Untaught Emotions" "Mijukuna Kanjō" (未熟な感情)	April 2, 2012 (2012-04-02)
Jin Kanzaki is poor, but he lives a happy life with his grandfather. Together with his friends Kouga and Konoha, he helps out people for a fee. Meanwhile, the police are searching for a vicious serial killer.
2	"In the Fire" "Guren no Naka de" (紅蓮の中で)	April 9, 2012 (2012-04-09)
A few years have passed since Jin went missing. Kouga, still dreaming of becoming a real hero, is intent on catching a serial arsonist prowling the streets.
3	"Tears" "Namida" (涙)	April 16, 2012 (2012-04-16)
When Jin wakes up, he sees a monster holding the lifeless body of his foster mother, Akemi. An old man named Mitsugai is attempting to awaken ZET within Jin by using her. Mitsugai succeeds and ZET awakens…but he’s still incomplete.
4	"Ill Fortune" "Yakubyōgami" (疫病神)	April 23, 2012 (2012-04-23)
Two years have passed. Players are wreaking havoc in society, but humans are still unaware of their existence. People live in fear, and Mitsugai is unable to produce another ZET.
5	"Alphas" "Arufasu" (アルファス)	April 30, 2012 (2012-04-30)
Kouga tries to become a superhero by creating a real-life Alphas. A mysterious man approaches him with a test to see if he’s qualified to become one.
6	"Hostage" "Hitojichi" (人質)	May 7, 2012 (2012-05-07)
Konoha is taken hostage and Jin is unable to do anything. Unlike before, he cannot become ZET by hurting himself and doesn’t have his Activation Gum.
7	"The Ring Of Exposure" "Abaki no Wa" (暴きの輪)	May 14, 2012 (2012-05-14)
ZET finally turns red and displays powers unlike anything seen before. With overwhelming strength, ZET dominates the fight against a Player. Meanwhile, Kouga is having a tough time fending off a Player in his first battle as Alphas.
8	"A Normal Family" "Futsū no Kazoku" (普通の家族)	May 21, 2012 (2012-05-21)
Kouga learns that Jin has been fighting by himself as ZET. Thrilled over meeting a true hero, Kouga calls him “ZETMAN” and declares he will fight alongside him. Jin and Kouga head for the lab to find out why Red ZET turned white.
9	"Whereabouts of the Pendant" "Katami no Yukue" (形見の行方)	May 28, 2012 (2012-05-28)
The key to completing ZET is the pendant that Konoha has in her possession. Haitani and his men easily infiltrate the Amagi residence. Konoha wakes up and finds Jin standing in front of her. She hands him the pendant, not knowing he’s actually a clone.
10	"Party" "Pātī" (パーティー)	June 4, 2012 (2012-06-04)
Konoha goes missing. Kouga receives a phone call from the man who gave him the first test where he had to choose between the lives of his sister or three high school girls he didn’t know. Kouga chose Konoha and the girls were killed.
11	"Puppet" "Ayatsuri Ningyō" (操り人形)	June 11, 2012 (2012-06-11)
Haitani hijacks a broadcast signal in Middletown to declare war against humanity. Under his leadership, regressed Players start wreaking havoc, but Jin appears as ZET to protect people and fights as a one-man army.
12	"The Red Stake" "Akai Kui" (赤い杭)	June 18, 2012 (2012-06-18)
Inside Amagi Tower, ZET is severely wounded by Haitani and can no longer retain his form. Does he have to become complete in order to defeat Haitani? Why does Haitani want ZET to be complete so desperately?
13	"Funeral Procession" "Sōretsu" (葬列)	June 25, 2012 (2012-06-25)
Jin walks down a bloody path in solitude as ZET… Alphas has fulfilled his dream of becoming a hero and fights according to his idea of justice… After so much bloodshed and tears, what is it that they wished to attain at the end?

Reception[]

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In Japan, it has sold 3.5 million copies as of the 15th volume.^[15]

The Animeland reviewer noted that the author's previous tales were about "teens' trifles", in contrast to Zetman's "brutal adventures with a profound darkness", and that they preferred Zetman to the author's other works. Animeland noted that Zetman was serialised over a period of many years, which Animeland says gave "the advantage of time to refine the script".^[19] Mickaël Géreaume from Planet BD felt that the first volume was inspired by the author's great love of Batman, finding it surprising considering the author's other works were romantic comedies.^[20]

Further reading[]

• "Dossier Zetman", Animeland issue #125, October 2006, ISSN 1148-0807, p 32-34 (issue teaser) (in French)

References[]

External links[]

• Zetman manga at Weekly Young Jump (in Japanese)
• Zetman Anime Streaming on Viz Media
• Zetman (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia