Everyone is a Hero: Cyborg 009

At SFC, we run the "Health Information Consortium," where companies, hospitals, and local governments participate. We explore how to combine information and health to deliver useful data for living a better life. When COVID-19 began to spread, we thought about what we could do and came up with the name "Everyone is a Hero."

With the call to stay home, children might be desperate to play outside. However, we wanted to convey that just by staying inside, you are playing a role in preventing the spread of infection. Everyone can be a hero.

We also wanted to share various advice with many people, such as the importance of ventilation and boosting immunity through diet and sleep. We felt that using characters would be effective for this, so we asked "Cyborg 009" to make an appearance.

They aren't exactly recent characters, though (laughs).

Within the groups we work with, a company called Medicink—which advocates for "Meditainment®," a blend of medicine and entertainment for health promotion—was planning infection control activities with Ishimori Productions using Cyborg 009. They asked if they could collaborate with Keio. So, for the virtual backgrounds of the remote meeting system Zoom, we wrote original lines for each of the cyborgs from 001 to 009 and had them supervised by Ishimori Productions. For example, we made a speech bubble for Chang Changku (006) saying, "Be careful about nutritional balance in your meals, aru yo," using his specific speech style. We created nine patterns of these. (Everyone is a Hero Project - Material Download Page: https://www.keiosfchic-covid19hero-project.com/download)

As a result, we received an unprecedented number of "Likes," retweets, and shares on social media, and it was very well received. Several manga artists also shared it on Facebook, and I truly felt the enthusiasm of the fans and the power of the work.

That is a very wonderful initiative. "009" has a long history, and the manga has been serialized in magazines from many different publishers. It has been made into anime and movies many times.

Speaking of long histories, series like "Kamen Rider" and "Ultraman" have also been serialized, but in "009," the nine characters have remained exactly the same to this day. I think this is a truly rare work. I believe one factor in its longevity is the theme of nine individuals with different abilities coming together and joining forces toward a single goal.

Furthermore, Shotaro Ishinomori was someone who enjoyed seeing his work develop even after it left his hands. Some authors dislike having their work tinkered with, but he was someone who looked upon it with a broad mind. Though, I suspect in his heart there were times he thought things were a bit different from his vision.

The fan club was established in 1977, wasn't it? That was just before the color version of the anime came out.

That's right. I am the second president, but originally it was a circle of high school friends and people who liked the series. It happened to catch the anime boom and started being introduced in anime magazines, so the membership suddenly increased.

Nowadays, you can easily connect with like-minded people online, but back then, it was an era where you had to join a circle and go there to talk about what you liked. Also, you couldn't really say "I like anime" out loud very much (laughs).

In '77, the theatrical version of "Space Battleship Yamato" was released, and there was a teenage anime boom, wasn't there?

Exactly. Because of "Yamato," a situation arose where people felt it was okay for non-children to enjoy anime. Before that, anime was thought of as something for children in elementary school or younger.

It has been about 30 years since I took over the fan club, and I don't think there are many fan clubs for a single work that have lasted this long. For manga artists' fan clubs, the Shotaro Ishinomori Fan Club is a senior circle that is about five years older than ours.

At that time, the special issue of "Manga Shonen" called "The World of TV Anime" published by Asahi Sonorama introduced the top 10 works in an anime fan poll. Among those being broadcast at the time, only "Danguard Ace" made the top ten. The rest were all old anime like "Lupin III." "009" was from the black-and-white era (1968) and was ranked second, following "Yamato."

So, it was an era where things people saw as children a little while ago were being restored. With that support, a second series of "Lupin III" was made, a second series of "009" was made in color (1979–80), and "Yamato" continued as well.

On the other hand, the "009" manga began its first serialization in 1964 (Weekly Shonen King), the year of the Tokyo Olympics. In that era, the general Japanese public didn't even know the word "cyborg" yet.

It seems Mr. Ishinomori went on a trip around the world, gathered inspiration, and came up with the setting where humans who would become the basis for cyborgs are kidnapped from all over the world. Mr. Ishinomori's own interest in various countries became the characters themselves.

It was an era when not many people went abroad yet. From a certain point, "009" began to feature many stories about undersea pyramids and the mysteries of the world. Even if the author himself traveled to various countries and saw megalithic civilizations, he was ultimately just a traveler, and I think he might have wished he could know that world more deeply.

This is just my speculation, but I think Mr. Ishinomori thought that if he were a cyborg warrior, he could dive deep into the ocean, explore the secrets inside pyramids, or converse via telepathy freely. Watching "009," I felt like I was vicariously experiencing those dreams.

I am a junior to you both, born in 1976. Around the time I went from kindergarten to elementary school, I watched "Cyborg 009" (second series), "Yamato," and "Gundam" on TV. My early childhood was basically immersed in anime.

As you mentioned, the international character setting where heroes are kidnapped from all over the world is something that surprisingly doesn't exist in other anime, even if it seems like it might. For example, "Yamato" is basically all Japanese characters.

That's true.

Even as a young child, I felt it was amazing that it was so international. Among them, 004 (Heinrich) was my idol back then because he had asymmetrical weapons in his right and left hands. Missiles came out of his knees, his right hand was a machine gun, and his left hand was a knife. That was just so cool.

Many female fans like 004 because he carries a sense of shadow or tragedy. 009 is the most popular, but 004 is usually next.

Since I was a kindergartner, I only understood the "carrying a shadow" part much later (laughs).

The background of a cyborg born while Germany was still divided into East and West, with Berlin also split by a wall, is very interesting. It reflects the international situation of the time very well.

A letter from a child saying, "I learned about the Vietnam War through '009'" was included in one of the volumes. It said, "Please draw more manga like that," and then he drew about the Middle East. There were parts of world affairs that we learned during childhood through "009."

The idea of cyborg warriors going to the Vietnam War is a kind of war critique and a very direct setting. In the 70s, Mr. Ishinomori did more original work for TV series like "Kamen Rider," but in 60s works like "Skull Man," he touched upon brainwashing through television. In "009," while there is an admiration for America, there are also parts where the world ruled by America is likened to the Black Ghost. I think those thoughts came out quite directly in the early stages of "009."

I see, that makes sense.

In the liner notes of a soundtrack released during the anime boom that looked back at the 1968 TV anime version, there are words from Mr. Ishinomori. He said that if you liken all of humanity to a human body, destroying the white blood cells (= evil) that cause war might lead to the destruction of the human body itself. Even so, he wanted to depict the theme that the cyborg warriors must still challenge that fight. That is what he tried to depict in the battle with the gods—essentially, the "Angel Arc" (1967–68).

This "Angel Arc" was interrupted, wasn't it?

In the Akita Shoten volumes, there is an apology from the author for interrupting the "Angel Arc," and the story changes from the next volume.

Within the author, there was likely a thought to face the evil and contradictions of human society, and to position the cyborg warriors as rebels against God to overcome them. Fighting God means being at an absolute disadvantage. However, the story was interrupted around the point where the cyborg warriors resolve that even if they lose, by resisting the gods, they want the gods to re-evaluate the value of humans. While leaving that unresolved, the serialization of "009" itself continued.

For Osamu Tezuka, it would be "Phoenix." For Hayao Miyazaki, it would be "Nausicaä." Both of these touch on the theme of how to overcome humanity, which will destroy the Earth if left as is. "Phoenix" is also unfinished, isn't it? Similarly, with "009," while he could have ended the story, he felt he couldn't just end it with a simple exchange of battles. He passed away while still facing that theme, leaving it unfinished.

However, I think the author himself had a very strong desire to finish it and definitely draw it. As he aged and his way of thinking changed, he was constantly writing concept notes. Even after he fell ill, he wrote them densely in handwriting that was almost illegible. The obsession that he wanted to draw it was palpable from that.

At the 20th anniversary of our fan club, the author was already ill, but when we asked, he drew a color illustration for us. All the cyborgs are in civilian clothes. This is quite rare. I was surprised when I received it.

I wondered if Joe Shimamura's expression at that time was a picture of him about to change into his combat suit to go to battle, or if perhaps, because the author was ill and tired, he wanted to end the fight and had taken off the combat suit. That melancholy expression pierced my heart. It's a picture that can be taken either way depending on the viewer's feelings.

But the feeling that he really wanted to draw it comes through. However, he passed away without being able to complete it. Mr. Hayase and others from Ishimori Productions completed the manga, but honestly, for some fans, it doesn't quite click because it wasn't drawn by the master himself.

Since it was in an unfinished state for so long, I think many people have their own version of "009" in their hearts and have built up the story within themselves.

After the interruption of the "Angel Arc," the "Battle with the Gods Arc" was serialized in the magazine "COM" (1969–70). In one issue, "Phoenix" was at the beginning, followed by "009," but it ended in four or five pages. Moreover, it wasn't depicting a story, but rather sketches of something like a mental landscape, and at the end, it said, "I will take a break in the next issue to draw 'Tokiwa-so Story'." During this period, it felt like he didn't know if he wanted to end it or not.

Reading the "Angel Arc" again, I was surprised to find that it has something in common with the end of the original "Nausicaä" manga, which I mentioned earlier. The development of encountering a divine justice that seeks to destroy and reset everything because humans are beings that commit errors, and then create new humans, is exactly the same as the original "Nausicaä."

That ending of "Nausicaä," where Nausicaä says no to a god-like existence, led many intellectuals at the time to say "Hayao Miyazaki is amazing," but I realized "009" had already done it long ago.

Mr. Ishinomori was a creator who thought about many things and wanted to do many things. That's why there are works spanning various fields. He would get excited and draw intensely, saying "This looks interesting," and depending on the work, there are many that don't have a proper conclusion. It seems there were times when his interest shifted to other things he wanted to do in the middle of a project (laughs).

Despite being so busy, he cut back on sleep to watch movies, read books, drink, smoke, play golf, and he welcomed fans when they visited. On the second day of the New Year, fans would go to his house to hang out.

In the author's mind, it probably ended once with the "Yomi Arc" (1967). There are fans who say "I won't accept anything else," and I also think that is the greatest masterpiece.

He resumed it because fans protested fiercely that they didn't want him to stop, but I think the author himself also wondered what kind of work it would become if he drew it in a different form, and when he tried drawing it, it just kept going on and on.

The fan club members are overwhelmingly female. I think there are many men who like it too, but men tend to sublimate their feelings within themselves.

I see. When I post about this consortium on Facebook, I get a lot of reactions from women in their 50s and 60s.

Which character do women like the most?

I think Joe Shimamura is number one. The Joe Shimamura drawn by Mr. Ishinomori has a certain sex appeal. In the opening of the color anime series, 009 sheds a tear. Usually, there isn't a protagonist in a hero show who sheds tears. That's probably where women's hearts are captured.

That's the opening of the second series. The other members show off their special skills in the opening. But Joe is crying. That was a hot topic back then, wasn't it?

Female fans were really captivated by that (laughs). Also, the voice actor at the time was still a newcomer and had a sweet voice.

It's also rare for "009" that the voice actors change every time it's animated. I don't think there's any other work where the voice actors and character designs have changed so much.

That's certainly true.

The art style and voices all change, yet it's all "009."

Mr. Ishinomori's original art gradually becomes a more elegant Joe Shimamura, doesn't it? That feels very right. The early style is good too, of course.

It has a very "shonen manga" feel.

Yes, it has that classic shonen manga appeal, but within that, the things he was potentially catching were sublimated in a more delicate form within Mr. Ishinomori, and it feels like that was being manifested.

This was a manga and anime for boys, but it became this popular with women as well. Nowadays, there are many popular manga from "Weekly Shonen Jump" that become huge hits with girls, but I think this was probably the pioneer of that.

After the author passed away and the final chapter was released, the reboots started again, didn't they? The manga serialization also began again.

That's right. It's an incredible work. When the movie "RE:CYBORG" (2012, directed by Kenji Kamiyama) came out, I had the opportunity to interview the director. When I mentioned, "You're doing collaborations with companies," he said that many people at an age where they have decision-making power in companies like "009," so when he brings them a proposal, he gets an easy OK.

I thought, they must like "009" from when they saw it as children and it stayed in their memory.

That is exactly what we are aiming for with this Health Information Consortium project. People who were children or students back then are now in their 40s to 60s, and if they have families, we can expand from there.

I thought there aren't many other examples of characters who were heroes when we were children still being active today. For example, Amuro Ray from "Gundam" isn't still being depicted as active in the same way.

In "Gundam," there is the robot (Mobile Suit) called Gundam, but the generations and stories change and it becomes a chronicle, focusing on the generations below Amuro. In contrast, cyborgs don't age.

Yes, 001 is a baby forever.

So, as they created new works, the staff struggled with how to handle 004's Berlin Wall background. In the 2001 TV series "Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier," they did something quite difficult by saying he had been in cold sleep. Kids today don't even know about the Berlin Wall.

I heard that during the planning stages of this project, when someone asked, "For a modern version of 004, we don't need the Berlin Wall, do we?" the response was, "It's not 004 without the Berlin Wall."

When the story actually unfolded, it turned out that up until 004, they were modified in the old era of the early Cold War. That's why he actually gets injured at the Berlin Wall and becomes a cyborg. But because the era was too early, they were all put into cold sleep, and then about 30 years later, 005 and onwards were created as the second generation—which was a surprising setting.

So, 003 and 009 are actually about 30 years apart in age (laughs). Transcending time through cold sleep was quite a remarkable idea.

But the biggest mystery is exactly how old Dr. Gilmore is (laughs).

Thinking realistically, Dr. Gilmore would have died along the way.

That's why people actually speculated that Dr. Gilmore might be a cyborg too (laughs).

Regarding 004, fans often develop their own theories about whether he is from West Germany or East Germany. The Professor probably didn't set such fine details.

Isn't he from the East? There's an episode where they escape together. Seeing that, I always thought he was from the East.

I simply thought he was from the East too, but some people propose a theory that he was originally from the West, got stuck when he went to the East, found his girlfriend, and wanted to take her back to the West.

In terms of historical background, 008's story was also originally about "escaping from slave traders." As a child, I wondered what a slave trader was.

At that time, slavery no longer existed in America, but the memory of it remained. It was a story created at the very limit of when it was still plausible to imagine people acting like human traffickers.

It might be difficult to write stories like that now. The world of manga has become a place where it's felt better not to touch directly on social conditions. That's why stories set in "isekai" (other worlds) are easier now.

If it's an isekai, everything can be excused with "it's another world, so this kind of story is fine." However, "009" creates stories based strictly on the real world. Conversely, I think it's a work that could only have been made in an era without those kinds of constraints.

That's true. "009" has many very direct settings that might not be possible today.

But if you think about it simply, there was a story where 007 transforms into a handsome man and becomes popular; that kind of "wanting to do what you can't do" is a very direct desire. If we expand this to society, you could say it honestly delved into what is missing in human life without any window dressing. Especially in the early stages, you can feel it approaching world affairs.

There is a statistic in a 009 research book about how often each of the nine appears in every 009 manga title. Naturally, 009 is at the top as the protagonist, but apparently, 004 is second. And 007 is third. Perhaps the ability to transform into anything is a strong point.

007 is a bit of a meta-character; he tells jokes and serves as the mood maker.

In the first black-and-white anime, 007 is a child. But there's also a theory that he's using his transformation ability to take the form of a child (laughs).

I'm also from the generation that first encountered "009" through the black-and-white anime, which was basically episodic. The themes strongly appealed for anti-war sentiment, unfolding serious drama within a children's program. It dealt with the psychology of not being able to trust humans, revenge dramas, and the tragedy of a young man and woman who became cyborgs.

It was quite serious, wasn't it? It wasn't just about bad guys being thoroughly evil and getting defeated.

So it wasn't simple poetic justice.

Exactly. For instance, the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome appears in the visuals. The sentence written on the atomic bomb memorial, "For we shall not repeat the error," clearly appears on the screen. It's amazing that they did that in a children's show.

The first series strongly emphasized the original work's stance of committing to reality.

I think that was largely due to the power of the screenwriter, Masaki Tsuji.

Yes. The final episode also felt like an arrangement of the end of the "Yomi Arc" for television.

In the "Yomi Arc," what we fans commonly call "Where will they fall?"—the last scene where 002 goes to rescue 009 as he falls toward Earth after defeating Black Ghost in space, but they run out of fuel and fall together while burning—really strikes the hearts of fans. They did the "Yomi Arc" at the end of the third TV series in 2001 (the Heisei version) as well. That is a famous scene that makes me cry no matter how many times I watch it.

A pair of ordinary siblings, who aren't even main characters, are looking outside from a laundry balcony and see Joe and the others falling while burning, looking like shooting stars. When the younger brother wishes for a toy rifle, the older sister says, "I prayed that there would be no more war in the world! That everyone in the world could live together in peace and harmony." I think that remains in everyone's hearts as a famous line.

The Heisei version of the anime animated both the "Yomi Arc" and the "Mythos Cyborg Arc." After all, the line from the "Mythos Cyborg Arc," "All that's left is courage!" is so cool. That's where it really hits home for female fans (laughs).

The Mythos Cyborgs are all superior in terms of ability, and when asked, "Don't tell me your only ability is the acceleration device," 009 replies, "All that's left is courage!" That's the one.

Reading it again this time, there were quite a few places where I thought, "Ah, this depiction became the origin for many later manga."

In the past, there wasn't the volume of manga there is now, so everyone who liked reading manga in that era probably saw it.

It's a shared experience. Back then, on TV, the 5 o'clock slot was for reruns of anime or tokusatsu, and the 7 o'clock golden time slot was for new works. Since it was an era without video recorders, everyone watched in real-time.

The muffler is definitely a characteristic of "009." Ishinomori's works like "Kamen Rider" also wear mufflers.

Most things the Professor drew wore either a muffler or a cape. "Goranger" was the same. It just looks cool visually.

In reality, it must get in the way when fighting (laughs).

No matter how you think about it (laughs). Regarding the muffler, there was even a discussion among fans about whether it was one or two. For "RE:CYBORG," the director said he actually wanted to make it two mufflers, but it was too difficult to do in CG, so he made it one. Apparently, making two flutter is hard (laughs).

But having a muffler gives a sense of speed when they move. Like they're cutting through the wind.

While the designs of "009" have changed, the basic abilities and characters haven't changed at all from 50 years ago.

Is there anything else that remains that unchanged besides maybe "Lupin"? Also, surprisingly, "Humanoid Monster Bem" has a persistent popularity.

Is that so?

I guess slightly unusual characters last longer. Also, I think Japanese people like characters who carry a shadow. Even the humanoid monsters carry a shadow, saying "I want to become human soon."

In the case of the 00-number cyborgs, they all carry shadows with different circumstances.

Professor Ishinomori liked characters who carry a shadow. I don't think he drew many innocent, carefree heroes.

004 is asymmetrical, and "Kikaider" is the same. At that time, there were various robot and combination anime, but asymmetry was cool.

Like "Six God Combination Godmars."

Yes. Although it's not Professor Ishinomori's original work, "Godmars" also feels interesting because the colors are different for the right and left legs, and the right and left hands.

Professor Ishinomori was ahead of his time, coming up with ideas that ordinary people wouldn't think of.

Anyway, the number of his works is incredible. Watching Professor Ishinomori draw, his speed was truly amazing. He would draw so quickly, yet the composition was perfectly captured. I think his talent for drawing was top-notch. For Joe, he would start drawing from the point of his hair. And yet he could draw it perfectly. Usually, you start from the outline of the face, right? Even when Professor Ishinomori drew casually, a unique nuance would emerge.

Rewatching the '79 anime this time, I felt that the warm depictions of anime back then are completely different from today's digitally drawn anime. There's a scene in a mountain hut with a fireplace where the shadow of the fire hits 009 and the fire flickers; I felt once again how much effort they used to put into it.

The point of today's tokusatsu and anime is how to bring in parents, especially mothers. In "Kamen Rider" and Super Sentai, handsome young men are active.

"Kamen Rider" is exactly Professor Ishinomori's original work, and I think there are things that have been carried on even after his death. "Kamen Rider Agito" was completely themed around "the battle with the gods," and the manga "Kamen Rider SPIRITS" has elements reminiscent of the "Vietnam War Arc."

The idea of fighting as a team in "009" became the prototype for things like "Goranger," and in that respect, it was very new and is still being carried on today, isn't it?

Apparently, he had baseball in mind for the number nine. The idea of "everyone cooperating to fight" is something I feel I learned from "009."

What I really like is that once an episode ends, the members scatter for a while. They return to their respective countries and live their respective lives. Then, when something happens, they gather again. I can empathize with that.

Even if they have their own backgrounds, if they were always acting together, the background would just be introduced at the beginning and that would be it. But they return to their hometowns every time a battle ends. However, they might not have been accepted there, or they might have found a lover but it didn't work out—various things happen, and then they assemble again.

While they are fighting, the fact that only these comrades can truly share their fate comes across as a kind of warmth. That's what's good about it.

I feel there is no other team-battle anime where the main characters' abilities are so dispersed, diverse, and complementary.

I am currently teaching students at a university, and each student's strengths are different. We focus on how to develop those strengths. I believe our role is to help the buds of students with unique skills grow, rather than raising average students.

Therefore, even when linked with the keyword "diversity," "009" is very new and fits the current era.

It's truly amazing that he completed it as a work more than 50 years ago.

Besides gathering characters from all over the world regardless of race, he is also very good at assigning which ability to whom. Usually, in things that last for many years, those settings gradually change, but that almost never happens here.

The initial attributes remain as they are, and they function properly within the drama. 003 is a cyborg with enhanced eyes and ears, but she has a sharp intuition as if she completely predicts what will happen, which is very effective overall. That kind of thing is quite rare, isn't it?

And yet the protagonist has the acceleration device and says, "All that's left is courage!" That surprisingly simple part is interesting.