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 the new coronavirus began to spread, we thought about what we could do and came up with the name "Everyone is a Hero."

With the "Stay Home" message, children might be desperate to play outside. However, we wanted to tell them that just by staying inside, they are fulfilling a role in preventing the spread of infection. It means 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 proper 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 Medisink—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, we created virtual backgrounds for the remote meeting system Zoom, writing original lines for each cyborg from 001 to 009, which were then 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," in his signature tone. 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 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 franchised, but in "009," the nine characters have remained exactly the same without changing 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 evolve beyond the author's hands. While some creators dislike having their work tinkered with, he was very broad-minded. Though he might have occasionally thought something was a bit different in his heart.

The fan club was established in 1977, wasn't it? 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 fans who gathered together. It happened to catch the anime boom and started being featured in anime magazines, so the membership suddenly surged.

Nowadays, you can easily connect with people of similar interests online, but back then, it was an era where you had to join a circle and go there to talk about what you liked. And 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 it was okay for people who weren't children to enjoy anime. Before that, anime was thought of as something only for elementary school children and younger.

It's 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 about five years older than ours.

At that time, in the special issue "The World of TV Anime" from Asahi Sonorama's "Manga Shonen," the top 10 works in an anime fan poll were introduced. Only "Danguard Ace" was currently airing and in the top ten. The rest, like "Lupin III," were all older anime. "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 reinstated. With that momentum, the second series of "Lupin III" was made, the 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. At that time, the average Japanese person 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.

This was an era when not many people traveled abroad. From a certain point, "009" featured many stories about undersea pyramids and the mysteries of the world. Even if he traveled to various countries and saw megalithic civilizations, he was ultimately just a traveler, and I think he might have wished he could know those worlds 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 with total freedom. Watching "009," I felt like I was vicariously experiencing those dreams.

I am a junior to you both, born in 1976. From kindergarten to starting elementary school, I watched "Cyborg 009" (second series), "Yamato," and "Gundam." 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 you don't often see in other anime. For example, "Yamato" is basically all Japanese characters.

That's true.

Even as a young child, I felt that such international diversity was amazing. Among them, 004 (Heinrich) was my idol back then because of his asymmetrical weapons on his right and left hands. Missiles come out of his knees, his right hand is a machine gun, and his left hand is 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 split by a wall, is fascinating. 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 wrote about the Middle East. There were parts of our childhood where we learned about world affairs through "009."

Cyborg warriors going to the Vietnam War was a kind of war critique, a very direct setting. In the 70s, Mr. Ishinomori had more original works 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 dominated by America is likened to the Black Ghost. I think those ideas 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 reflecting on the 1968 TV anime version, there are words from Mr. Ishinomori. He said that if humanity as a whole is likened to a human body, destroying the white blood cells (= evil) that cause war might lead to the destruction of the human body itself. He stated he wanted to depict the theme that even so, the cyborg warriors must challenge the fight. That was what he tried to depict in the battle with the gods, specifically 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.

In his mind, he faced the evil and contradictions of human society and likely had the idea of positioning 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 decide that even if they lose, by resisting the gods, they want the gods to re-evaluate the value of humans. While leaving how that would be settled unfinished, the serialization of "009" itself continued.

For Osamu Tezuka, it was "Phoenix." For Hayao Miyazaki, it was "Nausicaä." Both 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 just ended the story, he probably felt he couldn't finish it with just a simple exchange of battles. He passed away while still facing that theme, leaving it unfinished.

However, I think the author himself had a strong determination to finish it and to definitely draw it. As he aged and his perspective changed, he kept writing in his concept notes. Even after he fell ill, he wrote densely in handwriting that was almost illegible. You can feel his obsession with wanting to draw it from that.

For our fan club's 20th anniversary, he 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 in that picture meant he was about to change into his combat suit to go fight, 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 interpreted 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. While Mr. Hayase and others from Ishimori Productions completed the manga, to be honest, some fans don't feel it's quite right because it wasn't drawn by the master himself.

Because 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," he serialized the "Battle with the Gods Arc" 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 drawing a story, but rather sketches of something like a mental landscape, and at the end, it said, "I will be taking a break next issue to draw 'Tokiwa-so Story'." During this period, it feels a bit like he didn't know if he wanted to finish it or not.

Reading the "Angel Arc" again, I was surprised to find that it shares something with the end of the original "Nausicaä" manga, as I mentioned earlier. The development where they encounter God's justice—that because humans are beings that make mistakes, everything should be destroyed and reset to 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 "009" had already done it long before.

Mr. Ishinomori was a creator who thought about many things and wanted to do many things. That's why there are works spanning many fields. He would get excited and draw a lot, saying "This looks interesting," and depending on the work, there are many that don't have a proper conclusion. It seems his interest would sometimes shift to other things he wanted to do in the middle (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 used to go to his house to hang out.

In his mind, it probably ended once with the "Yomi Arc" (1967). Some fans 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 he himself also wondered what kind of work it would become if he drew it in a different form, and when he tried, 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 are no protagonists in hero shows who shed 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 still "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 that classic shonen manga feel.

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

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

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

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

I realized that the "009" they saw as children remains fondly in their memories.

That is exactly the aim of 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 are few other examples of characters who were heroes in childhood 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, becoming a chronicle about 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 and the Berlin Wall. 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 of that project, when someone asked, "We don't need the Berlin Wall for a modern version of 004, do we?", the response was, "Without the Berlin Wall, he's not 004."

When it finally opened, the setting was that up to 004, they were modifications from the old era of the early Cold War. So he actually got injured at the Berlin Wall and became a cyborg. But because it 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—an amazing setting.

So, 003 and 009 are actually about 30 years apart (laughs). Crossing eras through cold sleep was quite a brilliant idea.

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

Thinking realistically, Dr. Gilmore would probably die at some point.

That's why it was actually rumored among fans that Dr. Gilmore might be a cyborg himself (laughs).

Regarding 004, fans in the fan club all develop their own theories about whether he is from West Germany or East Germany. The master probably didn't create such detailed settings.

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

I simply thought it was the East too, but some people propose the theory that he was originally from the West, couldn't return after going to the East, found her, 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 edge of a time when the imagination that people still engaged in human trafficking could hold up.

It might be difficult to try to write stories like that now. The world of manga has become a place where it's felt that it's better not to touch social conditions directly. That's why stories about going to an isekai (another world) are easier now.

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

That's true. "009" has many very straightforward settings that might be a bit impossible today.

But thinking simply, there was a story where 007 transforms into a handsome man and becomes popular; that "wanting to do what you can't do" is a very direct desire. Expanding this to society, you could say it honestly delved into what is lacking in human life without any window dressing. Especially in the early days, you can feel the approach toward world affairs.

There's a statistic in a 009 research book about how often each of the nine characters appears in every 009 manga title. 009 is naturally at the top as the protagonist, but second place is apparently 004. And third place is 007. The fact that he can transform into anything might be his strength.

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

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

I'm also from the generation that first encountered "009" through the black-and-white anime, which was basically episodic. The subject matter strongly appealed for anti-war sentiments, 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 girl who became cyborgs.

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

So it wasn't simple poetic justice.

Exactly, the Hiroshima Atomic Bomb Dome would appear in the visuals. The inscription on the A-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 brought out the original work's stance of committing to reality.

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

That's right. The final episode was also done in a way that could be taken as a TV-style arrangement of the end of the "Yomi Arc."

In the "Yomi Arc," there's what we fans commonly call the "Where will they fall?" scene. After defeating Black Ghost in outer space, 009 is falling toward Earth, and 002 goes to rescue him, but they run out of fuel and fall together while burning. That last scene 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 siblings, ordinary citizens who aren't even main characters, are looking outside from a laundry balcony. Joe and the others falling while burning look like shooting stars to them. When the younger brother wishes for a "toy rifle," the older sister says, "I prayed for war to disappear from the world! I prayed for everyone in the world to live in peace and get along." 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 were 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 many parts where I thought, "Ah, this depiction is the origin of various later manga."

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

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

The muffler (scarf) is definitely a characteristic of "009." In Ishinomori's works, even "Kamen Rider" wears a muffler.

Most things the master drew wore either a muffler or a cape. "Gorenger" 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). Among fans, there was even a discussion about whether the muffler was one piece or two. For "RE:CYBORG," the director said he actually wanted to make it two mufflers, but it was too difficult for CG, so he made it one. Apparently, making two of them 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 are exactly the same as they were 50 years ago.

The only other one that remains that unchanged is probably "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 have shadows with different circumstances.

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

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

Like "Six God Combination Godmars."

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

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

Anyway, the number of works is incredible. Watching Ishinomori-sensei draw, the speed was truly amazing. He would draw so quickly, yet the composition was perfect. 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 Ishinomori-sensei 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 flame flickers; I felt again how much effort they used to put into it.

The point of today's tokusatsu and anime is how to win over the parents, especially the mothers. In "Kamen Rider" and Super Sentai, handsome boys are the ones playing active roles.

"Kamen Rider" is exactly Ishinomori-sensei's original work, and I think something has been carried on even after his death. "Kamen Rider Agito," for example, 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 "Gorenger," and in that sense, it was very innovative and is still being carried on today, isn't it?

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

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

If they were always acting together despite having their own backgrounds, the backgrounds 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 be accepted there, or they might have found a lover but things didn't work out—various things happen, and then they assemble again.

It conveys a certain kind of warmth, showing that while they are fighting, these comrades are the only ones they can truly share their fate with. That's what's so good about it.

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

I'm 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 keywords like diversity, "009" is very innovative 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 was also very good at deciding who gets which ability. Usually, in things that last a long time, the 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 such sharp intuition that she completely predicts what will happen, which really serves the whole story. That kind of thing is rare, isn't it?

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