Golgo 13

Golgo 13 (ゴルゴ13, also known under the pseudonym Duke Togo) is a fictional assassin and is the lead protagonist in his own manga series, also titled Golgo 13, created by Japanese mangaka Takao Saito.

The Golgo 13 series is one of the longest running adult manga in Japan and has been adapted into two live action films (Golgo 13 and Golgo 13: Kûron no kubi), two anime movies directed by Osamu Dezaki, and three video games including Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode and its NES sequel, The Mafat Conspiracy: Golgo 13 II and a light gun arcade game released only in Japan. Since its debut in 1968, it has sold over 200 million copies in various formats, including compilation books.

Golgo 13 has been called a Japanese counterpart to James Bond, except with a darker character, a much more hardcore attitude towards sex, and a complete lack of morality. Golgo 13 is described as a mystery man of undetermined origin, possibility being at least part Japanese, who takes any assignment for any employer (it has been said he has worked for the CIA and the KGB) as long as the right price is given (usually around 1 million dollars for a hit) and will always fulfill his contracts, even if he has two or more opposing contracts at the same time. He is an uncanny sharpshooter, with near 100% accuracy (with only one missed shot) and capable of lethal trick shooting, and regularly uses a customized, scoped M-16 rifle in his assassinations. He also is a heavy smoker of cigars.

Despite Golgo's "amoral" status, the stories are always set up so that Golgo is at least nominally a "good guy" -- his targets are typically criminals or people who otherwise at least partially "deserve" what they get. There are no stories that involve completely innocent people being assassinated.

Particularly in the later volumes, Golgo himself tends to take a back seat to the other characters involved in the contract. It's not uncommon for Golgo to only appear in a single panel or two out of a 150-page story.

Two animated movies were created, The Professional: Golgo 13 and Golgo 13: Queen Bee. The Professional: Golgo 13 was once licensed by Orion and Streamline Pictures and now is licensed by Urban Vision. Queen Bee is also licensed by that same company and celebrity voice actor John DiMaggio (Bender of Futurama) plays the role of Golgo 13 in Queen Bee.

1 Golgo's Origin
2 Manga In English
3 Viz Media Manga Releases
4 Trivia
5 External links

[edit] Golgo's Origin

The origin of Golgo 13 is left in complete mystery, his age and birthplace both completely unknown. Various episodes throughout the Golgo 13 series have tried answering this mystery, but all of the 'Origin Series' end with a note of uncertainty that never make sense if the story's theory was definitely true, and others end revealing that the theories were false. Some theories state that Golgo 13 is either: Japanese, Japanese-American, Chinese, Chinese-American, mixed Japanese and Russian, or of other mixed Asian descent. Some theories even suggest that he may be of former Manchurian or Central Asian descent, but these are deemed unlikely.

[edit] Manga In English

A few Golgo 13 stories were translated into English and released in the USA. In 1986, in collaboration with translator Patrick Connolly, Lead Publishing Co.,Ltd. (author Takao Saito's brother's company) released four trade paperback comics, each with 2 complete stories, called the Golgo 13 Graphic Novel Series:

No. 1: Into the Wolves' Lair (August 1986)

Into the Wolves' Lair- In 1982, the Israeli government hires Golgo 13 to rescue a Mossad agent and eliminate Neo-Nazis operating in Argentina under the leadership of Nazi war criminal Martin Bormann.

Fighting Back- In 1980, Soviet commandos pursue Golgo 13 after he assassinates a Soviet general in Afghanistan.

No. 2: Galinpero (October 1986)

Galinpero- In 1980, a peasant villager hires Golgo 13 to kill the Galinperos, a group of vicious criminals hiding out in the jungles of the Amazon Basin.

The One-Ten Angle- In 1983, the Saudi royal family hires Golgo 13 to find and execute the murderer of one of their own in New York.

No. 3: Ice Lake Hit (December 1986)

Ice Lake Hit- The CIA sends Golgo 13 to Canada to assassinate a CIA double agent, while Eastern Bloc intelligence agents try to stop him.

Machine Cowboy- A horse rancher hires Golgo 13 to hunt down horse thieves in Texas.

No. 4: The Ivory Connection (February 1987)

Ivory Connection- On behalf of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Golgo 13 hunts ivory poachers in Africa and faces the FNLA.

Scandal! The Unpaid Reward- The leader of a West German political party hires Golgo 13 to assassinate his political rival, to secure his lobby's bid for a defense contract with the government of West Germany.

These four books are out of print, and are very rare and hard to find.

In 1989 and 1990, Lead Publishing returned with two new Golgo 13 comic books, this time in association with Vic Tokai as part of the promotion of the two Golgo 13 video games produced by them for the NES: Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode, released in 1988 and The Mafat Conspiracy, released in 1990. The comics were released to the US public via a mail-in offer with the purchase of the games and were later even found packaged with the video games. Each issue contained one complete story and had nothing to do with the storylines of the video games themselves.

No.1: The Impossible Hit (1971)- Golgo 13 kills a financier with Mafia connections in Manhattan but is soon hounded by detectives when the single shell casing from the bullet used in the killing is found!

No.2: Hopper The Border (1971)- Swiss authorities hire Golgo 13 to kill a criminal who is well-known for smuggling people on the run out of Switzerland.

In 1991, Lead Publishing returned once again with another Golgo 13 series, now released by VIZ Media, formerly VIZ comics, under the title, The Professional: Golgo 13. This series ran for only 3 issues and featured a 3-part story called The Argentine Tiger.

The Argentine Tiger- In 1982, in the middle of the Falklands War, the British government hires Golgo 13 to assassinate the ex-president of Argentina, Juan Perón, who was supposedly dead but is alive in Buenos Aires.

[edit] Viz Media Manga Releases

In January 2006, Golgo 13 was brought back by VIZ Media in their Viz Signature collection. These volumes of the Golgo 13 manga are taken not in order of their release, but in a seemingly arbitrary way that is decided by Viz Media and will feature 2 complete stories and a dossier titled "File 13" explaining the inner workings and machinations of the Golgo 13 character. These volumes are also advertised under the moniker "13 volumes of Golgo 13's greatest hits."

The first volume is entitled Golgo 13: Supergun.

Story #364, The Gun at Am Shara, May 1997

In 1997, the US government hires Golgo 13 to stop Saddam Hussein from reactivating Project Babylon, a supergun able to hurl a missile from an extremely long range.

Story #144, Hit And Run, April 1979

A private investigator in San Francisco plots vengeance on a crime boss responsible for his fiancé getting hurt in a hit and run accident by making him believe he's hired freelance assassin Golgo 13 to kill him.

In April 2006, VIZ media released the second volume, entitled Golgo 13: Hydra.

Story #290, The Deaths of June 3rd, October 1990

In 1989, Golgo 13 goes to Tianamen Square in the middle of the massive student protests to assassinate a Tibetan activist.

Story #88, Hydra, October 1974

Once again in the employ of the CIA, Golgo 13 must infiltrate a Corsican mafia drug ring operating in Marseille and kill their chemist known as Doctor Z. This storyline was also used as a basis for part of the first anime film.

In June 2006, the third volume was released, entitled Golgo 13: Power To The People.

Story #333, Amandala Awethu: Power To the People, July 1994

After the fall of apartheid, newly-elected South African president Nelson Mandela hires Golgo 13 to stop a terrorist plot to bring the country into civil war.

Golgo 13 Special Edition Story #39, A Fierce Southern Current, April 1994

The ownership of an island in the South China Sea is disputed by a number of countries over the discovery of its rich oil reserves and an international finance company decides to use Golgo 13's name and financial assets to broker a deal with whichever country gains ownership, all unbeknownst to Golgo 13.

In August 2006, the fourth volume was released, entitled Golgo 13: The Orbital Hit.

Story #137, The Orbital Hit, September 1978

When a secret U.S. government spacecraft carrying a nuclear payload is damaged in orbit and its crew is killed, Golgo is recruited by President Gerald Ford to prevent the craft from interfering with the scheduled Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous.

Story #369, English Rose, November 1997

Golgo is recruited to assassinate Ahmad Al-Farid (a fictional take on Dodi Al-Fayed) while he is away from England with Princess Diana. He is explicitly ordered to make sure that Diana returns to England safely, but complications arise when another assassin is employed to kill her. The scenario is a heavily fictionalized take on the actual events surrounding the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

[edit] Trivia

Golgo 13's name is derived from the 13th hill of Golgotha, where Jesus was crucified.
As the writer did not know if a dark character and anti-hero themes would catch on, Golgo 13 laughed, made funny jokes, and displayed more emotion in earlier episodes.
Golgo 13 rarely shakes hands with others to avoid the risk of his right arm being harmed in any way.
He refuses to take a job if the contractor does not explain the reasons for contracting the hit (perhaps a plot device to allow background explanation).
Golgo 13 has never on any occasion referred to or introduced himself to others as "Golgo 13". On the occasion that he does have to introduce himself, it is usually with an alias.
He does not allow anyone to contact him twice, nor does he "report back" after a successful hit.
The first animated Golgo 13 movie was released in 1983 and called simply Golgo 13. During its releases in the U.S. it was given the title The Professional: Golgo 13. This is not to be confused with the live-action film The Professional which also had a hitman as a protagonist.
Both live action Golgo 13 films were produced by Toei Co. Ltd. In the rarely seen first live action film, Golgo 13, produced in 1973, he was portrayed by actor Ken Takakura. In the second live action film, Kowloon Assignment, produced in 1977, Golgo 13 was portrayed by actor and martial artist Sonny Chiba.
Golgo 13 was in two video games for the Nintendo Entertainment System: Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode and The Mafat Conspiracy: Golgo 13 II, Golgo 13 also appeared in a light gun arcade game that was released only in Japan.
His distinct visual style (his hair, grim expression) were reportedly the inspiration for Masahiro Chono's reinvention of his wrestling persona.
Takao Saito is also the author of the 4 issue James Bond manga that was published in 1964.
HE had a slight Cameo in the Anime/Manga Gantz as the Sniper Dude in the thrid game

[edit] External links

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Golgo 13

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Contents

[edit] Golgo's Origin

[edit] Manga In English

[edit] Viz Media Manga Releases

[edit] Trivia

[edit] External links

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