Akado Suzunosuke

Akado Suzunosuke tells the story of Suzunosuke Akado, a young boy who aspires to become the best swordsman in Japan. He joins the Chiba Dōjō, run by Shūsaku Chiba, a renowned practitioner of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū in Edo, where he spends his days training and trying to perfect the Akado Vacuum Slash, a special technique left by his father. Suzunosuke faces a variety of events, including a feud and reconciliation with senior disciple Rainoshin Tatsumaki, and a confrontation with the Kimento, which is plotting to overthrow the Edo Shogunate. He faces these hardships undaunted, continuing to follow his own path. == Production ==

Akado Suzunosuke was created by Eiichi Fukui, a popular manga artist and a contemporary of Osamu Tezuka, who adopted , a one-shot that he wrote in the past, for serialization. However, following the publication of the first episode in the magazine and the drafting of the second episode, Fukui died. As a result, Tsunayoshi Takeuchi, a newly debuted manga artist, was unexpectedly tasked with continuing the manga. Takeuchi assumed responsibility for the series, writing from the second episode through to its finale. == Characters ==

; : A boy who trains at the Hokushin Ittō-ryū Chiba Dōjō to become the best swordsman in Japan. His real name is Suzunosuke Kinno, but he is called Suzunosuke Akadō because he wears an Akadō (red breastplate), a memento of his father. ; : Founder of Hokushin Ittō-ryū and a master swordsman who established the Chiba Dōjō in Edo. He serves as Suzunosuke's master in the series and is modeled after the historical swordsman of the same name. ; : Daughter of Shūsaku. She is a skilled swordswoman and good with a naginata. ; : A woman who makes her living as a tailor. She is Suzunosuke's mother. ; : A disciple at the Chiba Dōjō with a natural talent for swordsmanship. He was Suzunosuke's senior and rival, but after losing to Suzunosuke, he became desperate, leading to his excommunication. ; : Head instructor of Chiba Dōjō. He is a close friend of Suzunosuke's father. ; : Rainoshin's elder brother. He is a spear user and a dojoyaburi. He later joins the Kimentō, but is s persuaded by Rainoshin to abandon the group. ; : Suzunosuke's friend. He mistakenly identifies Suzunosuke as the murderer of his father and targets him alongside his uncle. ; : Matsunosuke's uncle and a master of kusarigama. He targets Suzunosuke with his nephew to avenge his younger brother's death. ; : Suzunosuke's late father. ; : An villainous organization that schemes to overthrow the Edo Shogunate and rule the country. All members wear demon masks. They plot to recruit the skilled Suzunosuke and Rainoshin into their ranks. == Media ==

Manga Akado Suzunosuke was serialized in Shōnen Gahō, a monthly shōnen manga magazine published by Shōnen Gahōsha, from the August 1954 issue to the December 1960 issue, and was collected in 22 volumes. Anime The anime adaptation was broadcast on Fuji Television Network from April 5, 1972, to March 28, 1973, for a total of 52 episodes. The anime has a total of 52 episodes, utilizing the essence of the original manga while introducing characters who do not appear in the manga and interspersing an anime-original, road movie-like storyline in the middle of the episodes. Among them, the work of Osamu Dezaki, who joined under the name Kuyo Sai, was notable, and he worked on 14 episodes, a quarter of the total. Live-action films Nine film adaptations produced by Daiei Film were released from 1957 to 1958. The lead actor was Shoji Umewaka for the first seven films, and was replaced by Taro Momoyama for the eighth and ninth films. Filmography • (released on May 21, 1957, black-and-white film) • (Released on June 18, 1957, black-and-white film) • (Released on August 13, 1957, black and white film) • (Released on August 25, 1957, black and white film) • (Released on September 21, 1957, color film) • (Released on December 28, 1957, color film) • (Released on March 11, 1958, color film) • (Released on November 15, 1958, black and white film) • (Released on December 21, 1958, black and white film) Radio drama A radio drama adaptation aired on Radio Tokyo from January 7, 1957, to February 14, 1959, with a total of 42 episodes. The theme song, which would be used in subsequent film, TV dramas, and anime series, was created for the program. Live-action TV drama series Two television drama adaptations were aired in 1957 on separate TV stations using the then-predominant live broadcast format. The Osaka Television Broadcasting version aired a total of 55 episodes from September 20, 1957, to October 3, 1958. The KR TV (Radio Tokyo Television) version aired a total of 55 episodes from October 2, 1957, to March 25, 1959. == Notes ==