Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai
Akagi: Yami ni Oritatta Tensai 「アカギ 〜闇に降り立った天才〜」 is a 36-volume manga series written and illustrated by Nobuyuki Fukumoto. It started on June 1, 1991 and finished publishing on February 1, 2018. Studio Madhouse produced a 26-episode animated series from October 5, 2005 – March 29, 2006.
Plot
The main character, Shigeru Akagi, wandered into a mahjong game hosted by the yakuza. He was in the process of escaping a situation of his own. Earlier, he was involved in a game of "chicken", where two cars were racing towards a cliff, and the first to stop loses.
Media
Akagi is a prequel to Ten: Tenhou-douri no Kaidanji (1989 - 2002). Akagi himself first appears as an opponent to Ten, but later becomes an ally in the main tournament arc. Following the success of the two manga, various works set in the same universe were made:
- Washizu - Enma no Touhai and Washizu - Tenka Sousei Touhairoku (2008 - 2012) are prequels to Akagi, featuring Akagi's ultimate antagonist.
- HERO: Akagi no Ishi o Tsugu Otoko (2009 - 2021) is a sequel to Ten. Some characters in Akagi are referenced/appear.
- Yami-ma no Mamiya (2019 - ) is set further in the future than Hero.
Animation
- A 26-episode animated series of the same name was produced from 2005 - 2006. It covers Chapters 1 - 109 (beginning of manga to Washizu Mahjong, end of 4th hanchan) of the manga mostly faithfully, skipping over a minor arc.
Television
- An 18-episode live action series was released from 2015 - 2018.
- Season 1 ("Akagi") covers Chapters 57 - 211 (Washizu arc beginning to Washizu, 6th hanchan)
- Season 2 ("Akagi: Ichikawa-hen") covers Chapters 1 - 26 (beginning of manga to end of Ichikawa arc).
- Season 3 ("Akagi: Washizu Mahjong Kanketsu-hen") covers Chapters 211 - 296 (Season 1 end - end of Washizu)