Devilman

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Debiruman

Japanese: デビルマン

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 39

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Jul 8, 1972 to Apr 7, 1973

Premiered: Summer 1972

Broadcast: Saturdays at 20:30 (JST)

Producers: Dynamic Planning

Licensors: Discotek Media

Studios: Toei Animation

Source: Manga

Genres: Action, Horror, Supernatural

Theme: Mythology

Duration: 25 min. per ep.

Rating: R - 17+ (violence & profanity)

Statistics

Score: 6.56¹ (scored by 8,052 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #7035²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #3862

Members: 33,431

Favorites: 125

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Synopsis

Devilman features Akira Fudo, a shy and timid teenager who has gone mountain climbing in the Himalayas with his father. While in the middle of the expedition, both father and son are killed in a tragic accident. Akira's body is found and possessed by the demon soldier Devilman, who uses his new human form as a disguise in order to fulfill his mission of causing chaos on Earth in order to pave the way for a demonic invasion of the planet.

Before his mission can begin in earnest, Devilman meets Akira's childhood friend Miki Makimura and quickly falls in love with her. Devilman resolves to protect Miki and humanity as a whole by battling against his fellow demons. Demon Tribe leader Zennon becomes greatly angered at Devilman's betrayal and is quick to send Devilman's former comrades to destroy him. The other demons soon learn that Miki is precious to Devilman and he must now work to protect her, as well as protect himself. Will the power of love be able to overcome that of true evil?

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Background

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Related Anime

Adaptation:	Devilman
Sequel:	Violence Jack: Harem Bomber-hen
Spin-off:	Maou Dante, Devilman Lady
Alternative version:	Devilman: Tanjou-hen, Amon: Devilman Mokushiroku, Devilman: Crybaby
Other:	CB Chara Go Nagai World, Cyborg 009 VS Devilman, Devilman Pilot Film
Character:	Mazinger Z tai Devilman
Summary:	Devilman Memorial

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Fudou, Akira

Main

Tanaka, Ryouichi
Japanese

Devilman

Main

Tanaka, Ryouichi
Japanese

Makimura, Miki

Supporting

Sakai, Sumie
Japanese

Silene

Supporting

Kitahama, Haruko
Japanese

Psychogenie

Supporting

Mutou, Reiko
Japanese

Makimura, Tare

Supporting

Yamamoto, Keiko
Japanese

Zannin, Demon General

Supporting

Masuoka, Hiroshi
Japanese

Faim

Supporting

Masuyama, Eiko
Japanese

Zenon

Supporting

Shibata, Hidekatsu
Japanese

Gelge

Supporting

Tomita, Kousei
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Katsumata, Tomoharu

Director

Shirato, Takeshi

Episode Director, Animation Director

Ochiai, Masamune

Episode Director

Tsuji, Masaki

Script

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Opening Theme

"Devilman no Uta (デビルマンのうた)" by Keizou Toda

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Ending Theme

"Kyou mo Doko ka de Devilman (今日もどこかでデビルマン)" by Keizou Toda

Reviews

Jan 6, 2015

THEAnimeHERO

Recommended

Note: both the anime and manga are two completely different stories but as long as you bear this in mind, Devilman TV is an episodic series super hero series that can be very repetitive but manages to provide gruesome horror or other times some intentionally ridiculous entertainment.

The story begins rather unsettling as the main character Akira Fudo is killed by Devilman, thus he takes over his corpse and becomes Akira. So, in other words our main characters is actually Devilman (or Amon to be more specific with other Devilman material). Despite this key difference, Devilman falls in love with Miki and has sworn to ... protect her from the Demon Tribe. This leads to Devilman being branded a traitor where Demon Lord Xenon will send demons to kill Devilman. As you may have guessed, the series follows a formula where the beginning of the episode features the demon's murderous abilities which sets up the horror mood. Afterwards, Devilman has to fight him or her and usually ends the battle with a Devil Beam or a Devil Arrow.

A basic flaw of the show as a whole is the repetitive problems that it presents itself. As this Devilman is very much like a Tokusatsu series with Devilman turning into a giant and the demons usually arriving one at a time. While we all know it would make more sense to send everyone at once to get the job done, you have to watch this show knowing that it will play out like this. Of course this does hinder its story and instead relies on a fun factor which often led to some hilarious moments such as the iconic "Devil Jump!" . I think appreciating events such as that is what makes Devilman TV enjoyable.

What amazes me about this show is despite being aimed at a children audience, this is NOT a kid-friendly show. For its time and possibly even now, the series is too violent for any public broadcast with its constant use of human casualties, especially ones involving car crashes and airplanes. In a very Go Nagai fashion, many civilians aka extras are constantly killed adding to the dark tone of the series. A lot of demons are very over powered but certainly made their presence almost unforgettable due to their fearsome strength as some episodes are genuinely scary.

However, like any show there are some things that can't be ignored. One of my personal problems with Devilman TV is that the series may have been better is some battles lasted 2 episodes instead of a self-contained story. For example, a lot of the episode's time is spent on creating a terrifying atmosphere which leads to a few minutes of actual fighting. I don't mind short fights but it does get a bit annoying that a lot of the fights end very abruptly with Devilman struggling in a one sided match only to save his skin by using a Devil Beam (which you will hear a lot of.)

Basically, I had a lot of fun watching this version of Devilman but I can certainly see why people wouldn't like it, especially if they read the manga for it. The structure of Devilman TV is very similar to the other 70's Go Nagai series Cutey Honey & Mazinger Z due to their basic superhero plots. And very much like Cutey Honey, the series does end open-ended with Devilman never fighting Xenon or completely eradicating the Demon Tribe. However, I was really surprised to see Devilman gradually change throughout the series where he began as a despicable, violent person and by the end of the series he's an honest to heart good guy. The quality certainly shifts per episode but there's definitely something good to be found in this superhero anime. It's not a must watch series because its so good nor is it a show so bad its good; Devilman TV is the episodic journey of a devil whose becoming more and more human who vows to protect his love. As simple as it is, this type of series can only be enjoyed by a certain few who love tokatsu or just a monster of the week show in general. A recommendation that is inspired by Devilman but is better written is the series Hell Teacher Nube which offers more in terms of characterization and touching moments.

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Jun 5, 2021

halimede

Mixed Feelings

Not gonna lie, I've been into a lot of older anime these days and out of all of them, this is one of them that's somewhat tolerable (I think since it breaks the stereotype of the clean-cut, good-looking main male character. Nice to finally get some variety).
Also, maybe it appeals to the romantic in me, but I do find it kind of a cute concept that a demon goes out of his way to save humanity all for the sake of one woman.
The only thing I find super silly is the fact that he's like "I must defeat this evil demon lord and the rest ...

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Nov 25, 2023

MizuhoKamui

Not Recommended

Devilman is a unique character in the history of anime, as he is the first supernatural anti-hero. He was a demon who was sent to destroy humanity, but due to his human host's love for a girl, he decided to protect us from a coming genocide.

Devilman was a daring show for its time. It portrayed demons possessing and killing innocent humans and each other, driven by their cruelty and thirst for power. Even close friends betrayed each other, leading to a gruesome end for most of the main characters and the apocalypse. These elements were quite captivating.

The manga and anime versions of this story ...

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Characters & Voice Actors

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Gelge

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Background

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Ending Theme

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