This is one of the most insane mangas I've ever read and it's definitely Go Nagai's most unchained creative endeavour that I've read (and I doubt he ever made anything more extreme than this but I'd be glad to learn I'm wrong). What starts out as a post-apocalyptic (apparently the first manga of its kind) story develops into a wild crossover catalogue and a mix of all sorts of genres and styles, all with the most amount of violence and nudity. You get all sorts of stories inside this seemingly simple plot framework. And while it seems anthological at first, there are several overarching storylines that converge by the end and this was a beautiful surprise for me as things went along and what seemed like one-off characters kept coming back and concluding their arcs.
This is definitely not a Go Nagai work for beginners, both in the sense that it is constantly referencing his old works and that it is an unfiltered display of the author's strengths and weaknesses. I recommend being at least familiar with Devilman, Cutie Honey, Mazinger Z, and Nagai's oeuvre before getting into this, lest you feel completely in the dark as to several creative decisions. It's also worth noting that this is not a manga that would feel comfortable to read for some people, as there's several (and I mean almost one per story arc) portrayals of sexual assault and even some very questionable sexual encounters between characters with problematic (to say the least) age gaps. This is what I mean when I say Violence Jack is not for Go Nagai beginners. Not to even mention the amount of violence and gore, but... I mean, it says right there in the title what you should expect from that department.
This is often said to have influenced Hokuto no Ken but I don't really think the teleology is fair, I think this is doing something very different from HnK. In fact I think the fights and battles in this manga are operating on a very different style than the ones in HnK. I think this had a larger influence on works like Berserk and Kingdom, especially since the manga dives deep into a warfare narrative halfway through and a lot less focus is given to individual bouts and more into larger armed conflicts between armies with tanks, helicopters, missiles and even bombs. Some characters go from being small guerrilla fighters to army generals commanding large war tactics and it's so satisfying to see that development.
And speaking of development, this reaches some insane heights at the end that can feel super cathartic for longtime Nagai fans. I imagine how it must have felt to read the last chapter when it came out. This is definitely a recommended read for people who like the larger Go Nagai universe.
All things considered, I find Violence Jack to be a sort of a rough gem that deserves more attention. People are willing to recognize its reputation in the grand scheme of manga history but not as many are willing to actually sit down and read it, and I believe this should change. If you appreciate some older, rawer and grimier battle manga, do check out Violence Jack. Just brush up on your Spanish/Italian in case you do want to experience this in its entirely
