Ichi the Killer

Kabukichō, Shinjuku's neon-lit pleasure district, is the stage for Hideo Yamamoto's nightmarish yakuza thriller. The story opens with the disappearance of Anjo, a crime boss, along with 300 million yen. This sets off a bloody chain reaction that pulls in two very different men. One is Ichi, a fragile, brainwashed young man who transforms into a superhumanly violent killer when triggered by his handler Jijii. The other is Kakihara, a flamboyant, sadomasochistic enforcer whose obsession with finding his boss leads him on a path of grotesque torture and murder.

Yamamoto serialized the manga in Shogakukan's Weekly Young Sunday from 1998 to 2001, following a precursor one-shot titled Ichi in 1993. The series was collected into ten tankōbon volumes. Its stark, visceral artwork and unflinching portrayal of violence earned it immediate notoriety. The narrative reads like a black comedy at times, the extreme gore pushed into surreal territory.

The 2001 film adaptation by Takashi Miike turned the manga into a global cult phenomenon. Starring Nao Omori as Ichi and Tadanobu Asano as Kakihara, the movie became a landmark of extreme cinema. It was banned in several countries and reportedly handed out sick bags at film festivals. A prequel OVA, Ichi the Killer: Episode 0, directed by Shinji Ishihira, was released in 2002. Seven Seas Entertainment now publishes the manga in English omnibus editions. [edit]