Inuyashiki Ichiro is an older, friendless man with an uncaring family. One fateful evening in a nearly empty public park, he is struck by an explosion of extraterrestrial origin, and his body is replaced by an incredibly powerful, but still outwardly human, mechanical body. He quickly realizes the extent of his body's powers, and after saving a homeless man being beaten by a pack of teenagers, he decides to dedicate himself to doing good, using his powers to heal those with incurable diseases and fight crime. However, a teenager who was with him at the time of the explosion, Shishigami Hiro, had the same fate as Ichiro, but unlike Inuyashiki, Shishigami becomes a psychopath who goes about using his newfound abilities to murder various people, from classmates that annoy him to innocent families, including young children, just for amusement. His acts of merciless cruelty bring him the attention of the police, who can do nothing to stop him. Hiro becomes the most wanted criminal in the country. The series follows these two different individuals who once shared the same bizarre experience, as their paths are destined to clash.
Inuyashiki is written and illustrated by Hiroya Oku. The manga started publishing in the 4th 2014 issue of Kodansha's seinen magazine Evening, published on January 28, 2014. The manga finished in the 16th 2017 issue of Evening published on July 25, 2017. Kodansha compiled the series into ten tankōbon volumes published between May 23, 2014 and September 22, 2017. Kodansha's American subsidiary, Kodansha Comics, had published the manga in English. Crunchyroll published the manga in a digital format.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation by MAPPA began airing on October 12, 2017, and a live-action film adaptation has been announced for 2018. The anime series' opening theme is "My Hero", performed by Japanese rock bandMan with a Mission. The ending theme "Ai o Oshietekureta Kimi e" is performed by the band Qaijff. Amazon had licensed the series and streamed it online on Amazon Prime Video in Japan and overseas. It was streamed on Anime Strike in the United States. Amazon discontinued Anime Strike on January 5, 2018, which in turn made Anime Strike titles, including Inuyashiki, free to stream for Prime members.
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Live-action film On December 21, 2017, a teaser trailer and website appeared for a live action adaptation of Inuyashiki. The film, the first in a planned trilogy, was released on April 20, 2018, directed by Shinsuke Sato, who had previously directed the live action Gantz, and stars Noritake Kinashi as Inuyashiki Ichihiro and Takeru Satoh as Shishigami Hiro.
Reception
Volume 2 reached the 18th place on the weekly Oricon manga charts and, as of November 2, 2014, has sold 76,886 copies; volume 3 reached the 15th place and, as of March 1, 2015, has sold 74,974 copies. Due to underwhelming sales in Japan, Oku is said to only be eyeing the completion of ten volumes of the manga in total. It was one of the Jury Selections of the Manga Division at the 18th Japan Media Arts Festival Awards. It was also picked as a nominee for Best Comic for the 44th annual Angoulême International Comics Festival held in 2017.
