City Hunter Adaptions

From a Jackie Chan movie in the 90s to more recent movies and upcoming adaptations on Netflix, City Hunter has had a surprisingly long life outside of the original manga. But where did it all begin?

In this article, we’re going to take a look at the City Hunter manga and its many adaptations, from the original anime series to the more unusual live-action versions you might not even know existed.

City Hunter – Manga

Weekly Shonen Jump – 35 Volumes

City Hunter was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991. Written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo, the manga ran for 193 chapters across 35 volumes and has since gone on to have multiple anime, movie and live-action adaptations around the world.

The series follows the exploits of Ryo Saeba, a “sweeper” and private detective who works to rid Tokyo of crime. He is also always found chasing beautiful girls, usually much to the annoyance of his associate and partner, Hideyuki Makimura.

City Hunter – Anime

Tv Series – 51 Episodes

The series was adapted into an anime produced by Sunrise, directed by Kanetsugu Kodama and broadcast by Yomiuri Television. City Hunter ran for 51 episodes between April 6, 1987, and March 28, 1988, and was released on 10 VHS cassettes.

City Hunter 2 – Anime

Tv Series – 63 Episodes

A seamless continuation of the 1987 original, City Hunter 2 ran for 63 episodes from April 1988 to July 14, 1989. This is also where some of the franchise’s most memorable music appears, with the opening themes “Angel Night” by Psy·S, used for episodes 1–26, and “Sara” by Fence of Defence.

This season also coincided with the franchise reaching its peak in popularity. In the reader-voted Animage Anime Grand Prix, Ryo Saeba took first place for Best Male Character in 1989, 1990 and 1991, right through the City Hunter 2 and City Hunter 3 era. On home video, the series was released across 10 VHS tapes between August 1988 and March 1990.

City Hunter .357 Magnum – Anime

Theatrical film

Following shortly after was City Hunter: .357 Magnum, which came out in 1989. It was the first theatrical film release for City Hunter, hitting cinemas in June of that year. With a 6.9 rating on IMDb, you won’t be disappointed, especially if you’re a fan of the classic 1980s anime style.

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The main plot focuses on a beautiful pianist who comes to Tokyo for a charity concert, and of course, City Hunter is there. But music isn’t his forte; he’s more interested in getting lessons in the language of love.

Things quickly take a turn, however, as the bodies start dropping. A foreign dignitary is assassinated in cold blood, secret agents scour the streets for a missing microchip, and diplomatic infighting begins to swirl around the upcoming concert. With all this going on, City Hunter may be the only hope!

you can watch the full film on youtube

City Hunter 3 – Anime

TV Series – 13 episodes

Following on from the first film, City Hunter 3 was broadcast for 13 episodes from October 15, 1989, to January 21, 1990, and released on 6 VHS cassettes between November 1990 and April 1991

City Hunter: Bay City Wars – Anime

Theatrical film

Then in 1990, two more anime films were released, City Hunter: Bay City Wars and City Hunter: Million Dollar Conspiracy.

Bay City Wars was released in August and has a runtime of around 45 minutes. Its sequel, Million Dollar Conspiracy, was also released in August and, in some places, the two films were shown together as a double feature. Like Bay City Wars, it also has a runtime of around 45 minutes.

After the US military ousts a sadistic Central American tyrant, a spirit of merciless vengeance is born. When the Bay City Hotel unveils its new supercomputer, the deposed ruler and his loyal daughter devise a plan. With her hacking skills, the very same computer that delivers room service can now deliver a nuclear payload straight to Washington’s front door.

But their plan for nuclear vengeance has one unforeseen problem: City Hunter. And now, the only question remaining is who’s finger is faster? The girl on the button or the man on the trigger?

City Hunter: Million Dollar Conspiracy – Anime

Theatrical film

Beautiful American Emily O’Hara offers City Hunter, Ryo Saeba and Kaori Makimura, one million dollars to protect her from a man named Douglas. Ryo and Kaori take the job, but things aren’t quite what they seem. The real target might just be Ryo, but it’s unclear who wants Saeba dead.

SunSoft City Hunter – Game

Video Game

Following on from the success of the franchise, City Hunter got its first video game in 1990, released on March 2. Fast forward to the modern era and the game has been updated for a new generation, with an updated version released on February 25, 2026, which is available to play on Steam.

City Hunter 4 / City Hunter 91 – Anime

TV Series – 13 episodes

Next up on our long list of City Hunter adaptions is City Hunter 91, also known as City Hunter 4. Another series that follows on from the previous seasons, it was released in 1991, get it, 91?

With only 13 episodes, it holds a 7.75 rating on MAL. But the City Hunter story doesn’t end there, as we soon move away from Japan for another live-action adaption, Saviour of the Soul.

City Hunter – Film

Live Actin – Hong Kong Film

In 1993, the first live-action Hong Kong theatrical adaptation of the series was released. The film was directed by Wong Jing and starred Jackie Chan as Ryo Saeba, Wang Zuxian as Kaori, and Japanese idol Kumiko Goto. Running for around an hour and 40 minutes, the film received fairly middle-of-the-road reviews.

However, it is probably best known today for the famous scene of Jackie Chan dressed up as Chun-Li, which spawned some of the most memorable photos from the movie.

City Hunter: Secret Service – Anime

TV Special

The fourth animated City Hunter film, City Hunter: Secret Service, was released as a TV special in 1996. It received above-average ratings on both IMDb and MAL.

The storyline focuses on James McGuire, who wants to become the president of Guinam and free his people from the military rulers who have been in power up until now.

However, one thing stands in McGuire’s way: his past. It’s beginning to catch up with him, endangering not only his career but also the life of his long-lost daughter.

McGuire hires City Hunter, Ryo Saeba and his partner Kaori, to protect his daughter Anna, who is herself a Secret Service agent assigned to guard the presidential hopeful.

City Hunter: The Motion Picture / City Hunter: Goodbye My Sweetheart – Anime

TV Special

ity Hunter: The Motion Picture, also known as City Hunter: Goodbye My Sweetheart, was released as a TV special in 1997/1998. I’m not really sure why they decided to call it The Motion Picture, but hey, that’s what they went with.

With a runtime of around an hour and a half and a 70% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the story follows Ryo Saeba, aka the City Hunter, a private detective working in Tokyo. Together with his sidekick Kaori Makimura, Ryo is hired by actress Emi Makaze to find her long-lost brother.

However, Emi’s brother turns out to be “The Professor”, a delusional ex-soldier who is planning to destroy the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Kaori is assigned to protect Emi, but the two of them soon become caught up in the Professor’s scheme.
Now it’s up to City Hunter to save them, while also trying to stop downtown Tokyo from being destroyed.

City Hunter: Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba

TV Special

City Hunter: Death of the Vicious Criminal Ryo Saeba, or by its original title, City Hunter Special: Kinkyû Namachûkei!? Kyôakuhan Saeba Ryô no Saigo, is the 12th instalment in the City Hunter franchise. It’s another TV special, with roughly the same runtime as the previous one and, once again, follows the familiar formula.

This time, Saeba Ryo has been out of work for months before finally landing a client, and it’s none other than beautiful Mega City TV newscaster Sayaka, who fears for her life. What’s worse, the people after her are her own employers, who are prepared to use any means necessary to kill her.

Ryo takes on the might of a TV station in a bid to save Sayaka, but soon discovers that things aren’t quite what they seem.

With a 7.33 user score on MAL, if you’ve got some time to waste, throw this one on your screen and see what you think.

City Hunter – Tv Show

SBS TV Drama

City Hunter was also turned into a Korean TV series of the same name, released in 2011 and, apparently, available on Netflix Korea. Wink wink.

The live-action adaptation was received well, with the actors picking up several awards, including Best Actor at the Korean Drama Awards.

With an 8.0 out of 10 rating on IMDb, the TV show’s main plot is surprisingly similar to the other adaptations. The story follows Lee Yoon Sung, a talented MIT graduate who works on the international communications team at the Blue House. He sets out to get revenge on five politicians who were responsible for his father’s death and eventually becomes known as the “City Hunter.”

Watch it here:

City Hunter the Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes – Anime

Theatrical film

City Hunter the Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes was released in 2019 and served as the fourth film in the City Hunter series. It also features most of the original voice cast from the 1987 anime television series and its sequels. Released on February 8, 2019, the film uses a much more modern animation style compared to the original series. However, the updated look doesn’t seem to have helped its rating, with the film currently sitting at 6.4 out of 10 on IMDb.

Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon / Nicky Larson City Hunter – Film

Live action – Theatrical film

City Hunter is wildly popular in France and even has its own French adaptation. Nicky Larson et le Parfum de Cupidon is an action-comedy film released on February 6, 2019. The French adaptation was directed by and stars Philippe Lacheau, who plays the title character Nicky Larson, the name Ryo Saeba is known by in the French dub of the anime series.

Just like the other adaptations, the French film stays pretty close to the original idea, although it obviously puts its own French spin on the story.

Nicky Larson is an unusual private investigator, a talented street fighter and a sniper who is often called upon to solve problems that nobody else can. Alongside his partner Laura, he takes on all kinds of jobs, some more dangerous than others. But as professional as he is, Ryo has one major flaw: his obsession with women, which causes Laura no end of trouble.

One of his clients hires him to protect “Cupid’s Perfume”, a fragrance that supposedly makes anyone who wears it absolutely irresistible. Unfortunately, after a moment of distraction, the perfume is stolen by a group of thugs. Nicky Larson must then track it down, eventually taking him all the way to Monaco.

The film performed reasonably well at the French box office, selling more than a million tickets and eventually reaching over 1.6 million tickets sold in France.

Interestingly, the original creator of City Hunter, Tsukasa Hojo, has been sceptical of remakes and adaptations. However, after reading the screenplay for this film, he agreed that it stayed true to the original material.

Despite that, the film was received as more of a mixed bag, with a 6.5 out of 10 rating from around 6,500 votes on IMDb.

City Hunter -The Stolen XYZ -Musical

Stage play

While there isn’t much information available in English, this appears to be the first adaption of City Hunter into a musical, with the production coming out in 2021.

The musical was performed by the Snow Troupe, with Sakina Ayafu and Kiwa Asatsuki making their debut as the new top duo. According to a translated description from a Japanese DVD site selling a filmed version of the production, it is described as a “hard-boiled comedy” combined with a “flaming hot and dynamic show.”

So yes, apparently City Hunter can be a musical too. I’m not really sure why I’m surprised at this point.

City Hunter: Angel Dust – Anime

Theatrical film

A follow-up to the 2019 film City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes, City Hunter: Angel Dust was released in Japan on September 8, 2023.

The film commemorates the 35th anniversary of City Hunter (1987) and even features crossover cameo appearances from the Lupin III and Tama & Friends franchises.

Based in Shinjuku, Ryo Saeba is a talented “sweeper” known as City Hunter, taking on various requests with his partner, Kaori Makimura. This time, they are asked by a female video creator named Angie to find her escaped cat.

But, of course, things don’t stay that simple.

Meanwhile, Saeko Nogami of the Metropolitan Police Department, with help from Umibozu and Miki, begins investigating Zoltic, a biotech company working on a terrifying invention that can transform soldiers on the battlefield into superhumans.

The invention is the latest version of “Angel Dust”, the same technology that once consumed Ryo and killed his partner, Hideyuki Makimura.

The film received mixed reviews, although it still made a strong start at the Japanese box office. It topped the weekend box office during its opening weekend from September 8 to 10, taking the equivalent of around $2.2 million. It currently has a 6/10 rating on IMDb.

So once again, Ryo starts off looking for a cat and somehow ends up dealing with superhuman soldiers and Angel Dust. Pretty standard City Hunter stuff really.

City Hunter – Film

Japanese Netflix Film

The 2024 City Hunter is the first Japanese-produced live-action adaptation of the manga, directed by Yūichi Satō and released on Netflix on April 25, 2024. The film runs for around 102 minutes, with Ryohei Suzuki playing Ryo Saeba and Misato Morita as Kaori Makimura.

The story acts as an origin story, with Ryo reluctantly teaming up with Kaori, the sister of his late partner Hideyuki, to investigate his death.

Ryohei Suzuki’s physical transformation for the role was one of the things that received a lot of praise, along with the way the film manages to mix gunfights with Ryo’s usual perverted comedy. Basically, it tries to capture the strange combination of action, comedy and questionable behaviour that makes City Hunter what it is.

And fittingly, the film closes with TM Network’s “Get Wild Continual”, keeping the musical connection to the original anime.

The film currently sits at around 6.3/10 on IMDb, so while it wasn’t universally loved, it finally gave City Hunter a Japanese live-action movie of its own.

City Hunter Adpations and the manga

As of right now, I’m reading the City Hunter manga and I would recommend it if you like cop stories where the hero always wins, but there is usually a lesson to be learnt along the way. If that sounds like your kind of thing, then this should be right up your alley.

The arcs can feel a little repetitive at times, but I’m still enjoying it enough to keep reading. Some of the humour and the way women are sometimes seen as prizes might not rub everyone the right way, but if you can look past that, like I can, then I think you’ll enjoy it. Check out the commopodiste score of the City hunter anime and movies on our ranking pages.