The Fable Explained

Ja Kanji:ザ・ファブル
Ja Romaji:Za Faburu
Type:manga
Publisher:Kodansha
Imprint:Young Magazine KC
Magazine:Weekly Young Magazine
First:November 1, 2014
Last:November 18, 2019
Volumes:22
Volume List:List of The Fable chapters
Type:manga
Author:Katsuhisa Minami
Publisher:Kodansha
Magazine:Comic Days
First:March 6, 2018
Last:February 26, 2019
Volumes:1
Type:live film
Director:Kan Eguchi
Runtime:123 minutes
Type:live film
The Fable: A Hitman Who Doesn’t Kill
Director:Kan Eguchi
Runtime:131 minutes
Type:manga
The Fable: The Second Contact
Author:Katsuhisa Minami
Publisher:Kodansha
Imprint:Young Magazine KC
Magazine:Weekly Young Magazine
First:July 19, 2021
Last:July 10, 2023
Volumes:9
Volume List:List of The Fable chapters#The Fable: The Second Contact
Type:tv series
Music:Shuichiro Fukuhiro
Studio:Tezuka Productions
Licensee:Disney Platform Distribution
Network:NNS (Nippon TV)
First:April 7, 2024
Episodes:19
Portal:yes

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by . It was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine from November 2014 to November 2019, with its chapters collected in 22 volumes. A sequel series, titled The Fable: The Second Contact, ran in Weekly Young Magazine from July 2021 to July 2023.

A live-action film adaptation premiered in Japan in June 2019 and a sequel premiered in June 2021. An anime television series adaptation produced by Tezuka Productions premiered in April 2024.

By June 2024, the manga had over 25 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series. In 2017, The Fable won the 41st Kodansha Manga Award for the General category.

Plot

Equipped with his favorite weapon, an anthracite-colored Nighthawk pistol, "Fable" is a professional killer feared by all the Japanese underworld, politicians, mobsters and public figures. This assassination genius can send any of his targets six feet under and in six seconds, if his heart tells him. One day, his sponsor orders him to put everything on hold and lead the life of an ordinary citizen, in the hideout of a yakuza clan in Osaka, banned from killing or attacking anyone for an entire year. For this human weapon with an unpredictable temperament, surrounded by trigger-happy criminals, the hardest contract begins.

Characters

[1]
  • He is a quietly spoken but highly skilled hitman, known only as "Fable". He has had a female assistant and driver for the past year and knows nothing about her or her name. They are ordered to lay low for a year and he is given the name and identity of Akira Sato and his assistant will act as his sister, Yoko.
    [2]
  • A woman with long brown hair and a photographic memory who acts as Fable's assistant and driver. She is ordered to lay low with him for a year, acting as his sister and given the name Yoko Sato.
    [2]
  • The man who assigns Fable his jobs but then tells him to take a year off to lay low in Osaka with the Maguro clan.
    [2]
  • A woman who lives alone in an apartment near where Fable and his assistant stay in Osaka. She works multiple jobs to repay her father's debts, but she is blackmailed into agreeing to become a call girl by Kojima when he learns of her former career as a gravure idol.
    [3]
  • A popular comedian who Fable thinks is really funny.
    [4]
  • [1]
  • Chief in the Maguro clan who accepts the arrangement to shelter Fable and his assistant.
    [2]
  • Captain in the Maguro clan, Ebihara is unhappy about the arrangement to shelter Fable and his assistant. He is suspicious of Fable's motives, but after suffering a heart attack he involves Akira in his operations.
    [2]
  • Middle-ranking member of the Maguro clan who has spent the last few years in prison. Upon his release, he decides to advance his career within the clan and encroaches on Sunagawa's territory.
    [2]
  • Middle-ranking member of the Maguro clan who runs a call girl business and who sees Kojima as a threat. He secretly plans to move up in the Maguro clan.
    [1]
  • A lowly member of the Maguro clan who harbors ambitions to became an assassin. He is referred to as by other members of the Maguro clan.
    A lowly member of the Maguro clan who carries out tasks for Ebihara.
  • A middle-aged man whose left eye is always half-closed. He appears to be the owner of a snack bar, but he works in corpse disposal, smuggling, and is an information broker.
  • [5]
  • Misaki's boss and the manager of Octopus Ltd. who initially gives Akira a temporary job as a delivery driver, but then hires him full-time.
    [1]
  • A spoiled young man of wealthy parents who is employed at Octopus Ltd. and is secretly obsessed with Misaki.
    A bartender who works at Bar Buffalo, a bar Yoko frequents.
  • [3]
  • A man Yoko meets at Bar Buffalo whom she like to drink with because he does not have her capacity for alcohol consumption.
    A man who uses the Taihei Detective Agency as a cover to commits fraud, blackmail, kidnapping, and murder for money.
  • She witnessed an assassination by Fable, but is now confined to a wheelchair after her legs were damaged in a car crash. Utsubo killed her parents and blamed Fable so he can keep her as a sex slave while promising to avenge her parents.
  • An assassin hired by Utsubo to assist in kidnapping Kainuma to extort money from his mother.
  • An associate of Utsubo's who helps with his illegal schemes.

    • Media

    Manga

    Written and illustrated by, The Fable was serialized in Kodansha's manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine from November 1, 2014,[6] to November 18, 2019.[7] Kodansha collected its chapters in 22 volumes, released from March 6, 2015,[8] to June 5, 2020.[9]

    A sequel, titled, ran in Weekly Young Magazine from July 19, 2021,[10] to July 10, 2023.[11] Its first volume was released on November 5, 2021.[12]

    A spin-off, also titled The Fable, but written in hiragana (ざ・ふぁぶる) instead of katakana, was published on Comic Days online platform from March 6, 2018,[13] to February 26, 2019.[14] A collected tankōbon, which also includes other stories by Minami, was published on June 5, 2020.[15] [16]

    In March 2022, Kodansha USA announced it had licensed the series for English digital publication;[17] in October 2023, it was announced that the manga is planned to be published in print, with the first volume released on April 9, 2024.[18]

    Live-action films

    A live-action film adaptation directed by Kan Eguchi premiered in Japan on June 21, 2019. The film stars Junichi Okada as Fable.[19] [20]

    A sequel film, titled, was originally announced to premiere on February 5, 2021; however, a month prior to the planned release date, it was announced that the film would be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[21] and it eventually premiered on June 18 of that same year.[22] [23]

    Anime

    An anime television series adaptation was announced on July 10, 2023. It is animated by Tezuka Productions and directed by Ryōsuke Takahashi, with scripts supervised by Yūya Takashima and co-written by Mayumi Morita, character designs handled by Kyuma Oshita, Saki Hasegawa and Junichi Hayama, and music composed by Shuichiro Fukuhiro.[24] The series premiered on April 7, 2024, on Nippon TV and its affiliates, and will run for two consecutive cours.[25] The first opening theme song is, performed by ALI, while the first ending theme song is "Odd Numbers", performed by .[26] [27] The second opening theme song is, performed by Umeda Cypher, while the second ending theme song is "Beyond feat. Mari" by ALI.[28] The adaptation was announced to be produced under Disney's partnership with Kodansha. It is streaming on Disney+ worldwide and Hulu in the United States.[29]

    Episodes

    Reception

    By January 2021, the manga had eight million copies in circulation;[21] 15 million copies in circulation by March 2022;[30] over 20 million copies in circulation by October 2022;[31] and over 25 million copies in circulation by June 2024.[32]

    The Fable won the 41st Kodansha Manga Award for the general category in 2017.[33] Alongside Blue Period, the series ranked 14th on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2020 for male readers.[34] It was picked as a nominee for "Best Comic" at the 51st Angoulême International Comics Festival, held in 2024.[35]

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: ja:岡田准一主演「ザ・ファブル」に木村了、井之脇海、光石研ら出演、キャラ写真も公開. https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/319913. Eiga Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. April 29, 2024. February 14, 2019. ja. July 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230709235056/https://natalie.mu/eiga/news/319913. live.
    2. Web site: ja:岡田准一、初の漫画原作主演で殺し屋役 豪華キャスト集結で『ザ・ファブル』映画化. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2114127/full/. Oricon News. April 29, 2024. June 23, 2018. July 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230709235057/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2114127/full/. live.
    3. Web site: ja:岡田准一主演『ザ・ファブル』 原作でも人気のキャラに宮川大輔&藤森慎吾. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2131015/full/. Oricon News. April 29, 2024. March 7, 2019. ja. July 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230709235101/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2131015/full/. live.
    4. Web site: Tai. Anita. The Fable TV Anime Reveals April 6 Debut, More Cast, Disney+ Streaming Worldwide. Anime News Network. February 25, 2024. February 25, 2024. February 25, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240225150715/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-02-25/the-fable-tv-anime-reveals-april-6-debut-more-cast-disney-streaming-worldwide/.207959. live.
    5. Web site: ja:佐藤二朗、岡田准一主演『ザ・ファブル』に出演 「運命めいたものを感じる」. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2125005/full/. Oricon News. April 29, 2024. December 10, 2018. ja. July 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230709235101/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2125005/full/. live.
    6. Web site: ja:なに友完結から4カ月、南勝久が早くも新連載. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/130181. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. February 6, 2021. ja. November 1, 2014. June 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210620192622/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/130181. live.
    7. Web site: ja:“殺しの天才”ファブルを描く南勝久「ザ・ファブル」第1部完、第2部は来夏開始――. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/355906. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. February 6, 2021. ja. November 18, 2019. January 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210118024306/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/355906. live.
    8. Web site: ja:ザ・ファブル（１）. https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000014927. Kodansha. February 6, 2021. Japanese. February 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210214083257/https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000014927. live.
    9. Web site: ja:ザ・ファブル（２２）. https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000342414. Kodansha. February 6, 2021. Japanese. January 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210124000918/https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000342414. live.
    10. Web site: ja:南勝久「ザ・ファブル」約1年8カ月ぶりの新シリーズがヤンマガでスタート. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/437481. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 20, 2021. ja. July 19, 2021. July 20, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210720041552/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/437481. live.
    11. Web site: Cayanan. Joanna. The Fable: The Second Contact Manga Ends on July 10. Anime News Network. July 9, 2023. July 6, 2023. July 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230709161845/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-07-06/the-fable-the-second-contact-manga-ends-on-july-10/.199993. live.
    12. Web site: ja:「ザ・ファブル」第2部＆初の公式ガイド本同時発売、コミックDAYSで無料公開も. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/452266. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. November 6, 2021. ja. November 5, 2021. November 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211106105835/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/452266. live.
    13. Web site: ja:第１話 飲みトモ 2018年03月06日. https://comic-days.com/episode/10834108156628963412. Comic Days. Kodansha. February 6, 2021. https://archive.today/20210206082235/https://comic-days.com/episode/10834108156628963412. February 6, 2021. ja. live.
    14. Web site: ja:第１１話 ベッドの男(おとこ)‥‥。2019年02月26日. https://comic-days.com/episode/10834108156632203659. Comic Days. Kodansha. February 6, 2021. https://archive.today/20210206082738/https://comic-days.com/episode/10834108156632203659. February 6, 2021. ja. live.
    15. Web site: ja:「ザ・ファブル」第1部完結となる22巻＆未収録作を収めた短編集「ざ・ふぁぶる」. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/382003. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. February 6, 2021. ja. June 5, 2020. December 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201201072154/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/382003. live.
    16. Web site: ja:ざ・ふぁぶる. https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000342418. Kodansha. February 6, 2021. Japanese. February 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210213153618/https://kc.kodansha.co.jp/product?item=0000342418. live.
    17. Web site: Kodansha USA Licenses Kyoko Okazaki's River's Edge Manga, The Dawn of the Witch Novels. Anime News Network. Pineda. Rafael. March 23, 2022. March 24, 2022. March 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220324020333/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-03-23/kodansha-usa-licenses-kyoko-okazaki-river-edge-manga-the-dawn-of-the-witch-novels/.183931. live.
    18. Web site: Mateo. Alex. Kodansha USA Licenses Blue Lock -Episode Nagi-, Tank Chair, He's Expecting Manga. Anime News Network. October 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231014204014/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-10-14/kodansha-usa-licenses-blue-lock-episode-nagi-tank-chair-he-expecting-manga/.203350. October 14, 2023. October 14, 2023. live.
    19. Web site: Ressler. Karen. The Fable Manga Inspires Live-Action Film. Anime News Network. February 6, 2021. June 22, 2018. December 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201201124835/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-06-22/the-fable-manga-inspires-live-action-film/.133301. live.
    20. Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. The Fable Live-Action Film's Teaser Video, Visual Reveal June Opening. Anime News Network. February 6, 2021. December 17, 2018. December 3, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211203230100/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2018-12-17/the-fable-live-action-film-teaser-video-visual-reveal-june-opening/.140900. live.
    21. Web site: ja:岡田准一主演、映画『ザ・ファブル』公開延期 新たな公開日は未定. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2182397/full/. Oricon. February 6, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210122090936/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2182397/full/. January 22, 2021. ja. January 22, 2021. live.
    22. Web site: ja:岡田准一の主演作「ザ・ファブル 殺さない殺し屋」新たな公開日が明らかに. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/431541. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 13, 2021. ja. March 2, 2021. July 5, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210705074135/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/431541. live.
    23. Web site: ja:「ザ・ファブル」が本日公開、岡田准一は平手友梨奈の「お父さんみたいだった」. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/433242. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 13, 2021. ja. June 18, 2021. July 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210713072013/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/433242. live.
    24. Web site: ja:「ザ・ファブル」TVアニメ化！南勝久「またひとつ夢に手が届いた」 監督は高橋良輔. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/532158. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc.. July 10, 2023. ja. July 10, 2023. July 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230709154135/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/532158. live.
    25. Web site: Hodgkins. Crystalyn. The Fable TV Anime Reveals Main Cast, Half-Year Continuous Run Starting in April. Anime News Network. January 28, 2024. January 28, 2024. January 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240128150414/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-01-28/the-fable-tv-anime-reveals-main-cast-half-year-continuous-run-starting-in-april/.206917. live.
    26. Web site: Anita. Tai. The Fable TV Anime Reveals Theme Songs in 2 New Videos. Anime News Network. March 17, 2024. April 6, 2024. March 17, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240317194243/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-03-17/the-fable-tv-anime-reveals-theme-songs-in-2-new-videos/.208834. live.
    27. Web site: Liam. Dempsey. The Fable Anime Releases Creditless Opening Theme Video. Crunchyroll. April 8, 2024. May 11, 2024. https://archive.today/20240511141234/https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/latest/2024/4/9/the-fable-anime-creditless-opening-theme-video. May 11, 2024. live.
    28. Web site: Tai. Anita. The Fable TV Anime's New Video Unveils More Cast, New Theme Songs (Updated). Anime News Network. June 23, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240623224726/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-06-23/the-fable-tv-anime-new-video-unveils-more-cast-new-theme-songs/.212301. June 23, 2024. June 23, 2024. live.
    29. Web site: Brzeski. Patrick. Disney+ Sets Release Date for Hitman Anime Series 'The Fable'. The Hollywood Reporter. February 28, 2024. February 26, 2024. February 28, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240228010525/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/disney-anime-series-the-fable-kodansha-1235836896/. live.
    30. Book: "Weekly Young Magazine" No. 17, 2022, Kodansha, March 28, 2022. From the cover.. Kodansha. March 2022. Japanese.
    31. Web site: October 30, 2022. ja:ザ・ファブル：シリーズ累計2000万部到達 実写映画化も話題のマンガ. https://mantan-web.jp/article/20221029dog00m200027000c.html. January 4, 2023. Mantan Web. ja. November 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221110091909/https://mantan-web.jp/article/20221029dog00m200027000c.html. live.
    32. Web site: ja:ザ・ファブル：テレビアニメ「宇津帆編」　新キャラ声優発表　宇津帆は藤真秀　安済知佳、子安武人、金光祥浩も. https://mantan-web.jp/article/20240623dog00m200002000c.html. Mantan Web. July 4, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240624034903/https://mantan-web.jp/article/20240623dog00m200002000c.html. June 24, 2024. ja. June 24, 2024. live.
    33. Web site: Sherman. Jennifer. 41st Annual Kodansha Manga Awards' Winners Announced. Anime News Network. February 6, 2021. May 9, 2017. February 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210213153618/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-05-09/41st-annual-kodansha-manga-awards-winners-announced/.115870. live.
    34. Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil 2020 Rankings. Anime News Network. February 6, 2021. December 11, 2019. March 24, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210324183941/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2019-12-11/kono-manga-ga-sugoi-editors-unveil-2020-rankings/.154203. live.
    35. Web site: Hodgkins. Crystalyn. Blue Giant Explorer, Chainsaw Man, The Fable, More Manga Nominated for Angoulême. Anime News Network. December 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231230042146/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-12-29/blue-giant-explorer-chainsaw-man-the-fable-more-manga-nominated-for-angouleme/.206054. December 30, 2023. December 29, 2023. live.

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