The following article contains discussion of cannibalism, plus graphic and sexual violence.
Anime has become more mainstream than ever, with kids and adults around the world enjoying the medium. Back in the proverbial day, however, there were far more “mature” anime and manga produced on the regular, with many of them being downright horrific. One such example was Violence Jack from legendary creator Go Nagai, which broke boundaries in several grisly ways.
An arguable follow-up to Nagai’s other series Devilman, Violence Jack started one of the most popular storytelling trends in manga and anime. It was also often brutal nearly and devoid of hope and optimism, making the stories even more visceral. This was never more apparent than in the OVA adaptation, which featured unspeakably depraved acts in a way that made the future look anything but bright. It’s since become infamous for its graphic nature, with this element of Violence Jack being more notable than the genre it jumpstarted.
Violence Jack Was the First Post-Apocalyptic Manga/Anime Series
70zll0v” title=”origin”>Originally published in the 1970s, Violence Jack gave rise to the post-apocalyptic setting that would be popularized by Fist of the North Star and even much more recent anime/manga such as the dark Attack on Titan. Set after a tumultuous earthquake ravages Kanto, the manga focused on the gigantic, titular Violence Jack. A brutal mountain of a man who used his great strength to defend the innocent of Kanto, Jack would dispense his brand of justice in increasingly vicious ways.
He doesn’t have much in the way of depth, being more of a force of nature than a truly developed character. The enemies he faced were even greater in their barbarity, with the villainous Slum King raising Hell toward all he saw. Many of the manga’s stories would try to have some sort of message and contain even just a sliver of hope, though the latter could sometimes be hard to parse amid the chaos and suffering experienced by the characters.
As mentioned, Violence Jack pioneered many elements now synonymous with post-apocalyptic manga. These include biker gangs and a desert wasteland, the likes of which would inspire not only other manga and anime, but perhaps even the Western-produced Mad Max film series. Though not quite as relentless, these franchises all have a bit of narrative and thematic DNA tying them back to Violence Jack. The irony is that it’s not necessarily one of Nagai’s best-known works, with the Mazinger mecha franchise and even the aforementioned Devilman being far more popular. This could be due to their more mainstream appeal and adaptations, with the classic Devilman anime notably toning things down from Go Nagai’s manga. That wasn’t the case with Violence Jack, which turned up the volume on gore and licentiousness at a time when anything flew in OVAs.
Violence Jack May Be the Most Depraved Anime OVA Ever Made
The OVA adaptations of Violence Jack came out in the late 1980s and early ’90s, a period of Japanese economic success that led to the most experimental and artistic anime ever in some viewers’ eyes. Given that these productions didn’t have to meet the content and censorship standards of televised anime, creators could go wild, which most definitely happened with Violence Jack.
The bloodthirsty world of the manga was made into a far worse nightmare, with human life and sanctity being about as valuable as a grain of sand in the desert. Violence and dismemberments abound, with characters meeting their end in grotesque, almost comically disgusting ways. The worst part is that the brutish fight scenes aren’t even the most heinous elements. Several instances of inhuman sexual assault happen across the Violence Jack OVA episodes, only furthering the sense of hopelessness amid the already-palpable destruction and loss.
Many of the villains are borderline bestial in their desires, which to be fair isn’t far removed from the brutality showcased by Violence Jack himself. After one of the aforementioned violations of the female characters, one of the bad guys consumes the corpse of his dead ally to mutate into an even more disturbing creature. This scandalous content got the original releases of the OVAs heavily censored in several countries, with the infamous “Evil Town” episode being banned in Australia.
Only productions from the likes of Wicked City and Demon City Shinjuku can compare, and even they somewhat pale in comparison. Such a monstrous reputation has been the main thing that Violence Jack is known for, with Go Nagai’s contribution to post-apocalyptic fiction being largely ignored because of it. With that said, for those who wish to experience the cruel carnage in full force, Discotek Media has brought the uncensored versions of the OVAs to Blu-ray. This allows Nagai’s creative legacy to live on, though it’s mostly stained by several layers of blood and heartlessness.
