The Fable
The Fable is a Japanese seinen manga franchise about a legendary hitman ordered to live as an ordinary person without killing for one year.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
The Fable is a Japanese manga franchise written and illustrated by Katsuhisa Minami. It follows an exceptionally skilled professional assassin known by the codename Fable, who is instructed by his sponsor to suspend his criminal career and spend a year living as an ordinary citizen in Osaka. He adopts the identity Akira Sato, while his assistant and driver, Rei Kanda, assumes the identity Yoko Sato and poses as his sister. The central restriction is severe: Fable must not kill anyone during the year, even as criminal organizations, violent opportunists, exploitative businessmen, and rival assassins repeatedly draw him into dangerous situations. The original manga was serialized in Kodansha's seinen magazine Weekly Young Magazine from November 2014 through November 2019. Its chapters were collected in 22 tankobon volumes, published between March 2015 and June 2020. The series combines action, crime thriller, workplace comedy, and character drama. Its distinctive appeal comes from the contrast between Akira's extraordinary combat ability and his awkward attempts to perform mundane tasks, maintain employment, form relationships, and understand ordinary social behavior. Yoko's drinking contests, Akira's fascination with comedy, and his work at the design and delivery company Octopus provide comic counterpoints to the darker criminal plots. The franchise expanded through several related works. A short spin-off was published digitally on Kodansha's Comic Days platform from 2018 to 2019. The sequel manga The Fable: The Second Contact ran in Weekly Young Magazine from July 2021 to July 2023 and was collected in nine volumes. A third series, The Fable: The Third Secret, began serialization in March 2025 and was also made available digitally in English through Kodansha's K Manga service. The property has been adapted into live-action cinema and animation. The first live-action film premiered in Japan in June 2019, followed by The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill in June 2021 after a postponement related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tezuka Productions produced a television anime that aired from April through September 2024. The anime was released internationally through Disney's partnership with Kodansha, with Hulu serving the United States market. A second anime season has also been announced. In addition, Kodansha Game Creators' Lab announced a roguelike deck-building game, The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike, for Windows and Nintendo Switch. The Fable has become one of Kodansha's most commercially successful contemporary manga properties. Reported circulation rose from eight million copies in early 2021 to 15 million in 2022, exceeded 20 million later in 2022, and surpassed 25 million by June 2024. The original series won the 41st Kodansha Manga Award in the General category in 2017. Its brand identity is built around restrained, highly capable characters, stylized criminal underworld settings, deadpan humor, and the recurring question of whether a person shaped by violence can successfully live an ordinary life.
History
Katsuhisa Minami created The Fable as a seinen crime-action manga centered on a professional killer whose greatest challenge is not assassination but ordinary life. The original serialization began in Weekly Young Magazine on November 1, 2014. Kodansha collected the chapters in 22 tankobon volumes, released from March 2015 through June 2020. The story's premise places the protagonist, known professionally as Fable, under an unusual prohibition: his sponsor orders him to disappear into Osaka for one year and forbids him from killing. He is given the civilian name Akira Sato, while his assistant Rei Kanda becomes Yoko Sato and pretends to be his sister. The manga's narrative combines underworld intrigue with comedy and social observation. Akira is nearly unmatched in combat, firearms, and tactical improvisation, but he has little experience with normal employment or interpersonal routines. His attempt to work as a delivery driver at Octopus, his interactions with local residents, and Yoko's nightlife create a deliberately awkward contrast with conflicts involving the Maguro Group and other criminal operators. The supporting cast includes gang officers, exploitative businessmen, assassins, informants, and victims of organized abuse. These storylines allow the series to move between broad humor and serious depictions of coercion, trafficking, violence, and revenge. The franchise received early critical and industry recognition. The original manga won the General category of the 41st Kodansha Manga Award in 2017. It was also ranked fourteenth in Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list for male readers in 2020 and was nominated for Best Comic at the 51st Angoulême International Comics Festival held in 2024. Commercial circulation expanded substantially: eight million copies were reported by January 2021, 15 million by March 2022, more than 20 million by October 2022, and more than 25 million by June 2024. Kodansha expanded the property beyond the main series. The hiragana-titled spin-off ざ・ふぁぶる appeared on the Comic Days online platform from March 2018 to February 2019, and its collected edition was published in June 2020. The continuation The Fable: The Second Contact began in Weekly Young Magazine in July 2021 and ended in July 2023; its chapters were collected in nine volumes published between November 2021 and November 2023. In March 2025, The Fable: The Third Secret began serialization. Kodansha also developed the franchise's overseas readership, announcing English digital licensing in 2022 and an English print edition beginning in April 2024. The first screen adaptation was a live-action film directed by Kan Eguchi, which opened in Japan on June 21, 2019, with Junichi Okada portraying Fable. A sequel, The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill, was initially scheduled for February 2021. Its release was postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic before opening on June 18, 2021. A television anime was announced in July 2023. Tezuka Productions produced the series, which aired on Nippon TV and affiliated stations from April 7 through September 29, 2024. The adaptation was distributed internationally through a Disney and Kodansha partnership, including Disney+ worldwide and Hulu in the United States. A second season was announced in April 2026, with the principal cast and production staff returning and Yō Tsuji taking on composition duties. The franchise also entered interactive entertainment. Kodansha Game Creators' Lab announced The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike in September 2024. Developed by Mono Entertainment for Windows and Nintendo Switch, the game was demonstrated at Tokyo Game Show 2024 and released on November 6, 2025, with Japanese, English, and both traditional and simplified Chinese language support. Across its formats, The Fable remains positioned as a cross-media Japanese entertainment property whose defining feature is the tension between extreme professional violence and the mundane demands of civilian life.
- 2026
Second anime season announced
[1]A second television anime season is announced.
- 2025
The Third Secret begins
[1]A third manga series starts serialization in March.
- 2024
Television anime airs
[1]The first anime season broadcasts from April through September.
- 2021
Sequel film released
[1]The second live-action film premieres after a pandemic-related delay.
- 2021
Manga circulation reaches eight million
[1]Reported circulation reaches eight million copies by January.
- 2021
The Second Contact begins
[1]The sequel manga starts serialization in July.
- 2019
Original manga concludes
[1]The first serialization ends in November after a six-year run.
- 2019
First live-action film released
[1]The first film adaptation premieres in Japan in June.
- 2017
Kodansha Manga Award
[1]The series wins the General category at the 41st Kodansha Manga Awards.
- 2014
Original manga begins serialization
[1]The Fable begins publication in Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine.
Products and positioning
A mature Japanese action-crime entertainment franchise that blends assassin fiction, situational comedy, and character-driven drama across manga, film, animation, and games.
Manga · 2014
The Fable
The original seinen manga by Katsuhisa Minami follows a legendary hitman ordered to live under a civilian identity in Osaka and refrain from killing for a year. Its 22 collected volumes combine crime action, workplace comedy, and character drama.
Manga sequel · 2021
The Fable: The Second Contact
The direct sequel continues the franchise after the original story and was serialized in Weekly Young Magazine from 2021 to 2023. Kodansha collected it in nine tankobon volumes.
Manga sequel · 2025
The Fable: The Third Secret
The third manga series in the franchise began serialization in March 2025. It is also available digitally in English through Kodansha's K Manga service.
Live-action film · 2019
The Fable
The first feature-film adaptation was directed by Kan Eguchi and stars Junichi Okada as Fable. It premiered in Japan in June 2019.
Live-action film · 2021
The Fable: The Killer Who Doesn't Kill
The second live-action film continues the adaptation and focuses on Fable's effort to protect others while maintaining his prohibition against killing. It premiered in Japan in June 2021 after a pandemic-related postponement.
Anime television series · 2024
The Fable anime
Produced by Tezuka Productions, the first television anime season aired in Japan from April to September 2024. It was distributed internationally through Disney+ and Hulu in the United States.
Video game · 2025
The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike
Mono Entertainment's roguelike deck-building game adapts the franchise into an interactive format for Windows and Nintendo Switch. It includes Japanese, English, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese language support.
Brand decisions
2024
Franchise expansion into video gamesProduct launchBackground
Kodansha sought to extend the property beyond print and screen adaptations.
Action taken
Kodansha Game Creators' Lab announced The Fable: Manga Build Roguelike, developed by Mono Entertainment for Windows and Nintendo Switch.
Aftermath
A demonstration was shown at Tokyo Game Show 2024, followed by release in November 2025.
2023
Development of the television animeProduct launchBackground
The manga's established audience and cross-media potential supported a television animation project.
Action taken
Tezuka Productions was selected to produce an anime adaptation, later broadcast from April through September 2024.
Aftermath
The anime received international distribution through Disney+ and Hulu in the United States, and a second season was later announced.
2022
Expansion into English-language publishingStrategyBackground
Kodansha pursued international distribution as the franchise's circulation and overseas interest grew.
Action taken
Kodansha USA announced English digital publication and later announced an English print edition.
Aftermath
The first English print volume was released in April 2024.
2021
Postponement of the sequel filmOtherBackground
The sequel film was originally scheduled to premiere in February 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Action taken
The release was postponed and subsequently moved to June 18, 2021.
Aftermath
The sequel eventually received a theatrical release in Japan.
Recent events
- 2026
Second anime season announced[1]
Product launch
A second anime season was announced, with the principal cast and staff returning and Yō Tsuji joining as composer.
- 2025
The Fable: The Third Secret begins serialization[1]
Product launch
The third manga series began serialization in Weekly Young Magazine in March 2025 and received digital English publication through K Manga.
- 2024
The anime series broadcasts internationally[1]
Product launch
The first anime season aired in Japan from April 7 to September 29, 2024, with international streaming through Disney+ and Hulu in the United States.
- 2024
The Fable exceeds 25 million copies in circulation[1]
Other
Manga circulation surpassed 25 million copies by June 2024.
- 2024
The Fable game is announced[1]
Product launch
Kodansha Game Creators' Lab announced a roguelike deck-building game for Windows and Nintendo Switch, with a demonstration shown at Tokyo Game Show 2024.
- 2023
The anime adaptation is announced[1]
Product launch
A television anime adaptation produced by Tezuka Productions was announced in July 2023.
- 2023
Kodansha announces print publication in English[1]
Product launch
Kodansha announced that the manga would receive an English print edition, with the first volume scheduled for April 2024.
- 2022
Kodansha licenses The Fable for English digital publication[1]
Other
Kodansha USA announced an English-language digital license for the manga.
- 2022
The Fable reaches 15 million copies in circulation[1]
Other
Reported manga circulation reached 15 million copies by March 2022.
- 2022
The Fable surpasses 20 million copies in circulation[1]
Other
The franchise's manga circulation exceeded 20 million copies by October 2022.
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