The Fable (Japanese: ザ・ファブル, Hepburn: Za Faburu) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Katsuhisa Minami [ja]. It was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine from November 2014 to November 2019, with its chapters collected in 22 tankōbon volumes. A sequel series, titled The Fable: The Second Contact, ran in Weekly Young Magazine from July 2021 to July 2023.
Alive-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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A sequel, titled The Fable: The Second Contact (ザ・ファブル The second contact), ran in Weekly Young Magazine from July 19, 2021,[16] to July 10, 2023.[17] Its first volume was released on November 5, 2021.[18]
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,[19] to February 26, 2019.[20] A collected tankōbon, which also includes other stories by Minami, was published on June 5, 2020.[21][22]
In March 2022, Kodansha USA announced it had licensed the series for English digital publication;[23] 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.[24][1]
A live-action film adaptation directed by Kan Eguchi premiered in Japan on June 21, 2019. The film stars Junichi Okada as Fable.[25][26]
A sequel film, titled The Fable: A Hitman Who Doesn’t Kill (ザ・ファブル 殺さない殺し屋, Za Faburu Korosanai Koroshiya), 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,[27] and it eventually premiered on June 18 of that same year.[28][29]
Ananime 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.[30] The series premiered on April 7, 2024, on Nippon TV and its affiliates, and will run for two consecutive cours.[3][b] The first opening theme song is "Professionalism feat. Hannya" (Professionalism feat. 般若), performed by ALI, while the first ending theme song is "Odd Numbers", performed by Umeda Cypher [ja].[31][32] The second opening theme song is "Switch" (スイッチ, Suitchi), performed by Umeda Cypher, while the second ending theme song is "Beyond feat. Mari" by ALI.[9] 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.[33]
"Moving" Transliteration: "O Hikkoshi" (Japanese: お引っ越し)
Shintaro Matsui
Yūya Takashima
Takashi Kamei
April 7, 2024 (2024-04-07)
After Fable finishes a job, killing a minor boss and his henchmen, he and his female assistant share grilled fish with his boss who informs him that this will be the last job for a year. They both must spend a year laying low in Osaka with the Maguro clan and not kill anyone during that time. He is given the name and identity of Akira Sato and his assistant will act as his sister, Yoko. On their way there, Yoko stops for a coffee and while waiting, Akira is accosted by two minor thugs. Acting on instinct, he almost kills them when one touches him and he realizes laying low may be more difficult than he thinks. They arrive in Osaka and Akira throws his internal "switch" and changes to speaking with an Osaka dialect. Meanwhile, only Chief Hamada and Captain Ebihara of the Maguro clan know of the arrangement.
2
"A Wonderful Night" Transliteration: "Subarashī Yoru" (Japanese: 素晴らしい夜)
Hiromichi Matano
Yūya Takashima
Kazuo Terada
April 14, 2024 (2024-04-14)
Akira and Yoko meet Hamada and Ebihara dressed as holidaymakers and appear quite ordinary, although Akira's eye for detail upsets Ebihara. Ebihara allocates them two nearby apartments and warns them not to damage his vintage Hakosuka car. Akira quickly removes all the hidden surveillance cameras in his apartment to avoid surveillance, and also because he walks around naked indoors. Outside, Ebihara tells his underling Takahashi that he wants to get rid of them. When Yoko invites Akira out for drinks, Takahashi hires a local kickboxer to hassle Akira. He challenges Akira outside the bar, but rather than fight back, Akira feigns weakness while accepting a few blows to avoid a serious confrontation. He is offered a handkerchief for his bloody nose by a female neighbor that he noticed earlier in the day.
Ebihara is surprised when Takahashi reports that Akira took a beating and seemed cowered. Boss sends a message recommending that the Satos each get a pet. Akira decides on a black-headed parrot from Brazil, which he later names it "Captain", and Yoko selects a hamster. While at the pet store, Akira sees the kickboxer from the previous night and takes off pretending to be frightened, outrunning the kickboxer and jumping from a high overhead bridge to escape. Ebihara gives some money to Takahashi to invite Yoko out for the evening and get background information on Akira, while Ebihara invites Akira out for the night. Ebihara takes Akira to a secluded spot and asks him to kill a strong local thug who owes the clan money. He expects Akira to win in six seconds to prove he really is the killer he is supposed to be and not an imposter. Akira touches his forehead to throw his internal "switch", dons a two-hole balaclava, and races out of the car towards his opponent.
4
"Chatting About Life" Transliteration: "Inochi no Hanashi......" (Japanese: 命の話......)
Noriyuki Nomata
Mayumi Morita
Kazuo Terada
April 28, 2024 (2024-04-28)
Akira races towards the thug, but instead of hitting him he leaps over his head, pulling him down by his hair and disabling him within about three seconds, but leaving him still alive. Ebihara is impressed as is Kuroshio, one of the Maguro group. However, Akira refuses to kill him even when Ebihara threatens to shoot him. In an ensuing discussion, Akira explains that he is just doing his job and emotion plays no part in it. Ebihara kills the thug and orders Kuroshio to dispose of the body and tell no-one what he saw. They stop for a meal, and Ebihara suggests that Akira get a job to avoid becoming a recluse. Meanwhile, Takahashi has taken Yoko out for the night, but she gets them both incredibly drunk so when they return to her apartment, he passes out.
5
"You Listening to Me?!" Transliteration: "Kīton no ka Kora‼" (Japanese: 聞いとんのかコラ‼)
Daisuke Nakajima
Yūya Takashima
Daisuke Nakajima
May 5, 2024 (2024-05-05)
Hamada reprimands Ebihara for threatening Akira, which could bring retribution down on the clan. He then warns Ebihara that Kojima will be released from prison in the coming week and to keep him out of trouble. Meanwhile, Akira's boss calls him to say that Jackal Tomioka has an acting role in a new TV soap opera, which Akira finds surprising but watches it anyway. Akira later unsuccessfully applies for some delivery driver jobs. However, after meeting with Misaki in the street, she takes him to her workplace, Octopus Ltd, where they need a driver. Misaki's boss, Kenjiro Takoda, offers Akira a deliver job for a low salary and he surprisingly accepts. Akira dutifully tells Ebihara about the job, but Ebihara is horrified that Akira has struck up a friendship with a local citizen.
Ebihara welcomes Kojima back following his release from prison, but the latter suggests the Maguro clan has gone soft. Elsewhere, Akira carries out his first delivery and returns in half the time, much to everyone's surprise. Takoda takes the staff out for a meal and they are surprised when Akira eats the entirety of the food, including the shells, which he explains by saying he had a tough upbringing. A co-worker, Etsuji Kainuma, offers to walk Misaki to her night job but secretly steals her keys. Meanwhile, Takoda takes Akira to a bar where Kuroshio soon enters with an associate and he tries to impress Akira, who just ignores him. Kainuma later explores Misaki's apartment, puts on her underwear, and discovers she is a former gravure and AV idol. Misaki arrives home without her keys and calls Akira for help. Although he could easily enter her apartment, he says he cannot help and offers that she can stay with him and Yoko. When she reluctantly agrees, they wake up an intoxicated Yoko.
Misaki leaves the next morning and Akira apologizes for Yoko's drunken behavior the previous night. Meanwhile, Takahashi visits Kojima who still behaves like an aggressive prisoner, randomly hitting Takahashi and disparaging the Maguro clan. When they discover Ebihara has suffered a heart attack and is hospitalized, Kojima asks Hamada if he can borrow Takahashi. Kojima later pulls a knife on Akira at his apartment and demands that both the latter and Yoko give him 50,000 yen a month, which Akira agrees. Kojima then buys a gun and takes Takahashi along to start collecting old debts, but he kills the first of his debtors just for the adrenaline rush. Elsewhere, Kuroshio offers to become Akira's disciple and make a name for himself but Akira discourages him.
Yoko decides to go out drinking while Akira prefers to stay home and watch the TV series featuring Jackal. She again visits Bar Buffalo and spends the evening coquettishly toying with a young man named Yuki Kawai before she leaves with his phone number. Elsewhere, Kojima proposes starting a call girl business to Ebihara, who forbids it because it will create a conflict with Sunagawa. Kojima proceeds with his plan anyway and asks Kuroshio to recruit the girls. During the meeting, Kuroshio informs Kojima about Misaki. Meanwhile at work, Misaki is unhappy about a design she has made. However, when Akira makes a childish attempt at some drawings, she and her boss agree that they suit the project and he gets a raise. Later in Taihei, Sunagawa angrily reacts to the news that Kojima is encroaching on his territory.
9
"You Mean a Hitman...?" Transliteration: "Moshi ka Shite Koroshiya....." (Japanese: もしかして殺し屋.....)
Hiromichi Matano
Mayumi Morita
Yuzo Sato
June 2, 2024 (2024-06-02)
Kojima turns up at Misaki's apartment and pressures her into working for him as a call girl, also claiming that Kuroshio injured his leg protecting her. He threatens to cause trouble for her friends and at her workplace, demanding her answer in 24 hours. Misaki later invites Akira out for dinner to thank him for helping at work, but when she presses him about his wilderness survival skills, he senses something is wrong. The next day, Misaki learns that her boss was attacked and the business is temporarily closed, but she still tells Kojima that she will not work for him. Elsewhere, Ebihara asks Akira to look into Kojima's activities and he reports that Kojima is planning a call girl business and has recently shot someone in the warehouse. Ebihara then offers his precious car to Akira to help him deal with Kojima. Meanwhile, Sunagawa hires a hitman to kill Kojima.
10
"The Phantom of the Balcony" Transliteration: "Beranda no Kaijin......" (Japanese: ベランダの怪人......)
Shintaro Matsui
Yūya Takashima
Shintaro Matsui
June 9, 2024 (2024-06-09)
Sunagawa gives his hitman two targets, Kojima and someone else. Elsewhere, Akira takes Ebihara's car to Kojima's apartment to retrieve a gun, and installs surveillance cameras. He only just manages to escape over the balcony before being detected. Takoda is later beaten up by Kojima's men. As a result, Misaki reluctantly agrees to work for Kojima under contract for three months to avoid further trouble. Meanwhile, Akira has discerned her predicament and prepares to rescue her without being detected. He arranges for Yoko to give Takahashi a watch with a GPS tracker and fashions a rudimentary gun from hardware supplies and scrap metal.
11
"The Fated Day" Transliteration: "Unmei no Tsuitachi Desu♪" (Japanese: 運命の一日です♪)
Ryuta Yamamoto
Yūya Takashima
Kazuo Terada
June 16, 2024 (2024-06-16)
Misaki calls Akira and asks him to tell their boss she is ill and will not be in for work the next day. Akira agrees and thanks her for her kindness and tells her not to worry about anything. Sunagawa and Kojima both prepare for their meeting, each one making arrangements to eliminate the other. To protect Misaki, and with Yoko's help, Akira makes his own plans to appear at the meeting by using the tracker to follow Takahashi. Meanwhile, a man Ebihara does not know visits him in hospital and questions him about involving Akira in his operations. Elsewhere, as the meeting begins, Sunagawa has one of his men take Misaki aside to "initiate" her into the call girl business. The man strips off Misaki's clothing, but Akira enters the building and silently renders him unconscious with a series of powerful blows to his body.
12
"There's Always Someone Better" Transliteration: "Ue ni wa Ue" (Japanese: 上には上──。)
Tōru Yoshida
Yūya Takashima
Daisuke Nakajima
June 23, 2024 (2024-06-23)
Akira tells one of Kojima's wounded men, the kickboxer, to take Misaki home when he gives the signal. He then proceeds to neutralize the tense situation, wounding Sunagawa's hitman and abducting Kojima. Sunagawa's group suspect that he is Fable. Meanwhile, the "Boss" warns Ebihara not to involve Akira any further in his affairs. Akira and Yoko drive off with Kojima locked in the trunk of the car, while Akira tries to quell Yoko's fears that he may have killed someone. The kickboxer takes Misaki home and offers to protect her if required. Back at the warehouse, Sunagawa calls off any further action against Kojima, hoping to avoid any repercussions within the Maguro clan.
Akira takes Kojima back to the apartment's garage and delivers him to Ebihara, who is briefly out of hospital. Ebihara decides that even though Kojima is like a brother to him, the latter is a liability and kills him. He then calls in the gun dealer to clean up and bury Kojima's body. Meanwhile, a cold and distraught Misaki asks Yoko for shelter for the night. After Misaki faints in the bath, the very drunk Yoko has to get Akira to help lift her naked body out of the bathtub. Before returning to the hospital, Ebihara tells Sunagawa that the Kojima matter is closed and warns him to stay away from Misaki. He later gives the same advice to Kuroshio and to keep quiet about Akira's real purpose. However, Kuroshio is secretly still obsessed about becoming an apprentice to the man he believes is Fable.
14
"I Love You, Nii-san!" Transliteration: "Suki Desu Ani-san!!" (Japanese: 好きです兄さん!!)
Takashi Kamei
Mayumi Morita
Daisuke Nakajima
July 7, 2024 (2024-07-07)
Sunagawa tries to bribe the gun dealer and former "cleaner" to divulge details about Fable. However, he reminds Sunagawa that information in the organization is only made available on a need-to-know basis. Meanwhile, Akira plans a three day wilderness camping trip to maintain his survival skills because he suspects that he is losing his edge, and reluctantly agrees to allow Kuroshio to accompany him. Yoko drops them off as dawn approaches and although Kuroshio becomes apprehensive when Akira has only a knife and basic survival tools, he nevertheless follows his nii-san[e] into the woods, carrying the bare minimum of camping gear.
15
"Survival Training?" Transliteration: "Moshi ka Shite Sabaibaru.....。" (Japanese: もしかしてサバイバル.....。)
Shotaro Kamiyama
Yūya Takashima
Kazuo Terada
July 14, 2024 (2024-07-14)
Kuroshio struggles to keep up with Akira, who leads him through the forest to a clearing where they make camp for the night. Akira cooks a snake he killed earlier in the day and Kuroshio has to overcome his biases to eat it. The next day, Kuroshio is confronted by a black bear at their camp but Akira arrives back in time to scare it off. Kuroshio slowly becomes awed by Akira's intensity and practical survival skills such as cooking and eating frogs and grasshoppers to keep up his strength. Meanwhile, Yoko plans another night out drinking and calls up the man she met at Bar Buffalo, Yuki Kawai.
16
"Mountaineer Man" Transliteration: "Gezan no Otoko.....。" (Japanese: 下山の男.....。)
By January 2021, the manga had eight million copies in circulation;[27] 15 million copies in circulation by March 2022;[37] over 20 million copies in circulation by October 2022;[38] and over 25 million copies in circulation by June 2024.[39]
