A top manga and anime hit from Japan’s bubble era, City Hunter maintains its hold on fans’ hearts to this day. An exhibition in Tokyo’s Ueno showcases art and memories from this celebrated show.
Hundreds of Original Works on Display
Set in Shinjuku, Tokyo’s largest entertainment district, the classic manga/anime series City Hunter follows the exploits of the elite “sweeper” Saeba Ryō as he takes on one dangerous underworld job after another. The series began serialization in Shūeisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1985 and quickly gained popularity, leading to a TV anime adaptation just two years later.
This year marks the title’s fortieth anniversary, and a wave of commemorative merchandise, publications, and commercial collaborations has hit the market. From November 22 through the end of the year, the Ueno Royal Museum in Tokyo is hosting the “City Hunter Grand Art Exhibition: Forever, City Hunter!” The event features more than 400 items, including original color illustrations personally drawn by creator Hōjō Tsukasa and manuscript pages showcasing iconic scenes every fan will want to see. It is the largest exhibition ever dedicated to the series.
The story begins for exhibition visitors as the neon nightscape of Shinjuku gives way to a bulletin board where the letters “XYZ” glow into view. (© Nippon.com)
The exhibition opens with rare original manuscript pages from Episode 1 and full-color frontispiece art. (© Nippon.com)
A must-see highlight is pages from the original manuscript with pasted-on phototypesetting, now rarely seen in the industry. (© Nippon.com)
Early storyboards created before manuscript drafting, an irresistible sight for Hōjō Tsukasa fans. (© Nippon.com)
An Immersive Dive into the City Hunter World
Prospective clients in the original work contact the City Hunter agency, which takes on everything from bodyguarding and private investigations to outright assassinations, by writing “XYZ” on the message board at Shinjuku Station’s East Exit. The code conveys a plea of desperation: a signal that the requester has run out of options, “reaching the end of the alphabet,” so to speak, and has nowhere else to turn.
Despite this hard-boiled premise, the series is also rich with humor. Ryō, a notorious womanizer, is regularly punished by his partner Makimura Kaori, who swings a comically oversized 100-ton hammer whenever he gets out of line. This blend of grit and comedy helped the series win fans across all generations. The exhibition includes photo spots such as a reconstruction of the Shinjuku Station message board and the Café Cat’s Eye, run by Ryō’s roguish friend Umibōzu. Visitors can fully immerse themselves in the world of City Hunter.
A massive “XYZ” message board recreated along the museum wall. (© Nippon.com)
Kaori’s signature “100-ton Hammer” greets visitors at the entrance as the first photo spot. (© Nippon.com)
At Café Cat’s Eye, guests can take commemorative photos alongside Ryō and Umibōzu. (© Nippon.com)
Saeba Ryō: A Hero Beloved Around the World
The appeal of City Hunter extends far beyond Japan. In 1993, Jackie Chan starred in a Hong Kong live-action adaptation. The anime aired across Europe in the 1990s, and the series gained a particularly strong following in France, where it was broadcast under the title Nicky Larson (Saeba Ryō’s localized name). A French live-action film released in 2019 became a hit, proof that the franchise still enjoys enduring popularity. Most recently, a Japanese live-action version starring Suzuki Ryōhei premiered worldwide on Netflix in 2024, generating considerable buzz.
Although the original City Hunter manga wrapped up after roughly six and a half years and cannot exactly be called a decades-spanning saga, the charm of Ryō and Kaori, who continually come to the rescue of clients trapped in desperate, no-way-out situations, remains as strong as ever, even 40 years later. The exhibition offers a wide range of exclusive merchandise available only on-site, making it an event fans won’t want to miss.
Clockwise from top: Draft artwork for a poster used in an anime special; original poster art for the 2024 Netflix film; the illustration for the poster of the 2019 City Hunter: Shinjuku Private Eyes, a Japanese anime feature. (© Nippon.com)
A photo spot re-creating the underground shooting range beneath Ryō’s apartment. (© Nippon.com)
The “graveyard duel” corner with Umibōzu delivers an intense, larger-than-life experience based on a famed scene from the original anime. (© Nippon.com)
Clockwise from top left: A three-page replica manuscript set priced at ¥4,620; the “Kiss Behind Glass” snow globe, ¥7,700), available exclusively at the venue; stacks of the exhibition catalog awaiting visitors. (© Nippon.com)
City Hunter Grand Art Exhibition: Forever, City Hunter!
Venue: Ueno Royal Museum (1-2 Uenokōen, Taitō-ku, Tokyo)
Exhibition dates: November 22, 2025–December 28, 2025
Hours: 10:00 am–5:00 pm (Admission allowed until 4:30 pm.)
Admission fees: Adults ¥2,900; elementary and junior high school students ¥1,100. Tickets are not available at the venue and must be purchased in advance online at the JRE Mall or Eplus websites, or at a Family Mart ticketing machine.
(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: A panel from the City Hunter Grand Art Exhibition at the Ueno Royal Museum, and the “XYZ” call for help on a giant message board outside the venue. © Nippon.com.)