Truth be told, while Golgo 13 NEVER smiles in any of the movies or the TV show, he DID actually smile a few times in the manga. But that's VERY RARE. Though, one thing I think would be creepy, is if Golgo 13 had the same stoic personality, but smiled all the time. Though I must say, while Golgo is a coldblooded killer, he does have standards. One of them is he won't hurt you as long as you don't mess with him.
There is one instance off the top of my head, in the prison episode. The one with the warden. When he’s talking down to the warden it pretty much looks as though he’s smiling, but that could just be an angle thing. I believe it was the cafeteria scene
@@souloftherisingsun8274as someone that recently checked the anime, he does have a small grin which seems to be a carry over of the manga version of the story where he instead has a visible panel f a smug grin while he delivers his one liner to the guard. That story is also in one of the first batch of chapters which explains why he had that smug line and panel- something that definitely vanished sometime later it started.
he's more similar to Agent 47 of the Hitman series rather than James Bond, in fact i wonder if Duke Togo served as inspiration for the character of Agent 47
It's easy to say who is more similar after the fact. But Golgo was invented during the era of Bond though, the 60s. He was just the more brutal/badass version if you ask me. Even Lupin (original manga version that was sexier/grittier) takes a lot of the same cues and styles, an edgier "Bond" type character, except a thief in his case instead of a spy/assassin like Bond. But the overall style and vibe... that whole decade oozed sex and spies. The mangaka (manga author) of Golgo even worked on a James Bond manga *before* he created Golgo, lol. And yes, Bond was technically first written in book-form in the 50s, but he exploded out into the mainstream culture SO much more with the first movie in 1962, starring Sean Connery. Hence was I called the 60s "the era of Bond" in a sense ;) Also, regarding "his small bit of humanity is fucking some chick before the job"... There's actually more to it than that. He doesn't really fuck them for pleasure or because he's still looking for "humanity." He does it for purely practical reasons. They explained it once that he just does it to calm his body/nerves before a hit. So yes, he literally is just banging those girls to try to give his mind/body an edge before going on an assassination mission. That's literally it. Cold, purposeful, unemotional reasons behind it. Not as much humanity as you thought even there, is there? ;)
He's stuck in the life of being a hitman because he'll end up being killed if he ever decides to stop being a hitman. The same can be said of a heroin addict.
What I love about the character is how he's inserted into realistic scenarios concerning events that really happened. One of the more interesting volumes of the manga that was translated into English had to deal with the death of Princess Diana. If I'm not mistaken, the author of the series was a journalist, he took reality and wove it into the narrative, fucking genius!
Golgo always seemed to me like the eye of a hurricane. Storms of human chaos all around him but he is the one in the center that doesn't get swayed by all the emotion or chaos and has a neutral view of everyone else's behavior which in turn helps us as a viewer see different aspects of the human condition through unbiased eyes
Thanks man! It was good stuff. I can't keep up with all the anime stuff of his but I do like his stuff and the 50 episodes they did several years ago I felt were excellent. Golgo 13 and Fist of the North Star are both two of my favorite Mange/Animes
TJ Fowler Aside from the anime of 50 eps Golgo only has a movie and an OVA. Queen Bee Ova & the movie The Professional. Between the two Queen Bee kind of sucks but Professional is so freakin' stylish. :)
The reason why Golgo doesn't get any older but the times update is because it works on a shifting timescale like the Marvel universe. It's a common device used in fiction to keep a character relevant but still the same age.
@@LeeePowers Since they show the time and date all the time, I imagine it isn't a shifting timescale at all, he just doesn't age for an unknown reason. He may not be a regular man.
He has two kids one named Joey but that kid passed away in a bombing accident. You should definitely check out the anime series. Golgo 13 is very cold hearted in some episodes & other times displays very honorable scenes especially in the last episode of the series. (Ep 50) Thanks for checking this out & I really liked how you filled your movie review with such passion.
Awesome job. You've really done your research on one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. He's so complex, mysterious and fascinating. There's a lot about him to talk about but you picked the best parts to focus on.
Yeah, I've seen some episodes in the series. But unfortunately not all of them. The series is a bit hard to come by. Especially on TH-cam. But make no mistake, I did see at least a handful of episodes. And I've seen not just the Professional, but also Queen Bee, and the two live action films I mentioned in my review. Oh, and thanks a lot for the kind words regarding my review. You did a pretty good job here yourself, dude.
This was a fantastic profile! Golgo 13 is one of my favourite manga series ever. What I particulary like about the series is the real world setting with current events.
Amazing anime. I got the blu ray set on amazon for 40 dollar on a rare offer. Well worth it, the sub version is the best. Duke voice is amazing yet scary. And the voice acting was top notch. This anime deserve a new series with serious quality and pasion in it.
I've only recently gotten interested in Golgo 13, but he strikes me as a man who was probably betrayed by a certain person in his life. Seeing as he constantly pursues sex, I'd say it's possible it was a woman. This event then somehow laid the foundation for his paranoid behavior (that or a long series of betrayals put him on the edge permanently). Regardless, he believes in love though mainly seems to seek sexual encounters from what I've seen. The reference to the thirteen apostles could mean two different things to me: 1. The thirteenth apostle is usually regarded as Mattias who replaced Judas after his betrayal and suicide. Thus, one could take this as Duke possibly works as an assassin in order to replace another before him, lending credence to a 007 situation with multiple Golgos. However, it could also reference replacing one who died (as Mattias was merely elected an apostle by the others rather than put in place by Jesus). This could mean Duke possibly works as an assassin not because he's replacing a previous Golgo per se, but in order to replace someone close to him. This paints him in a light of sacrificing his own dreams for the sake of another (which is why I think this is wrong despite finding it interesting), though Togo has admitted to feelings of romance and cowardice, so it might be possible a romantic dreamer lies somewhere deep in him (though I doubt it). 2. The thirteenth apostle instead references Judas as the apostle who was cast out. Interestingly, this works well when considering the Gnostic view of Judas as a necessary evil who had to betray Jesus in order for Jesus to redeem mankind. Golgo 13's symbol has always been the skeleton with crown of thorns that likely represents Jesus. Though, in an odd way, I would say it might actually stand for Judas himself in that Judas has to bear that burden of killing Jesus. This gets esoteric, but there is a Gnostic gospel called the Gospel of Judas which claims that Judas was following orders from Jesus so that Jesus could die and redeem humanity (obviously non-canon stuff here). Interestingly, this parallels with "Golgo 13: The Professional" plot wise because *spoiler* the Dawson heir in the beginning of the film had Golgo 13 assassinate the heir himself in a case of assisted suicide made to look like homicide. Now, I'm pretty sure the manga's author had little to do with the movies, but I find it very intriguing that such a bizarre parallel exists. Looking at Duke and trying to place such an interpretation to his character itself, I would say he's thematically a sort of savior of humanity in an odd way. Duke takes these jobs from only wealthy clientele (hence the 3 million dollar payment) yet all jobs are worth the same. The life of a senator and the life of a lowly mob boss all become equal under Duke's nihilism; even further, hair pins and violin strings become valued the same as the human lives he takes. The violin story always gets me thinking because it ends with the string getting shot yet the violinist merely detunes his next string to keep playing his piece. No matter the efforts of the rival English violinist, the Russian violinist proves his superiority and the job Golgo 13 performs is meaningless in the end (though still amazing as a feat itself). I feel as though he's almost a lesson to humanity that true change can't be made without true sacrifice, and even then, your efforts are likely to be all for nothing. Whether he realizes this himself, I'm unsure, though he likely understands part of that on some level being as nihilistic as he is. Moving on, I've always liked the idea that Golgo 13 does his jobs in order to temper his will and ability. Though he does fear death, he confronts it constantly in order to master it. Though there is a slim possibility he could miss, he trains constantly to minimize the chances of it ever occurring. Basically, he would do assassinations to master himself and purge his own weaknesses due to some sense of perfectionism, though I didn't know about the possible origin of coming from a family of assassins until now. One could also interpret his sheer mastery of his skills and perception to be a result of an obsession for control in a world that no one can truly control as life is chaotic and fleeting (sort of beckons back to that theme of nihilism). Good video.
Duke needs more high caliber enemies to put a jaw dropping awesome fight. Just like against Snake, Gold and Silver...i really doubt there's been anyone who has hurt Duke badly enough to make you think he wouldn't survive like against those 3
I agree. Most of the enemies he faced in the 2008 series were such a joke its not even funny. Snake, Gold, and Silver were so far, the only ones who even came close to killing Golgo. In the 2008 series, Golgo is NEVER given a proper challenge, and always gets out of it unscathed. Most episodes of the show follow the same pattern, and it gets boring. In that show, he is protected by lazy writing and plot armor.
Oh, and one more thing. I also noticed that although he is usually stoic, cold, and emotionless, Golgo 13 has also displayed a measure of wisdom. In the Sonny Chiba film, he talks to this girl who told him that her sister committed suicide after she was raped by some thug. In that part, Duke says "One shot was for hate. One was for fear. And one for love. But pulling the trigger is all too easy." At least, that's what he said in the English dub.
Why aren't there more masculine characters like him? I'm really pissed that a lot of male anime characters are young pretty faced unmasculine teenage pansies. I hate them a lot. Too bad they are more popular.
Another theory that I have is that Duke already wanted to be a musician, in episode 4 he chooses an opera for the venue of the meeting with his client Lynda, and in episode 7 when his client asks him he has knowledge of the Russian violinist, almost always Golgo demonstrates knowledge of someone, is someone from the world of mercenaries, spies, people of the same professional environment that he is part of. Musician is an artistic profession, and to be an artist has to be a person full of feelings, but because of his family he could not pursue a career in music, another detail that makes me think he would like to be a musician is that the first scene from the first opening is Duke opening his rifle box similar to a musician opening a coffin with his instrument inside. And lastly, all the women liked to have sex with him, but a woman in the world likes only the horny, they are very fond of romanticism and if they all like him, it's because he's very romantic, all that romanticism he has was what he was saving for his inspirations as a musician artist.
The age thing doesn’t always mean a lot. The same Spider-Man canon has been running since 1962, and they treat it as little more than a decade has passed. Basically this is what’s called a sliding timeline, where the story continues but the characters don’t age. Flash Thompson fought in Vietnam back in the 70s, but when this era is brought up in modern times, it’s always something like “Afghanistan” or “undefined tour of service”.
Honestly, they're basically the same character. Stoic demeanor, disguises, superhuman abilities and senses. Golgo 13 just lacks a substantial backstory and origin description.
Quintin Garvin Golgo because Golgo attempts not to be seen when he's going for the kill. His tactics and morality are almost polar opposite of Brock I'll give Brock this. Golgo snipes him in the head from like a hundred kilometers, Brock falls down for a moment and gets back up Undertaker style and says "everyone gets one" and eye twitching adrenaline rush runs toward Golgo tracing where the bullet came from Golgo isn't some pussy henchmen though and just shoots several more times and as Brock pulls out a knife to slit Golgo's throat falls on him for good this time.
I didn't know Duke was a father! So he has a son named Jeff? And also, from what you pointed out in this review, Duke does have some measure of humanity in him. So I guess he's not completely like the Terminator as I said in my video review. But still, he's badass. Don't mess with him. That should be another one of his catch phrases; "Don't mess with me if you value your life." And the fact that his origin was never given, that makes him all the more of an interesting character.
MDthornton83 Leave it to Golgo to be the father of "my name is Jeff" whose clear B tier manly and went toe to toe with Duane The Rock Johnson in meme combat
Agent 47 is a chump compared to Golgo 13. Agent 47 just runs in with twin .45s blazing like he's in a John Woo movie, whereas Golgo 13 outwits everybody and snipes from crazy distances.
Captain Freedom You never played the Hitman games like a true hitman then. It's totally possible to stealth in, use disguises/uniforms, make everything look like an accident, and leave with no one the wiser that a murderer was there. Agent 47 is almost infamous for his sniping skills, usually choosing the W2000 hidden a briefcase that must be assembled, like Golgo with his custom M16.
Captain Freedom i dont see how that makes any of them a "chump" agent 47 is so successful in stealth and his job , he is regarded as a myth and he was born and engineered as an assassin since he was born golgo is a hitman that has determined skills to reach to that level, i think both are great at their fields.
Great biography. I was especially pleased that you mentioned the Serizawa Family Murders from the manga series that touched on his origins. I've heard about it but have been unable to find out more about that manga storyline either online or anywhere else. HOWEVER, your theory that there's been more than 1 Golgo 13 is completely, utterly bogus!! I mean come on, how many guys like Golgo 13 can there be out there? He also doesn't seem like the mentoring type and there's been nothing anywhere to suggest that he's trained any identical successors. So what if he's in his 70s. So is Chuck Norris. He's 74 and still looking good & kicking ass. Your theory is also based on the mistaken premise that comic book characters age normally. They don't! If comic book characters had linear ages The Punisher would be in his 60s and Batman (discounting that DC 52 bullshit) would be about 95.
linearman0245 Um, all right. I don't know what you're trying to say here but going by the Marvel MAX Punisher series, his last tour of duty in Vietnam was in 1971. Even if he was at the minimum age of 18 to join the Marines that year then he'd be around 62 right now in real time. But since he was a Captain during his last tour he'd be in his 60s or possibly his early 70s now. Is that what you're trying to say? That he'd be in his 70s?
First got into Golgo in early high school and loved it till i ran it dry. I'm looking to rewatch and reread all that I have as I've had the kick lately. I hate when reviewers throw the series off due to Golgo "being uninteresting for having no personality or character arcs"..... just shows they don't understand what the series is even doing. You can't write intentional aspects as flaws in a character (Benettthesage) Another favorite of mine is Crying Freeman, whos like the opposite of Golgo. He's a very emotional hit man who hates his line of work which he was forced into rather than having the freedom of choice Golgo has. CF's writing is super flawed and has some arguable plot holes but moments where it shines it shines hard. I recommend that one for some of Kazuo Koike's weirdest writing and Ikegami's best character designs.
I remember seeing the Crying Freeman OVAs about 8 years ago. I need to give another rewatch as I didn't read Lady Snowblood at the time and I need to explore more. Golgo 13 is a very unique man and character in all of the fictional medium, especially with Takao Saito's goal of reaching 200 manga volumes which is about to happen. Golgo 13 would fit being a static character but I haven't found an assassin who's as dedicated to his profession as Golgo. He also emits fear and a cold deadly presence to the point he feels superhuman or something else. He also understands how people "work" which adds a layer of psychological prowess to the character as he studies the emotions of humans while hiding his own. In ways Golgo 13 is like an evil Vulcan; reserved yet logical.
@@THEAnimeHERO nope he was sent to kill a mobster who jus can't be killed... He aimed at him and missed... But he didn't notice the mobster has psychic that stays with him at all times. I can't spoil it for you tho 😏
Thanks, man. I think one of the manga volumes expresses his preferences in cars & habits (I've only read 4 of em.) Golgo's age, eh who knows. He may have become a master of the ripple from Jojo, Lol. Personally, I do wish there would be more anime movies of him and it be awesome if he had a crossover with Lupin the 3rd.
I think Collateral (the Tom Cruise film) took the scene when Cruise shot those thugs wanting his suitcase from Golgo 13. Just a guess. It does seem likely however
Duke Togo's Fashion sense is underrated. He dresses better than even James Bond. I could wear what he wore 30 years ago and still be best dressed at a formal.
Yes a new anime series has to be made! It doesn't need to be a remake! New movie too! If it's live action I wonder if it will be anything like Ghost in the Shell or Alita Battle Angel.
I think Duke Togo has many traumas, no one is born evil, even though he was born and raised in a family of murderers, he already wanted to be good but his family must have the obligation to pursue the career of assassin, he must have meaning abandoned and condemned by God for letting him be born into a family like that, it was unclear why Golgo is antisocial, it's okay that maybe the killer career has demanded this from him as did Killua in Hunter x Hunter and more. Who invented the nickname "Golgo 13" for him? If he catches the name of Duke Togo and refers to himself by that name he does not seem to mind "Golgo 13".
No way that Bond could kill Duke Togo. They're both invincible protagonists in their own right, but even by a long shot they walk away from each other with a couple of marks
+MDthornton83 Thanks, I'm assuming you're referring to the faces of Golgo? Anyways I need to start doing some more Golgo 13 videos as its been many years I still haven't talked about the movie or anime.
That's right. But I'm glad you used it though. I look forward to seeing what other videos you make. Speaking of Golgo 13, I have done some tribute videos for him.
For anyone looking for more manly anime characters look into Ryo Narushima from Shamo Guts from Berserk Jojo from Jojo's bizarre adventure (from what I hear I haven't watched it) ken from Fist of the North Star
There's dozens of characters that could have inspired 47 I'm willing to bet its a cross between a Batman villian and James bond with a dash of Golgo thrown in.
@@TheRealCaptainFreedom Also he took down a bio-engineered solider who was more lethal and faster , with a headshot You wont find that part online or in the anime Except for the arcade game where all of the missions are based on manga chapters, bio solider's one of them
Pretty well detailed and laid out. :) I'm curious about the little things though...while he's pretty much a nomad, what kind of place does he prefer to live in? Is he likely to be more inclined to have a safe house in a high profile VIP apartment? Is there a preference to the kind of cars he drives-like, does he like Prius', Mini Coopers, Ferraris, or Lamborghinis?
Also, with regard to his age, I think I'm kinda inclined to believe that, in the end, since he's just a cartoon character, he's just like the Simpsons who've hardly aged at all in the series even though, realistically, they'd all be decades older, but the times still change around them to fit the topical subjects of current events. If not, my only other guess is that he took a sip from the fountain of youth at some point in reward for helping some corporate elitist.
Due to how often he flies around the world in so many episodes; I can conclude that Duke Togo acquired a lot of airline miles.
You are spot on with your assessment, I think.
Truth be told, while Golgo 13 NEVER smiles in any of the movies or the TV show, he DID actually smile a few times in the manga. But that's VERY RARE. Though, one thing I think would be creepy, is if Golgo 13 had the same stoic personality, but smiled all the time. Though I must say, while Golgo is a coldblooded killer, he does have standards. One of them is he won't hurt you as long as you don't mess with him.
Kind of the reason I respect him as a character.
There is one instance off the top of my head, in the prison episode. The one with the warden. When he’s talking down to the warden it pretty much looks as though he’s smiling, but that could just be an angle thing. I believe it was the cafeteria scene
@@souloftherisingsun8274 I can think of something even creepier. If Golgo 13 ever... Laughed...
@@souloftherisingsun8274as someone that recently checked the anime, he does have a small grin which seems to be a carry over of the manga version of the story where he instead has a visible panel f a smug grin while he delivers his one liner to the guard.
That story is also in one of the first batch of chapters which explains why he had that smug line and panel- something that definitely vanished sometime later it started.
he's more similar to Agent 47 of the Hitman series rather than James Bond, in fact i wonder if Duke Togo served as inspiration for the character of Agent 47
+Jason Armstrong I'm pretty sure he did. Both characters are so much alike.
+MDthornton83 main difference though is that 47 has more of a personality than Golgo
Yep. Golgo is basically the Terminator in terms of his behavior, with only a small bit of humanity.
MDthornton83 his small bit of humanity is fucking some chick before or after the job
It's easy to say who is more similar after the fact. But Golgo was invented during the era of Bond though, the 60s. He was just the more brutal/badass version if you ask me. Even Lupin (original manga version that was sexier/grittier) takes a lot of the same cues and styles, an edgier "Bond" type character, except a thief in his case instead of a spy/assassin like Bond. But the overall style and vibe... that whole decade oozed sex and spies. The mangaka (manga author) of Golgo even worked on a James Bond manga *before* he created Golgo, lol.
And yes, Bond was technically first written in book-form in the 50s, but he exploded out into the mainstream culture SO much more with the first movie in 1962, starring Sean Connery. Hence was I called the 60s "the era of Bond" in a sense ;)
Also, regarding "his small bit of humanity is fucking some chick before the job"... There's actually more to it than that. He doesn't really fuck them for pleasure or because he's still looking for "humanity." He does it for purely practical reasons. They explained it once that he just does it to calm his body/nerves before a hit. So yes, he literally is just banging those girls to try to give his mind/body an edge before going on an assassination mission. That's literally it. Cold, purposeful, unemotional reasons behind it. Not as much humanity as you thought even there, is there? ;)
He's stuck in the life of being a hitman because he'll end up being killed if he ever decides to stop being a hitman. The same can be said of a heroin addict.
He retires
What I love about the character is how he's inserted into realistic scenarios concerning events that really happened. One of the more interesting volumes of the manga that was translated into English had to deal with the death of Princess Diana. If I'm not mistaken, the author of the series was a journalist, he took reality and wove it into the narrative, fucking genius!
Golgo always seemed to me like the eye of a hurricane. Storms of human chaos all around him but he is the one in the center that doesn't get swayed by all the emotion or chaos and has a neutral view of everyone else's behavior which in turn helps us as a viewer see different aspects of the human condition through unbiased eyes
Damn, that's a pretty good description of him :)
Glad you enjoyed the video.
Thanks man! It was good stuff. I can't keep up with all the anime stuff of his but I do like his stuff and the 50 episodes they did several years ago I felt were excellent. Golgo 13 and Fist of the North Star are both two of my favorite Mange/Animes
TJ Fowler Aside from the anime of 50 eps Golgo only has a movie and an OVA. Queen Bee Ova & the movie The Professional. Between the two Queen Bee kind of sucks but Professional is so freakin' stylish. :)
Yeah I have seen them both. The Prfessional isn't bad though the dialogue by todays standards is a little funny.
RIP Takao Saito.
rip
He's basically a reverse batman
The reason why Golgo doesn't get any older but the times update is because it works on a shifting timescale like the Marvel universe. It's a common device used in fiction to keep a character relevant but still the same age.
I thought he looked young because he has no wife or kids to stress him out.
@@LeeePowers Since they show the time and date all the time, I imagine it isn't a shifting timescale at all, he just doesn't age for an unknown reason. He may not be a regular man.
Or it could be he's immortal. Maybe Golgo 13 is a vampire? Or a demon?
He has two kids one named Joey but that kid passed away in a bombing accident. You should definitely check out the anime series. Golgo 13 is very cold hearted in some episodes & other times displays very honorable scenes especially in the last episode of the series. (Ep 50)
Thanks for checking this out & I really liked how you filled your movie review with such passion.
Awesome job. You've really done your research on one of my all-time favorite fictional characters. He's so complex, mysterious and fascinating. There's a lot about him to talk about but you picked the best parts to focus on.
Thanks, need to do more profiles in the future.
THE AnimeHERO I look forward to them.
I love this video. You can't find much commentary on Golgo 13 like this.
G13 with always be the man, I followed him since 1980 have all the books and all the dolls. Go Golgo 13
That's cool! I need to get some merchandise for Golgo 13. I've been wanting an action figure but they're all out of print at expensive prices.
FANTASTIC character profile! G13 is definitley one of my favourite classic anime characters out there, He's right up there with Kenshiro and Ryo Saeba
Yeah, I've seen some episodes in the series. But unfortunately not all of them. The series is a bit hard to come by. Especially on TH-cam. But make no mistake, I did see at least a handful of episodes. And I've seen not just the Professional, but also Queen Bee, and the two live action films I mentioned in my review. Oh, and thanks a lot for the kind words regarding my review. You did a pretty good job here yourself, dude.
This guy is the balls. You sir have done an excellent job here. Sub!
This was a fantastic profile! Golgo 13 is one of my favourite manga series ever. What I particulary like about the series is the real world setting with current events.
Imagine if Golgo 13 was given the job to kill Yujiro Hanma. Unstoppable force meets ummovable object.
Amazing anime. I got the blu ray set on amazon for 40 dollar on a rare offer. Well worth it, the sub version is the best. Duke voice is amazing yet scary. And the voice acting was top notch.
This anime deserve a new series with serious quality and pasion in it.
Oh and by the way, awesome review. Very detailed and in depth. You've uncovered a lot about Golgo 13.
Golgo 13 is the MANLIEST HitMAN ever! :)
I've only recently gotten interested in Golgo 13, but he strikes me as a man who was probably betrayed by a certain person in his life. Seeing as he constantly pursues sex, I'd say it's possible it was a woman. This event then somehow laid the foundation for his paranoid behavior (that or a long series of betrayals put him on the edge permanently). Regardless, he believes in love though mainly seems to seek sexual encounters from what I've seen.
The reference to the thirteen apostles could mean two different things to me:
1. The thirteenth apostle is usually regarded as Mattias who replaced Judas after his betrayal and suicide. Thus, one could take this as Duke possibly works as an assassin in order to replace another before him, lending credence to a 007 situation with multiple Golgos. However, it could also reference replacing one who died (as Mattias was merely elected an apostle by the others rather than put in place by Jesus). This could mean Duke possibly works as an assassin not because he's replacing a previous Golgo per se, but in order to replace someone close to him. This paints him in a light of sacrificing his own dreams for the sake of another (which is why I think this is wrong despite finding it interesting), though Togo has admitted to feelings of romance and cowardice, so it might be possible a romantic dreamer lies somewhere deep in him (though I doubt it).
2. The thirteenth apostle instead references Judas as the apostle who was cast out. Interestingly, this works well when considering the Gnostic view of Judas as a necessary evil who had to betray Jesus in order for Jesus to redeem mankind. Golgo 13's symbol has always been the skeleton with crown of thorns that likely represents Jesus. Though, in an odd way, I would say it might actually stand for Judas himself in that Judas has to bear that burden of killing Jesus. This gets esoteric, but there is a Gnostic gospel called the Gospel of Judas which claims that Judas was following orders from Jesus so that Jesus could die and redeem humanity (obviously non-canon stuff here). Interestingly, this parallels with "Golgo 13: The Professional" plot wise because *spoiler* the Dawson heir in the beginning of the film had Golgo 13 assassinate the heir himself in a case of assisted suicide made to look like homicide. Now, I'm pretty sure the manga's author had little to do with the movies, but I find it very intriguing that such a bizarre parallel exists. Looking at Duke and trying to place such an interpretation to his character itself, I would say he's thematically a sort of savior of humanity in an odd way.
Duke takes these jobs from only wealthy clientele (hence the 3 million dollar payment) yet all jobs are worth the same. The life of a senator and the life of a lowly mob boss all become equal under Duke's nihilism; even further, hair pins and violin strings become valued the same as the human lives he takes. The violin story always gets me thinking because it ends with the string getting shot yet the violinist merely detunes his next string to keep playing his piece. No matter the efforts of the rival English violinist, the Russian violinist proves his superiority and the job Golgo 13 performs is meaningless in the end (though still amazing as a feat itself). I feel as though he's almost a lesson to humanity that true change can't be made without true sacrifice, and even then, your efforts are likely to be all for nothing. Whether he realizes this himself, I'm unsure, though he likely understands part of that on some level being as nihilistic as he is.
Moving on, I've always liked the idea that Golgo 13 does his jobs in order to temper his will and ability. Though he does fear death, he confronts it constantly in order to master it. Though there is a slim possibility he could miss, he trains constantly to minimize the chances of it ever occurring. Basically, he would do assassinations to master himself and purge his own weaknesses due to some sense of perfectionism, though I didn't know about the possible origin of coming from a family of assassins until now. One could also interpret his sheer mastery of his skills and perception to be a result of an obsession for control in a world that no one can truly control as life is chaotic and fleeting (sort of beckons back to that theme of nihilism).
Good video.
Riveting theory and analysis
I love watching this guy work for his fee. He is simply hyper vigilant. Which is a needed skill for his work. He possesses constructive paranoia.
he says in manga like "i'm sensible to danger like rabbit, that's making me survive"
That's the way it should be. You need to always be aware of your surroundings and ready to act at any second.
Your welcome. Been brainstorming to do the God Hand from Berserk or some characters from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure or Fist of the North Star
Duke needs more high caliber enemies to put a jaw dropping awesome fight.
Just like against Snake, Gold and Silver...i really doubt there's been anyone who has hurt Duke badly enough to make you think he wouldn't survive like against those 3
I agree. Most of the enemies he faced in the 2008 series were such a joke its not even funny. Snake, Gold, and Silver were so far, the only ones who even came close to killing Golgo. In the 2008 series, Golgo is NEVER given a proper challenge, and always gets out of it unscathed. Most episodes of the show follow the same pattern, and it gets boring. In that show, he is protected by lazy writing and plot armor.
To be fair most fans of this series enjoy it because of how absurdly competent Duke is.
One more thing....prior to Sonny Chiba, Ken Takakura played Golgo 3 years prior for Toei pictures, before the joint Japanese/HK venture with Chiba.
Oh, and one more thing. I also noticed that although he is usually stoic, cold, and emotionless, Golgo 13 has also displayed a measure of wisdom. In the Sonny Chiba film, he talks to this girl who told him that her sister committed suicide after she was raped by some thug. In that part, Duke says "One shot was for hate. One was for fear. And one for love. But pulling the trigger is all too easy." At least, that's what he said in the English dub.
What you forgot to include that he had an acarde machine in 1999
Why aren't there more masculine characters like him? I'm really pissed that a lot of male anime characters are young pretty faced unmasculine teenage pansies. I hate them a lot. Too bad they are more popular.
Guts from Berserk is probably his medieval version
city hunter's Ryo Saeba is one of my favourite then Duke togo. Togo is a cool guy but I think Saeba is all round a better Character
jumangi 23 you forgot ken from fist of the north star and alucard from hellsing ultimate
Gotta love Giorno
Too place more of an emphasis on their skill and brains rather than just pure brawny muscle
Another theory that I have is that Duke already wanted to be a musician, in episode 4 he chooses an opera for the venue of the meeting with his client Lynda, and in episode 7 when his client asks him he has knowledge of the Russian violinist, almost always Golgo demonstrates knowledge of someone, is someone from the world of mercenaries, spies, people of the same professional environment that he is part of. Musician is an artistic profession, and to be an artist has to be a person full of feelings, but because of his family he could not pursue a career in music, another detail that makes me think he would like to be a musician is that the first scene from the first opening is Duke opening his rifle box similar to a musician opening a coffin with his instrument inside. And lastly, all the women liked to have sex with him, but a woman in the world likes only the horny, they are very fond of romanticism and if they all like him, it's because he's very romantic, all that romanticism he has was what he was saving for his inspirations as a musician artist.
Rest in Peace Sonny Chiba.
The age thing doesn’t always mean a lot. The same Spider-Man canon has been running since 1962, and they treat it as little more than a decade has passed.
Basically this is what’s called a sliding timeline, where the story continues but the characters don’t age.
Flash Thompson fought in Vietnam back in the 70s, but when this era is brought up in modern times, it’s always something like “Afghanistan” or “undefined tour of service”.
Duke is a damn demon that's bad-ass elite ..
I love Golgo 13. One of my favorite anime characters.
Golgo 13 is pretty much like Dirty Harry in Anime form
What if Golgo 13 was hired to kill Jason Voorhees? Would it be a hour-long OVA or an actual movie?
Hitman vs Golgo 13
Agent 47 doesn't stand a chance
true enough
Honestly, they're basically the same character. Stoic demeanor, disguises, superhuman abilities and senses. Golgo 13 just lacks a substantial backstory and origin description.
Brock samson v golgo 13
Quintin Garvin
Golgo because Golgo attempts not to be seen when he's going for the kill. His tactics and morality are almost polar opposite of Brock
I'll give Brock this. Golgo snipes him in the head from like a hundred kilometers, Brock falls down for a moment and gets back up Undertaker style and says "everyone gets one" and eye twitching adrenaline rush runs toward Golgo tracing where the bullet came from
Golgo isn't some pussy henchmen though and just shoots several more times and as Brock pulls out a knife to slit Golgo's throat falls on him for good this time.
I didn't know Duke was a father! So he has a son named Jeff? And also, from what you pointed out in this review, Duke does have some measure of humanity in him. So I guess he's not completely like the Terminator as I said in my video review. But still, he's badass. Don't mess with him. That should be another one of his catch phrases; "Don't mess with me if you value your life." And the fact that his origin was never given, that makes him all the more of an interesting character.
MDthornton83
Leave it to Golgo to be the father of "my name is Jeff" whose clear B tier manly and went toe to toe with Duane The Rock Johnson in meme combat
I am drowning in manliness!
So you keep a gun hidden in the bed?
Those were the same words my wife ask me in our first night.
I think Golgo 13 (like Marvel) is on a "sliding timeline". In otherwords, it always takes place in a perpetual present.
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed this.
Thanks, man Hope to do more soon once I come up with a list of characters.
Duke Togo and Agent 47 are probably the best assassins.
Agent 47 is a chump compared to Golgo 13. Agent 47 just runs in with twin .45s blazing like he's in a John Woo movie, whereas Golgo 13 outwits everybody and snipes from crazy distances.
Captain Freedom You never played the Hitman games like a true hitman then. It's totally possible to stealth in, use disguises/uniforms, make everything look like an accident, and leave with no one the wiser that a murderer was there. Agent 47 is almost infamous for his sniping skills, usually choosing the W2000 hidden a briefcase that must be assembled, like Golgo with his custom M16.
Captain Freedom i dont see how that makes any of them a "chump"
agent 47 is so successful in stealth and his job , he is regarded as a myth
and he was born and engineered as an assassin since he was born
golgo is a hitman that has determined skills to reach to that level,
i think both are great at their fields.
mechaart Golgo would fuck 47 up.
Thanks man and good job on the character profile hope to see more.
He's the Japanese John Wick (before his retirement). I'll like to think the modus operandi and expertise are roughly the same.
Great character review. I'm subscribing.
+One Carlos (Charlie) Thanks, I have another character video about Devilman which is on my second channel MANLY AnimeHERO.
Great biography. I was especially pleased that you mentioned the Serizawa Family Murders from the manga series that touched on his origins. I've heard about it but have been unable to find out more about that manga storyline either online or anywhere else.
HOWEVER, your theory that there's been more than 1 Golgo 13 is completely, utterly bogus!! I mean come on, how many guys like Golgo 13 can there be out there? He also doesn't seem like the mentoring type and there's been nothing anywhere to suggest that he's trained any identical successors. So what if he's in his 70s. So is Chuck Norris. He's 74 and still looking good & kicking ass. Your theory is also based on the mistaken premise that comic book characters age normally. They don't! If comic book characters had linear ages The Punisher would be in his 60s and Batman (discounting that DC 52 bullshit) would be about 95.
//The Punisher would be in his 60s//
Marvel MAX Punisher.
linearman0245 Um, all right. I don't know what you're trying to say here but going by the Marvel MAX Punisher series, his last tour of duty in Vietnam was in 1971. Even if he was at the minimum age of 18 to join the Marines that year then he'd be around 62 right now in real time. But since he was a Captain during his last tour he'd be in his 60s or possibly his early 70s now. Is that what you're trying to say? That he'd be in his 70s?
GiantPantherTX
Yup. His birth-date in the MAX series is 1950.
GiantPantherTX Pretty sure that story is in one of the 2006 13 volume books.
First got into Golgo in early high school and loved it till i ran it dry. I'm looking to rewatch and reread all that I have as I've had the kick lately. I hate when reviewers throw the series off due to Golgo "being uninteresting for having no personality or character arcs"..... just shows they don't understand what the series is even doing. You can't write intentional aspects as flaws in a character (Benettthesage)
Another favorite of mine is Crying Freeman, whos like the opposite of Golgo. He's a very emotional hit man who hates his line of work which he was forced into rather than having the freedom of choice Golgo has. CF's writing is super flawed and has some arguable plot holes but moments where it shines it shines hard. I recommend that one for some of Kazuo Koike's weirdest writing and Ikegami's best character designs.
I remember seeing the Crying Freeman OVAs about 8 years ago. I need to give another rewatch as I didn't read Lady Snowblood at the time and I need to explore more. Golgo 13 is a very unique man and character in all of the fictional medium, especially with Takao Saito's goal of reaching 200 manga volumes which is about to happen. Golgo 13 would fit being a static character but I haven't found an assassin who's as dedicated to his profession as Golgo. He also emits fear and a cold deadly presence to the point he feels superhuman or something else. He also understands how people "work" which adds a layer of psychological prowess to the character as he studies the emotions of humans while hiding his own. In ways Golgo 13 is like an evil Vulcan; reserved yet logical.
There's actually a story where Golgo 13 missed his target....
And almost gets killed.
He has a mental breakdown.
Was it the one where the bullet misfired in the chamber? Or is it another story?
@@THEAnimeHERO nope he was sent to kill a mobster who jus can't be killed...
He aimed at him and missed...
But he didn't notice the mobster has psychic that stays with him at all times. I can't spoil it for you tho 😏
there is?
Golgo is the man.
MANLY!!
***** Golgo 13 The Professional "Tail to Nose" The full soundtrack got uploaded recently. Golgo 13 The Professional OST : 06 Tail To Nose
Thanks, man. I think one of the manga volumes expresses his preferences in cars & habits (I've only read 4 of em.)
Golgo's age, eh who knows. He may have become a master of the ripple from Jojo, Lol.
Personally, I do wish there would be more anime movies of him and it be awesome if he had a crossover with Lupin the 3rd.
Thanks dead.He's actually modeled more after James Bond.
Without a doubt the baddest assassin of all. Even when getting a lil tail, no change of expression.
great video
Senior Togo Rodriguez...
MANLY!
He has in the past, looked directly at the sun through an magnified optic... No damage done to his eyes. Even chuck Norris cannot do this feat.
why dosen't much people talk about this anime
Golgol 13 versus Batman
This would be one sided 1v1 in favor of Golgo13
Green Reaper Batman faced worse than duke but it will be a good fight
I think Collateral (the Tom Cruise film) took the scene when Cruise shot those thugs wanting his suitcase from Golgo 13. Just a guess. It does seem likely however
It should be Episode 5 The Super Star's Joint Apprentice. I think it plays before halfway through the episode.
Duke Togo's Fashion sense is underrated. He dresses better than even James Bond. I could wear what he wore 30 years ago and still be best dressed at a formal.
Britan has James Bond, America has Mike Hammer, Japan has Golgo 13.
america : its john wick now
nice hotshots2 reference
+Sven Stoffels Thanks :)
BLOODIEST MOVIE EVER. Was the counter in the show?
Rutin Acuzza No it was edited from Hot Shots Part Deux
He the the punisher of Japan 🇯🇵 and the agent 47 of Japan 🇯🇵,agent 007 of Japan 🇯🇵
Its a boring anime
I love him, too. XD
Ok, Golgo's voice is a bit cooler than I thought it was
I wonder why golgo rarely uses a suppressor when sniping?
Jason Armstrong I'm pretty sure that cold suppressed ammunition has less velocity as well less penetration capabilities.
Clarkie Rubbs right but i'm just thinking in terms of not getting caught and taking every precaution necessary
Yes a new anime series has to be made! It doesn't need to be a remake! New movie too! If it's live action I wonder if it will be anything like Ghost in the Shell or Alita Battle Angel.
THANKS FALCON!!
I wish Golgo was more popular
1:53 Golgo theme
Straight from the NES.
@@THEAnimeHEROI remember getting it in the 80s
I want to watch Lupin the 3rd, but where should I start to start?
I agree, but hell, I wish they'd revive his anime series and do more episodes based on the manga. Those were siiiiick! :)
I think Duke Togo has many traumas, no one is born evil, even though he was born and raised in a family of murderers, he already wanted to be good but his family must have the obligation to pursue the career of assassin, he must have meaning abandoned and condemned by God for letting him be born into a family like that, it was unclear why Golgo is antisocial, it's okay that maybe the killer career has demanded this from him as did Killua in Hunter x Hunter and more. Who invented the nickname "Golgo 13" for him? If he catches the name of Duke Togo and refers to himself by that name he does not seem to mind "Golgo 13".
Well, guys, it pains me to tell y'all that Sonny Chiba, the one who portrayed as Golgo 13 in the 1977 film , has died from COVID-19 today.
The one person who didn't like this video stood behind Golgo, then got punched in the face.
No way that Bond could kill Duke Togo. They're both invincible protagonists in their own right, but even by a long shot they walk away from each other with a couple of marks
I need more Golgo 13 anime. There's like much manga that could be given the tv special treatment like Lupin The 3rd or Detective Conan.
Goglo was clean in his own way. But if we were to talk about vs battles. Crying Freeman shits on him.
Oh, and I know I didn't mention this two years earlier. But nice use of the image that I stitched together and posted on Deviant Art.
+MDthornton83 Thanks, I'm assuming you're referring to the faces of Golgo? Anyways I need to start doing some more Golgo 13 videos as its been many years I still haven't talked about the movie or anime.
That's right. But I'm glad you used it though. I look forward to seeing what other videos you make. Speaking of Golgo 13, I have done some tribute videos for him.
I rule.. And try pronounce my last name without sounding like a Weaboo.
I thought Togo sounds Hawaiian, but that's my opinion.
And I have no doubt you would. Now, I'm no anime fan, but the anime world needs more guys like you.
Imagin if your crush stands on your back and you kill her
Lol you even used HOT SHOTS PART DUEX REFENCES AS WELL LOL
he's not the only one who carries protection ;)
I can thank the Hitman for getting me into this.
Goro Serizawa aka Duke Togo.... aka Golgo 13 ...12:08 that story creeped me out
He's a scary man.
@@THEAnimeHERO did you see what he did to his sister
@@DRACOFURY If you mean the movie, no I haven't seen it.
@@THEAnimeHERO no... Goro Serizawa Family murder story... Goro... or Golgo Has A Sister...
For anyone looking for more manly anime characters look into
Ryo Narushima from Shamo
Guts from Berserk
Jojo from Jojo's bizarre adventure (from what I hear I haven't watched it)
ken from Fist of the North Star
Golgo 13 vs Godzilla
Duke togo would destroy agent 47. but I wonder if duke inspired the hitman series.
Nope. 47 is genetically enhanced to be the perfect killer.
Rodger Johnson Golgo has taken out a cyborg and a battle mech.
Captain Freedom 47 is basically captain America as cold blooded killer
There's dozens of characters that could have inspired 47 I'm willing to bet its a cross between a Batman villian and James bond with a dash of Golgo thrown in.
@@TheRealCaptainFreedom Also he took down a bio-engineered solider who was more lethal and faster , with a headshot
You wont find that part online or in the anime
Except for the arcade game where all of the missions are based on manga chapters, bio solider's one of them
the body count counter was a great joke , from that charlie sheen movie
really badass character he is , representing the country.
Who would win a fight between Golgo 13 and Agent 47?
Unfortunately, to this day I haven't looked at anything deeper about the Hitman series.
Golgo 13 is so freaking manly.
Pretty well detailed and laid out. :) I'm curious about the little things though...while he's pretty much a nomad, what kind of place does he prefer to live in? Is he likely to be more inclined to have a safe house in a high profile VIP apartment? Is there a preference to the kind of cars he drives-like, does he like Prius', Mini Coopers, Ferraris, or Lamborghinis?
He was also in Kenichi.
JimGeorgeBaker how?
Also, with regard to his age, I think I'm kinda inclined to believe that, in the end, since he's just a cartoon character, he's just like the Simpsons who've hardly aged at all in the series even though, realistically, they'd all be decades older, but the times still change around them to fit the topical subjects of current events. If not, my only other guess is that he took a sip from the fountain of youth at some point in reward for helping some corporate elitist.
Great video.
Golgo is a Sniper Chuck Norris!!! The guy is hella slick! OHH YYEAA
Why the freak do I hear lavender town song in the background
Lol, I just thought it suit the mood on his mysterious origin.
Jeremy Kujo lol
Thank you so much
I really think that golgo 13 influence the anime of being manly XD
He's one of the earliest. I also think the massive sized Violence Jack has a part to play since his 1973 debut.
Ya man do you think this series is better than james bond?
@@met3uz854 I wouldn't know. I've only seen one James Bond movie.