JP RETRO GAMES｜Japanese Famicom & Retro Games

A piece of 1980s–1990s Japanese manga history

If you are a fan of Japanese manga, CITY HUNTER is probably a title you have seen before.

Created by Tsukasa Hojo , CITY HUNTER is one of the most iconic manga series from the golden age of Weekly Shonen Jump.

Recently, I found something special in Japan:

All 35 original Japanese volumes of CITY HUNTER — and every volume is a first printing.

📚 All 35 Volumes

The collection contains the complete original Jump Comics series:

Volume 1 → Volume 35

The publication dates shown in the books range from 1986 through 1992 , covering the entire original run of the manga.

What makes this collection particularly interesting is the colophon inside each book.

The books show:

「第1刷発行」

which means First Printing / First Edition printing .

I checked the volumes individually rather than simply assuming that the entire set was a first-printing collection.

That makes this much more interesting to me as a collector.

🔥 CITY HUNTER and Weekly Shonen Jump

CITY HUNTER was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump , one of the most influential manga magazines in Japan.

The series appeared alongside many legendary manga titles from the 1980s and early 1990s.

The collection also reminds me of how different manga publishing was before the digital era.

These are physical books that were printed in Japan more than 30 years ago.

The paper has naturally aged, and each volume has its own signs of its history.

That is part of the charm.

🎨 The Artwork of Tsukasa Hojo

One of the things that immediately stands out when looking at the collection is the artwork.

The covers change dramatically from volume to volume, featuring characters such as:

• Ryo Saeba
• Kaori Makimura
• Saeko Nogami
• Miki
• Umibozu

The colorful cover designs are also a great representation of the visual style of Japanese manga from this period.

For me, these books are not simply reading material.

They are also pieces of Japanese pop-culture history.

📰 An Original Weekly Shonen Jump Connection

I also have original Weekly Shonen Jump material featuring CITY HUNTER from the same era.

Some pages contain large CITY HUNTER illustrations and promotional material from the original Japanese publication.

Seeing the manga together with the magazines from its original era gives a different perspective.

You can see how CITY HUNTER was presented to Japanese readers at the time.

🇯🇵 From Japan to Collectors Around the World

One reason I started JP RETRO GAMES was to introduce Japanese retro games, manga and other nostalgic items to collectors outside Japan.

Japan has an enormous amount of vintage pop culture that can still be found in second-hand shops, flea markets and private collections.

Sometimes, an item that looks ordinary in Japan can have a completely different story when seen by a collector overseas.

This CITY HUNTER collection is a perfect example.

35 volumes.
One complete series.
All first printings.
More than 30 years old.

That’s the kind of Japanese retro treasure I enjoy finding.

❤️ Which CITY HUNTER Volume Is Your Favorite?

If you are a CITY HUNTER fan, I’d love to know:

Which volume has your favorite cover?

Volume 1?
Volume 10?
Volume 18?
Or one of the final volumes?

Let me know!

🇯🇵 JP RETRO GAMES

I share Japanese retro games, manga and nostalgic collectibles from Japan.

Follow JP RETRO GAMES:

🎮 TikTok
JP RETRO GAMES on TikTok⁠

📸 Instagram
JP RETRO GAMES on Instagram⁠

🐦 X
JP RETRO GAMES on X⁠

🛒 Mercari
JP RETRO GAMES Mercari Profile

Japanese retro games & manga — found in Japan, shared with the world. 🇯🇵🌎